Auto Lobby Warns EV Tax Credits Are Shrinking

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky


With the automotive lobby having signaled its displeasure with some of the concessions made in the “Inflation Reduction Act” signed by President Joe Biden on Tuesday, the White House has said some 20 models will still qualify for electric vehicle tax credits of up to $7,500 through the end of 2022. However, that’s down roughly 70 percent from the number of models that could have ridden out the previous scheme, as the new content requirements have made most fully electric cars ineligible. 


The Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI), which represents almost every major manufacturer around the globe, has said it would continue working with the Biden administration “as they issue critical guidance and new regulations – so the EV tax credit is as available and beneficial to consumers as possible.” But it’s also very clear that automotive lobbyists were hoping to milk government subsidies more than the legislation currently allows. 


“The Inflation Reduction Act recognizes the enormity of the automotive industrial base transformation currently underway. Automakers have already invested more than $100 billion in vehicle electrification – expanding the production of EVs inside the United States and across North America and locating raw material and battery components on American soil,” said AAI CEO John Bozzella. “On the demand front, we’ve said the legislation’s purchase incentive was a missed opportunity, especially while raw material and battery supply chains are still coming into place.”


“But Congress also made some meaningful investments on the supply side. There is more than $15.5 billion in incentives and grants to ensure the United States is building automotive supply chains and a globally competitive battery manufacturing platform. Over the long haul, that’s going to be essential to making the widest range of EVs available to millions of additional drivers in all corners of the country.”


The following vehicles will reportedly still qualify for the $7,500 credit: Audi Q5; BMW X5 and 3-Series Plug-in; Ford Mach-E, F-Series, Escape PHEV and Transit Van; Chrysler Pacifica PHEV, Jeep Grand Cherokee PHEV and Wrangler PHEV; Lincoln Aviator PHEV and Corsair Plug-in; Mercedes EQS; Lucid Air; Nissan Leaf; Volvo S60; and Rivian, R1S and R1T.


Changes to the tax credit scheme have also eliminated vehicle quotas, meaning companies that had previously reached their cap of EVs (e.g. Tesla and General Motors) are effectively back in the game. But other brands are out of the loop (e.g. Porsche and Toyota) due to the new content requirements intended to prioritize North American manufacturing unless their customers had binding, written contracts before Biden's signing of the law. 


The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) explained to Automotive News that "if a customer has made a non-refundable deposit or down payment of 5 percent of the total contract price, it is an indication of a binding contract." 


Democrats have said the roughly $437 billion bill will be transformative for the country and, while it includes some tax increases, sizable financial commitments that would more than double the size of the IRS, and allow Medicare to negotiate the cost of drug prices, the brunt of the funding ($374 billion) goes toward energy and climate provisions – which includes the federal EV tax credits that now pertain primarily to plug-in hybrids. 


Those latter items required some concessions to get sufficient support among the Democrat majority in Congress. Moderate members of the party expressed concerns with government spending and similarities to the relatively unpopular Build Back Better agenda. Changes needed to be made for the Inflation Reduction Act to pass. Republicans refused to support it, bemoaning the legislation as irresponsible and claiming continued government spending would actually increase inflation. It only passed in the Senate due to Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote. But the House managed to pass the bill 220-207 along party lines on August 12th.


[Image: Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock]

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Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • SnarkyRichard SnarkyRichard on Aug 17, 2022

    J have no desire to get an EV and will never get one . Just give me a manual transmission , a high redline , grippy 4 wheel disc brakes and a two lane highway to slice and dice my way through traffic . No smart phone connectivity needed , just a powerful stereo with 6x9 speakers in the rear to give the classic rock sound of American freedom on the open road . And that's all I have to say about that .

  • SnarkyRichard SnarkyRichard on Aug 17, 2022

    Jesus I double keyed it and J showed up instead of I . No edit function and this site just disappears randomly off of Firefox taking me back to the previous site I was on . Clearly some bugs need to be worked out in this new format .

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