It’s not surprising that Democrats are attempting to force citizens into driving expensive, limiting EVs. There’s only one “choice” that they like. Everything else must be dictated by Government. This looks more like a sop to the unions that vote Democrat
Democrats’ electric vehicle push sparks intense lobbying fight
Democrats’ effort to spur electric vehicle (EV) adoption has set off an intense lobbying battle on Capitol Hill as car manufacturers jockey for influence over legislation that will shape the industry’s future.
Automakers generally back President Biden’s green energy plan, which would spend billions of government dollars to construct charging stations across the nation and expand incentives that lessen the cost of buying an EV. But they’re sharply divided over a key tax credit component of the proposal.
Under the legislation advanced by the House Ways and Means Committee last month, most EVs would qualify for a $7,500 tax credit. But union-built EVs assembled in the U.S. would receive an additional $4,500 in credits.
Only Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Stellantis NV, Chrysler’s parent company, would benefit from the extra incentive, as union workers assemble most of their EVs in U.S. plants. The proposal effectively leaves other automakers, including Tesla Inc., the nation’s main EV manufacturer, at a $4,500 per vehicle disadvantage.
The provision has drawn outrage from car manufacturers that do not have unionized workforces, including Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp., which blasted the legislative language as “blatantly biased†and “discriminatory.â€
Of course, tax credits are not actually cash, and are so complicated that no one is quite sure how they work and to contact your tax professional. And, of course they’re trying to push unions. Despite a history of making lower quality vehicles
Autos Drive America, a trade group that represents most major foreign-owned automakers such as Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen Group, is running TV advertisements in Washington, D.C., urging lawmakers to reject the pro-union measure.
“Carmakers are racing to get more EVs on the road, but Congress’s sweetheart deal for unions would take most of today’s EVs off the table for many American families,†the group’s most recent ad tells viewers.
And those foreign vehicles, most of which are assembled in the US, and Tesla, are much better vehicles overall than the domestics.
While the auto industry is divided on some issues, it’s united behind Democrats’ proposal to end an existing provision that phases out tax credits after a manufacturer reaches 200,000 EV sales. Carmakers are also pushing Democrats to ax a proposed cap on EV tax credits for customers with incomes of $400,000 or more and a measure that limits the EV tax credit to cars that cost $55,000 or less.
The Zero Emission Transportation Association, which lobbies for luxury EV makers such as Tesla, Rivian and Lucid Motors, argues that the price limit would “force manufacturers to produce lower range, less desirable vehicles, which diminishes the consumer experience and will slow EV adoption.â€
Why does this look more like a push to help the big donors for the Democrats? And, the argument is that automakers will make crummy, low mileage vehicles. Huh.
Read: Democrats Electric Vehicle Push Looks More Like Politics Than Science »