The Electric Car Transition Unravels Slowly, Then All at Once

The global transition to electric vehicles is beginning to unravel the way major changeovers often do: slowly at first, then all at once.

This week brought a cascade of signals that the EV era is entering a more uncertain, more contested phase. The European Commission backed away from what had been the world’s most aggressive timeline for phasing out internal-combustion engines, granting manufacturers and consumers more time to move off gasoline. A day earlier, Ford Motor Co. announced $19.5 billion in charges tied to the retreat from an electric strategy it vowed to go all in on eight years ago. ...