I know there is a tradition of not imposing laws that target a specific company but is it an actual law with consequences?
Because it would be great if the tax credit law was written with the explicit exclusion of Tesla.
If Musk wants to use the federal government to target his business competitors, then the State government can do the same.
It already does exclude tesla. The first tax credit from the Obama years went away after a company was producing a certain volume of cars, it was meant to spur new companies, not bolster established ones. Tesla got it for a while but by now they make too many cars to count.
Not sure if it was actually kept in but the tax credits in the IRA were also dependent on cars being union made, and Elon hates unions so tesla was excluded. This is probably part of the reason Elon hates Biden and why he turned to trump.
So you don’t have to really target tesla, you can just target large established manufacturers or non union ones.
They changed the tax credit so Tesla is included again.
This is a major issue with Tesla now. Musk is selling something to appease environmentalists while basically being against them on every other turn.
I think public opinion is starting to turn on Tesla, especially with the poor build quality, tons of recalls, safety concerns, etc etc etc. But it is taking surprisingly long. The brand somehow garnered significant popularity and realistically the best way to combat that is: stop freaking buying Teslas.
Edit: a word
I have a better idea. How about for every one $7,500 EV credits we could give, we instead give out 10 $750 tax credits for e-bikes. That will cover the entire cost of a basic entry level e-bike nowadays.
What would you be buying with that $750? Most of the reputable budget brands still seem to be a bit more than that.
Exclude Tesla.
Great news for all the average people thinking of buying a brand new car…
Newsome is just another neoliberal hoping he gets a chance to be shoved down America’s throat’s
The party doesn’t need a disciple of Gordan Getty, in any sane world Newsom would be a rising star in the conservative party and I’d have relatively few problems with him
But if he’s the left most option, he won’t get enough votes to be president and we’ll all be stuck with trump’s successor
Smaller EVs like the nissan leaf or the Chevy bolt (rip) can be had for less than most lightly used cars with the tax credit, my 2023 new bolt was 22k with tax etc., whereas comparable small hatchback/sedans from e.g. Honda were 25k+ for a 2020 model. The median income for Californians is ~$45k, so as long as the credit isn’t used for things like the hummer or Porsche evs this is probably helping a lot of middle- and middle-low income people, though not lower income unfortunately
Ew Nissan Leaf.
Did you get a bolt or a bolt euv? I’m considering a small EV
The smaller one, and am very happy with the decision. The selling point on the EUV is really more rear legroom, but it has a more sloped hood to look sportier so you actually have less trunk space and a smaller opening unfortunately. It also gets less range by a bit, and has a longer hood so harder to park in a dense city if that’s a concern.
That being said, neither are fantastic road trip cars. I’ve taken it ~4 hours away, but you have to stop for about an hour on both outbound and return legs to comfortably make it and be able to drive around your destination. And I wish the trunk was ~1 inch longer or a bit flatter, you can only fit a normal rolling suitcase in the center, so it’s almost a 3-suitcase trunk with room on top but is actually only 2 without some significant Tetris.
this is probably helping a lot of middle- and middle-low income people, though not lower income unfortunately
Depends on how you qualify “middle income”.
If you mean like. The mathematical average most families have…
They’re not buying new cars in 2024.
If you mean the concept of “middle income” with one working parent, 2.5 kids, that own their own home and take large annual vacations while buying a new car every 4-5 years…
Buddy, there ain’t many of them left.
And if you think giving the people who need a handout the less should get a handout for the environment…
A used ICE is better for the environment than a new EV. And compared to pollution from things like the shipping industry, personal vehicles are nowhere near the largest concern.
Like this sounds good and gives people warm and fuzzy feelings that something is being done. But that’s all it accomplishes, everyone’s tax dollars are being used to give rich people warm and fuzzies.
You know that’s what tax credit means right?
That specific person is let off the hook, there’s less tax money available for services, and we get less than what we paid for unless we can afford to buy a new car and get the rebate.
Like…
I feel like I’m explaining tariffs to trump supporters.
The only people who really win are the ones selling the cars and the people they’re giving
bribespolitical donations to.Quick edit:
The right way to incentive EV is to stop artificially lowering gas prices with everyone’s tax money…
Not doing the same for EVs.
But fossil fuel corps already donate a shit ton to both parties, that’s why in 2024 both candidates were aggressively pro-fracking
- the best way to get affordable RVs, especially used EVs is to goose the market. Faster growth now gets us more used EVs than trying to make the current ones cheaper.
- the full rebate only applies up to $150k annual income for someone filing single. While it’s well above the median income, that’s far from wealthy, especially in high cost of living areas
Yes in this case it’s good to help those higher middle income people because they’re the ones where it makes a difference now and the most people benefit with the most market growth
