Why? Better margins on gas cars, I think industrial Michigan would love this because it means they won’t be squeezed into electric car manufacturing. I get told by big 3 engineers that if it wasn’t for the subsidies they wouldn’t be electrifying their fleets. The consumer may not like it, unions may not like it, but the companies could give a damn.
Congress recently passed a tax bill, as proposed in President Bush’s economic stimulus plan, that offers a $100,000 tax credit for business owners who purchase any vehicle weighing 6,000 pounds or more when fully loaded.
Because these rules didn’t require a business to exist for a minimum length of time or post a profit, car dealerships would help buyers spin up small businesses on the spot in order to avail themselves of the credit. SUVs flooded the market and have been a load on the national car fleet ever since.
Now we’re pivoting to electric vehicles in order to stay competitive globally, and (fossil fuel endorsed) business magazines have suddenly started poo-pooing the idea of vehicle subsidies as unnatural. Curious.
Why? Better margins on gas cars, I think industrial Michigan would love this because it means they won’t be squeezed into electric car manufacturing. I get told by big 3 engineers that if it wasn’t for the subsidies they wouldn’t be electrifying their fleets. The consumer may not like it, unions may not like it, but the companies could give a damn.
We’ve been subsidizing ICE vehicles for the better part of the last century. Famously, Bush Jr passed enormous tax cuts for SUVs and other “light trucks” back in 2003.
Because these rules didn’t require a business to exist for a minimum length of time or post a profit, car dealerships would help buyers spin up small businesses on the spot in order to avail themselves of the credit. SUVs flooded the market and have been a load on the national car fleet ever since.
Now we’re pivoting to electric vehicles in order to stay competitive globally, and (fossil fuel endorsed) business magazines have suddenly started poo-pooing the idea of vehicle subsidies as unnatural. Curious.