When I stepped up to test drive the all-electric Volkswagen ID. Buzz, the first thing I thought was that it looked as if it were grinning, almost too much. But once inside, the smug mug made sense.

The Buzz is the first all-electric minivan in the United States and a leap toward luxury compared to its iconic predecessor, the VW Bus from the 1960s. It can seat up to seven people with lots of legroom, has more interior cargo space than a Suburban, and features a vast electrochromic sunroof that turns opaque at the touch of a button. With a low center of gravity thanks to its battery, the Buzz turns on a dime. A few days after my test drive, Volkswagen’s electric minivan won the 2025 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year award at the Detroit Auto Show.

I’m not here to sell you a minivan. But I do think we’re witnessing a watershed moment for EVs, one that might change the way you think about our electrified future.

December was the best month ever for EV sales worldwide, and the number of EVs sold in the US last year reached a record 1.3 million. Some industry analysts expect that number to climb in 2025, when there will be even more options to go electric at some of the lowest prices yet. And thanks to some simple changes to plug standards, this year should also see progress in building out the nation’s charging infrastructure, thanks to an influx of cash from the Biden administration, which has historically been terrible but is inching its way toward good. While the incoming Trump administration is poised to eliminate some tax breaks for EV buyers, experts in the sector say that the industry’s momentum is unstoppable.

At the same time, EV sales growth is slowing. Yes, the industry keeps breaking records, but it’s breaking them by smaller margins. Tesla, which manufactures the top two bestselling EVs in the country and is the largest EV manufacturer in the world, actually saw its market share shrink for the first time ever in 2024. That shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. With the exception of the audacious new Cybertruck, Tesla has been selling the same four EV models for years, even as its competitors, including legacy automakers like Volkswagen and GM as well as newcomers like Rivian and Polestar, are breaking conventions and introducing completely new body types, like VW’s minivan or Rivian’s offroading vehicles.

The cost of EVs is falling, too. Chevy just started selling an all-electric Equinox SUV that comes in at less than $35,000. (Chevy’s gas-powered Equinox starts at $28,600.) And, the........

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