President Joe Biden will sign the Inflation Reduction Act today, and the act will cut EV tax incentives with it.
President Biden is expected to the Inflation Reduction Act that radically changes electric vehicle incentives at the federal level in the US. Most cuts come from the bill’s requirement of US assembly and price limits for qualifying vehicles. According to manufacturers, roughly 70% of electric, PHEV, and fuel cell electric vehicles are no longer eligible for incentives.
The act faced significant political opposition as it made its way through the House and Senate. In the House, a party-line vote allowed the act to pass 220-207, while Vice President Kamala Harris voted as the tie-breaking vote in the Senate.
The multi-hundred billion dollar act alters existing federal incentives while introducing a new $4,000 used electric vehicle incentive for vehicles priced under $25,000. The act makes loans and tax breaks available to manufacturers to switch production to electric vehicles. Despite its intention to bring more EVs to the road, the vast majority will no longer be eligible.
Vehicles from overseas manufacturers Hyundai, Kia, VW, and Toyota, along with any models of vehicles assembled outside of the US, will no longer be eligible. At the same time, SUVs and trucks will only be eligible if they are under $80,000, while all other models will have to be under $55,000. These rules severely limit the number of vehicles that qualify for the incentives.
According to Yahoo News, some other notable models that will be affected by these changes include most of Tesla’s lineup, as most of the company’s vehicles are currently sold above the $55,000 limit. Top-of-the-line Ford F-150 Lightnings will also no longer be eligible. Even many of the more affordable EV offerings will no longer be eligible, including the Hyundai Kona EV, Kia Niro EV, Polestar 2, or the internationally-produced Volkswagon ID.4s.
If you are looking to buy an EV, Consumer Reports, Electric for All, and even some utility companies are now offering web pages designed to help find which vehicles qualify and which do not.
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