The January 20, 2025, shift in Presidencies marked a rupture for national electric vehicle policies and attitudes.

The ensuing changes in EV and environmental-related mandates, incentives, tax credits, and timelines move the new and used EV markets into a more unpredictable period.

What does it mean for remarketers of wholesale and retail used EVs? How can they protect margins, manage depreciation risk, and inform vehicle acquisition decisions?

A panel of experts will tackle those questions and topics at the Fleet Forward Conference, which will be held in San Diego on Oct. 21-23. The session, EV Remarketing in the Post-Biden Era: Balancing Risk, Policy, and Price Shifts, will be held Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 10 to 11 a.m. 

The experts include: Scott Case, CEO and co-founder of Recurrent, Jimmy Douglas, founder and CEO of Plug, and Stephanie Valdez-Streaty, director of industry insights for Cox Automotive.

Among the topics they will tackle is the volatile EV wholesale market and the future of vehicle values.

“I've been talking to some of the top EV retailers in the country about how market prices will change in the coming months with the removal of the new and used EV rebates,” Case said. “The story of what's going to happen to the EV resale market is complicated and will only be partly told by October.”

Not all EV values will move in the same direction and will depend on the age of the vehicle and the similarity of newer versions, Case said.

“For commercial fleets that likely have more control over de-fleeting vehicles, there are some triggers I'd be looking for to determine when to move, but it will be important to be ready and have all the EV-specific data ready to disseminate throughout the used market.”

The session will also cover the state of the EV used and wholesale markets as of October based on the latest data:

• Case expects the Q4 used EV market to slow down considerably with buyers pulling their purchases ahead into Q3, which means dealers aren’t restocking and wholesale prices drop.

• 2025 overall will likely show that lower retail prices on used EVs will make them the most affordable cars in a used market, booming because tariffs drive up the costs of new cars.

• The biggest market driver for early 2026 is the supply of off-lease EVs tripling from 2025. Despite the loss of the EV rebates, 2026 will be the year of the used EV.

The Fleet Forward Conference will be held Oct. 21-23 at the Sheraton San Diego Resort. Registration is now open.