Tesla, GM, & Other EV Companies Seek US Tax Credit Expansion

MarketWatch reports that Tesla, General Motors, and others in the electric vehicle ecosystem are seeking expansion of the US federal tax credit for EVs.

The tax credit currently starts phasing out when an automaker reaches 200,000 plug-in vehicle sales in the US (something Tesla achieved multiple quarters before any other automaker, and GM achieved second). Tesla buyers will no longer be eligible for any tax credits starting January 1, 2020, under the current system.

The proposal, under the Driving America Forward Act, raises the sales limit to 600,000 instead of 200,000 for each automaker, and the tax credit for buyers changed to $7,000. The Tesla tax credit phaseout under the current system was as follows:

The MarketWatch article shares with us that Tesla, GM, and other electric vehicle manufacturers “have a role in the scramble around a possible tax package with so-called ‘tax extenders,’ as they could score an expansion for a key EV credit. If Tesla and the other EV makers land this credit, it would be a win for anyone purchasing an EV.”

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The Driving America Forward Act was introduced by Senator Debbie Stabenow [D-MI]. Some Republicans (known for ties to the oil industry), such as Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, contend that “it’s time to pull the plug” on EV subsidies (despite over a century of subsidies for oil). He is pushing the Fairness for Every Driver Act instead.

This “fairness” act isn’t really all that fair toward EV drivers since it proposes a user fee on alternative fuel vehicles used in the United States. Why should people have to be punished for being early adopters of EVs and this leaders in cutting pollution and CO2 emissions? If this act was truly fair, it would charge a user fee for gasoline vehicles and perhaps some type of carbon tax that would fund initiatives that help clean up pollution not just in the air but also in rivers, oceans, and other areas that are commonly affected. Or the fund could help those with health problems caused by air pollution.

What do you think? Are you ready to call your senator to push for an EV tax credit expansion?