incentives
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We'll likely never know whether it was the influence of auto lobbyists, pressure from the actual public, or a letter signed by two dozen mayors. But however the sausage was made, it appears that the U.S. income-tax credit for purchase of a plug-in electric vehicle will not be killed after all. Whether it would survive amidst the sweeping changes to the tax code proposed by Congress has been an open question for two months. DON'T MISS: 22 mayors join letter urging electric-car tax credit retention by Congress Draft legislation adopted by the House of Representatives ended the credit as of...
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Why China will beat U.S. in electric-car battle: urgency, regulations
As the electric-vehicle market matures and more global automakers commit to building battery-powered cars, one driving force has emerged to lead the pack. With apologies to the title of a comedy from half a century ago ... The Chinese Are Coming. That's the assertion made by old China hand Michael...
Mark Stevenson -
22 mayors join letter urging electric-car tax credit retention by Congress
Two bills from the Senate and House of Representatives that would radically reform U.S. tax policy for the first time in three decades are now being reconciled by a joint committee from both houses of Congress. No public hearings on those bills have been held in either chamber, and the legislation...
John Voelcker -
If you plan to buy an electric car, you should do it this month
Common wisdom has it that the last few days of any calendar year are the best time to buy a car. Not only are franchised dealers and their salespeople seeking to close out the month with a bang, but it's the end of a year and their allocation of cars next year can depend on how many they sell this...
John Voelcker -
Are car buyers the biggest problem for electric cars? (Yes, of course they are, but it's price)
While it's clear that the transition to plug-in electric cars is accelerating across the globe, in the short term electric cars still face numerous hurdles. Charging infrastructure remains inconsistent, vehicle range is still an issue, and ultimately, the inherent and appropriate conservatism of...
Sean Szymkowski -
GM, Nissan push to retain EV credit; tax bill also targets renewables, helps nuclear energy
The United States tax code hasn't seen a major overhaul in decades, and the current Congress—along with the Trump administration—may be learning, or re-learning, why. Numerous opponents have moved swiftly to condemn various aspects of the draft Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR1) proposed in...
Sean Szymkowski -
The process of drafting a so-called tax reform bill has been shrouded in mystery, with even Republican congressmembers admitting they didn't know what provisions it would contain. But according to a report on Thursday, the draft of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act proposed in the House of Representatives on Thursday immediately eliminates the income-tax credit of up to $7,500 for purchase of a plug-in electric vehicle. That provision, enacted in 2008 even before President Barack Obama was elected, is deeply enmeshed in the current tax code. DON'T MISS: Ending tax credits would kill electric-car...
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Electric-car incentives added in, remarkably, oil-rich Dubai
Dubai, the second largest sheikdom in the United Arab Emirates, has introduced new incentives in an attempt to make electric cars more desirable. Battery-electric and plug-in vehicles often go overlooked in the oil-rich area, but even some of the world's largest crude-oil producers plan to reduce...
Sean Szymkowski -
CT dealer incentive for electric-car sales works, could be improved: report
Connecticut ushered in a unique electric-car incentive in 2014, and the first points of data on its effectiveness have now been published. The Connecitcut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) program not only provides a direct incentive for consumers to buy electric cars, it...
Sean Szymkowski -
Why one guy bought a 2017 Nissan Leaf electric car: it was a great deal
The deals, incentives, and rebates currently available on the 2017 Nissan Leaf are generous and well documented. A handful of utility companies across the United States have offered generous discounts, likely backed by Nissan itself, to move the current-generation Leaf from dealerships to...
Sean Szymkowski -
Toyota Prius owners: Hyundai will give you $1,000 to buy an Ioniq Hybrid
The Toyota Prius is undoubtedly the world's best-known hybrid car, and it's now been in production over four generations for more than 20 years. There have been more than 6 million Priuses built so far, and the U.S. represents the car's largest single market. That means lots of current Prius...
John Voelcker -
San Diego utility offers $10,000 off Nissan Leaf, BMW i3 electric cars
For southern California residents, it's an excellent time to start considering the purchase of a BMW i3 or Nissan Leaf electric car. San Diego Gas & Electric has joined a host of other utility companies in the state in offering incentives towards the purchase of an i3 or a Leaf. In total, the...
Sean Szymkowski -
It may be human nature to avoid doing things that are for the long-term good but impose short-term costs. Exercising more, giving up smoking, or paying more for a car that is better for the environment all challenge many otherwise responsible citizens. And it's abundantly clear that the emergence and sales of electric cars benefit greatly from government regulations designed to encourage them. DON'T MISS: China revises electric-car incentives to reward longer ranges With the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, China is poised to emerge as the globe's large-scale leader in...
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California electric-car rebates out of cash again; legislature neglected to fund them
Incentives for the purchase of a plug-in battery-powered vehicle continue to be a powerful motivation to get new buyers to consider electric cars. The federal income-tax credit of $2,500 to $7,500 has long been supplemented by various state programs, including a purchase rebate in the crucial...
John Voelcker -
Oregon passes electric-car purchase rebates up to $2,500; new EV fees delayed to 2020
It's taken a while, but Oregon will now have a state electric-car purchase incentive that largely matches those in its neighbor to the south, California. First discussed several years ago, the idea of a purchase rebate for cars that plug in hadn't made it through previous legislative sessions. This...
John Voelcker -
CA bill would make up for federal electric-car incentives as they expire
The state of California has a long track record of supporting electric cars and doing everything possible to ensure plug-in vehicles can be obtained by the largest number of drivers. Aside from the federal income-tax credits available nationally, the state of California has its own purchase...
Sean Szymkowski -
China revises electric-car incentives to reward longer ranges
It's long been official policy for China that the country's automakers will become the world's highest-volume producer of electric cars. (It also intends to dominate lithium-ion battery cells and photovoltaic solar panels, for the record.) But the government policies and incentives to achieve that...
John Voelcker -
Texas restores $2,500 electric-car purchase rebate, except for Teslas
Ah, Texas, the state that was formerly a nation and continues to do things slightly differently. Its politics is bare-knuckle, its hats are big, and so are its ranches. It also generates more renewable wind energy than any other state in the union. Its auto-dealer lobbyists, however, are equally...
John Voelcker -
China is not only the world's largest single car market, but the market in which the greatest number of plug-in electric cars are sold. But the country's government has plans to increase the number of electric cars on its roads dramatically, to curtail noxious exhaust emissions and move China to the forefront of the world's automotive industry. It's long been government-industrial policy to dominate the production of photovoltaic solar panels and lithium-ion battery cells ... and the electric cars that will be powered by them. DON'T MISS: China has licensed 9 electric-car plants, more than...
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Lots of ways to get $10K off 2017 Nissan Leaf electric car by end of June
The 2017 Nissan Leaf might well be the hottest electric car deal on the market right now, with a slew of potential discounts. Nissan is working with numerous partners to provide $10,000 off a 2017 Leaf lease, which adds to the $7,500 federal income-tax credit, giving a total of $17,500 in...
Sean Szymkowski -
California utility SCE offers $450 rebate for new and used electric cars
California already offers generous incentives to get consumers into electric vehicles, but now the electric utility Southern California Edison has joined in. SCE has announced what it calls the Clean Fuel Rewards Program to offer a $450 purchase rebate for battery-electric and plug-in hybrid...
Sean Szymkowski -
Romania doubles electric-car subsidies, adds 'cash for clunkers' program
In recent years, governments have increasingly worked to encourage the sales of plug-in electric vehicles. Incentive programs for the purchase of a low-emission vehicle have been adopted across the world. The amounts granted and the mechanisms vary according to the individual program, but the goal...
John Voelcker -
Oregon mulls bonuses for salespeople who sell electric cars
The Beaver State, otherwise known as Oregon, may implement an intriguing solution to spur higher sales of electric vehicles. A new piece of legislation introduced in the state senate calls for a $1 million fund to provide $250 bonuses to salespeople each time they sell an electric vehicle...
Sean Szymkowski -
How likely is it China will outpace the U.S. in electric-car adoption? Poll results
China is the biggest new-car market in the world, and has been since 2010. The world's largest country also has some of the smoggiest cities on the planet, and that's a source of increasing public agitation. So at national, state, and local levels, a variety of Chinese government entities are using...
John Voelcker