...Tesla - by far the nation's biggest EV maker - have told a Trump-transition committee they support ending the subsidy...Elon Musk, one of Trump's biggest backers and the world's richest person, said in July that killing the subsidy might slightly hurt Tesla sales but would be "devastating" to its U.S. EV competitors, which include legacy automakers such as General Motors.
Jesus. So much for the idea that Tesla is working to accelerate the transition from ICE vehicles to EVs.
I will never buy a fucking Tesla. Ever. I would buy a Chevrolet Equinox EV, and I encourage anyone who is in the market for a new vehicle to buy one before the tax credit goes away.
Edit: I would also get the Honda Prologue. It's also eligible for the $7,500 tax credit. So is the Volkswagen ID.4.
Chevy volt was and is still a great car. 2000s Chevy trucks are amazing. The Cruze is a steaming pile, the bolt had a battery problem but the ones that got free replacements are doing great, can't think of any other major issues with Chevy tbh.
Saying you'd only buy a Ford is crazy work and just shows you really aren't super informed about cars at all. The focus, the edge, the escape, the ecosport are all dogshit. Certainly not better than gm.
Neither of them are Honda status, but the dud of the 3 domestic manufacturers is stellantis save for ram 1 ton trucks.
I was just trying to think of models that are eligible for the maximum $7,500 tax credit, and that are relatively affordable. There are lots of great EVs out there from several different manufacturers.
Edit: I will mention, though, the Equinox EV looks like it's a pretty good car, for the price. Car and Driver rated it 8.5/10.
My Chevy Volt is great and was one of the best reviewed hybrids. Still untouched on battery range, I think. And GM's battery management system is top notch. Heater in my volt is shit unless I'm running ICE, though.
Wouldn't buy a GMC, but Chevy has never really done me wrong. Cadillac seems overpriced for a rebadged Chevy.
Ford's got good stuff but I've never really owned one since the Escort. Guess I might if they ever transition me from contractor to full employee.
Chrysler.... has a van. Guess it's been fine but I'll personally never get another one.
Probably never buy a Japanese car unless those plants are staffed by UAW. I hear they are good but I've never been in one that seemed any better than an American car.
I would never, ever buy a fucking Hyundai. I've been in two and they were the most cheap pieces of garbage I've ever seen. But I guess they were cheap pieces of garbage. They might've gotten better since I was only in the first couple of model years.
GM also tends to build in Canada and Mexico for many of their product lines while claiming to be "American" - to say nothing for their terrible build quality and non-understanding of electricity.
Their volt program was excellent. Gen 1 volts are tanks. I have a gen 1, and gen2. The gen2 has 1 big issues with a free recall to cover it. Still a great car.
Bolt is good too so far. I got one with a replaced battery from the recall.
Don't discount the other autos lobbyists. Some have invested heavily in new factories being built and have many more workers in the US combined. Not to mention they can keep selling gas guzzlers till we burn the planet.
The current structure of the credit doesn't get used up like that anymore. Tesla vehicles are still eligible. Musk thinks removing it would hurt competitors more than him.
In a world where everyone else in an NPC, everything lines up to prevent me from getting the nice thing I want within a short time of saving, yet again.
Y'all I don't think this is the good place, and it sure ain't earth
Tesla could have pursued an affordable model, but instead Elon pushed the robotaxi, and Elon said there was no need for an affordable Tesla model. If we assume that he actually expects to release the robotaxi at some point, and that he actually thinks it's important for anything other than trying to pump up stock, then it certainly looks like his plans are more focused on fleet sales than trying to sell to consumers. Making cars less affordable across the board (and slashing any funding for public transportation) only helps that business model.
Lots of people will never buy a Tesla, but when you order an Uber and that shitshow appears, you can only cancel so many times before the app gets mad at you for it.
Human drivers was always a temporary thing for those apps, they'll keep squeezing human drivers so they don't have to pay maintenance on vehicles, but the second Muskmobiles becomes popular, there goes the closest thing to a job that's been keeping a lot of people afloat.
There's going to be a real negative effect when those disappear, even tho they're barely jobs to begin with.
I think I saw a snippet from his biography where Franz (head designer) convinced Elon to make the car so it could also have a steering wheel so as to not get fucked if fsd doesn't work out.
Supposedly took a lot of effort to convince him.
Guess that didn't pan out in the end. Nothing about that car is designed for non robotaxi use.
This is up to congress (who have GOP members who like either UAW or auto company profits/sustainability), but would be a big mistake. US transition to EV is already slow, but models with lower sticker prices than inferior ICE vehicles, and legitimate competition to Tesla, are being released, in addition to much lower operating costs, and future revenue potential from V2G (or robotaxi). There will be no more investment in new ICE vehicle performance or capacity, even in US.
There have been significant IRA related announcements around EV production in US mostly from colonies. Part of the attractiveness for US/NA production is this tax credit. If the US is trying to kill EV market both by eliminating this tax credit, and not investing in charging infrastructure, then the US becomes a shithole country for investment and very high cost production.
This is one of many job destroying, and deficit/debt balooning, measures that are intended, and will significantly impair/collapse US economy such that mid terms GOP will be voted out. The biggest collapsing intent is a war on Iran, which risks high spike in oil prices, that are ironically good for EVs, but they will need to be imported if US investment is discouraged.
Geopolitical headwinds with colonies are global warming, Israel supremacy, and colonial brainwashing to pay more for war on Russia with ambition of cutting off colonial imports from Russia, and increase tributes to US. Biden/Blinken were masterful at pretending to be pro-human, while achieving the above destruction. Geopolitical alliances with US are likely to be much weaker under Trump, though Trump humanizing media promises that every disrespectful order he gives every country will be executed with enthusiasm.
That said, a carbon tax (with dividend paid to residents) is much better than an EV credit. Emissions are based on miles driven. Many alternatives to an EV purchase are available to reduce that number.
“Geopolitical headwinds with colonies are global warming…”
The colonies, who do not produce oil, care more about global warming than the US/Trump does. That means, this is one of many issues the colonies will push back against their hegemon/master. Trump's style in demanding greater subservience from colonies will certainly have media demanding more backbone from them, and perhaps loosen their subservience as a result.
Good, we should not continue to subsidize profits for private companies. Nobody that is actually in a place that NEEDS help buying a car will ever be in the market for a NEW car nevermind an EV, all these tax credits do is help well to do people justify buying a new car. If EVs can't sell without the big credit, their not ready for the market anyways.
Don't kid yourself... Project 2025 section on transportation suggests removing nearly all federal funding to alternative transport modes in place of state by state funding, and the only thing that 95% of State DoTs know how to do is build and widen roads.
Page 621:
If funding must be federal, it would be more efficient for the U.S. Congress
to send transportation grants to each of the 50 states and allow each state
to purchase the transportation services that it thinks are best. Such an
approach would enable states to prioritize different types of transportation
according to the needs of their citizens. States that rely more on automotive
transportation, for example, could use their funding to meet those needs.
Implying cars will be affordable after tariffs. Cars from the past ten years are unreliable as hell. Everything before that is getting ran into the ground. Most people are priced out of the new car market.