President Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency has taken the first steps toward terminating President Biden’s electric vehicle mandate that 56% of vehicles sold be electric by 2032. Mr. Trump’s action reflects a return of vehicle choice to individual Americans, a welcome change from Biden’s government control.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is reconsidering the Biden-era rules and will likely issue a set of proposed regulations and a call for public comment.

Electric vehicles don’t suffer from a lack of innovation. When the Washington, D.C., Auto Show showcased the techiest new models from top car brands, EVs were the stars, highlighting automakers’ drastic swing toward electrification.

Particularly popular was the Tesla Cybertruck, which has a sports car’s speed and a pickup truck’s utility. When the show said the trucks were available to test-drive, people turned out in droves.

Is the country ready for an EV mandate?

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The answer seems to be no.

Electric vehicles have many advantages, including instantaneous acceleration, efficiency, zero tailpipe emissions and independence from gas stations. However, they also have major disadvantages.

EVs are more expensive than internal combustion cars and depend on charging station systems to travel long distances. Their batteries lose, on average, 20% of their range in cold weather. EVs also rely heavily on materials and components from China.

These problems are often swept under the proverbial car mats.

Regardless of the advantages or disadvantages of EVs, a government mandate is unjustifiable. Ultimately, vehicle decisions should be left to consumers.

The shift to EVs is largely a result of pressure from a triumvirate of regulators: the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation and the state of California.

In response to this pressure, automakers such as Kia and Hyundai have begun producing entirely new EV model lineups. Other automakers, including BMW, are hybridizing models such as the legendary M5.

The regulatory burden has also compelled automakers to simplify their internal combustion engine production in favor of battery-powered vehicles.

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Notably, they have done this by reducing engine models. In 2016, North American assembly plants sourced 60 unique engine models. By 2023, that number had dropped to just 35, according to a study by Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago researchers Thomas Klier and James Rubenstein.

Rather than expanding their production footprints with new plants, automakers are repurposing existing facilities to transition from internal combustion engine vehicle production to hybrid and EV manufacturing.

The Trump administration is now working to remove the artificial pressure backing EVs.

Specifically, Mr. Trump seeks to remove federal tax incentives for EVs, which are projected to cost taxpayers about $100 billion over the next decade. Last month, the EPA moved to repeal California’s Advanced Clean Cars II regulation, which requires EVs to comprise 68% of vehicles sold by 2030 and 100% by 2035.

The Trump administration is ensuring that consumers’ choices ultimately remain with them, not policymakers. Mr. Zeldin knows that the auto industry’s future should be driven by consumer demand, not by government.

Although innovations such as the Cybertruck are exciting to see at auto shows, consumers should be free to choose whether to buy an EV or a gasoline-powered vehicle, and their decision shouldn’t be burdened by government interference.