Just a bit ago, I reported on the possibility that Donald Trump might kill the EV tax credit when he becomes president of the United States for the second time.
Now, I ask of you, dear reader — should he?
I have thoughts I might expand upon in the coming days — but the short version is I am mixed on this one. On the one hand, I like the idea of incentivizing consumers to purchase products that are friendlier for the environment, such as EVs with no tailpipe emissions. On the other, I am fully aware that the production of EVs has a negative environmental impact.
It also appears that some EV buyers might not even need the subsidy — they would still buy an EV even if the subsidy didn’t exist. It’s unclear how many buyers are buying EVs just because of the subsidy — either because of their financial situation and/or out of a desire to pollute less.
Obviously, other factors are at play when it comes to buying an EV. Factors such as planned use case, range, availability of charging (especially fast charging), sticker price, and so on.
So, I am torn. I believe there probably should be some sort of EV subsidy, but perhaps the current one isn’t working as intended? I do have issues with Trump pivoting away from other clean-energy subsidies — I worry about negative climate and environmental consequences and also worry that job opportunities could be lost — but when it comes to cars and the EV subsidy, I think there are a lot of nuances to work through here. Looked at objectively, without partisan filtering, there are definite pros and cons to the tax credit. I’d argue for fixing the flaws instead of ending it completely.
That’s just me. What’s your take?
Oh, and a bonus QOTD — why do you think Tesla and Elon Musk support this move? It seems like it could undercut its competitors. Is that why?
Actually, that leads to a second bonus QOTD — would the end of the tax credit help or hurt Tesla and the other OEMs?
Sound off below.
[Image: Volkswagen]
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Source: The Truth About Cars
