alt Hacker NewsDo you know how we are "pushing American companies to go in the opposite direction"? Genuine question. The only thing I know of is repealing the tax credits.
Personally, I think EVs are neat, but I also think the industry has grown enough already that they should be able to compete with ICE vehicles on as close to a level playing field as can be arranged. Let them beat the ICE industry by making vehicles that are actually better.
Well, if we were going to have government support anywhere, it should be through encouraging L2 charging availability in new homes and apartment buildings, ideally at a more local level.
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EV Tax rebates ended.
EPA standards for fuel mileage goals in the future were scrapped.
Current fuel mileage standards are no longer enforced.
The Trump Feds sued to stop California’s fuel mileage standards goals.
Tariffs on EV / battery imported products.
The administration paused the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program and cancelled over $7.5 billion in funding for green energy projects, including grants meant to convert manufacturing plants to EV production.
And Musk participation in the fraud that was DOGE sure did push EV buyers away from Musk / Tesla.
Yep. No need to subsidize what end up being luxury priced vehicles. The technology is there and if the already spent billions of dollars on subsidies haven’t incentivized enough of a bootstrapping of the supply chain tossing more billions at it is just going to be diminishing returns.
I’d also be ok with diverting that spend towards building out proper charging infrastructure. But not subsidizing rich folks tossing a charger in their garage like it has been up to this point. I would like more towards chargers in public parking lots, rapid chargers deployed along interstates at current truck stops who will commit to actual binding deliverables, etc.
Basically anything but sending more tax money to the top 30% homeowners in the country like pretty much all EV and home solar/etc. tax programs have been designed towards.
I think I would model it sort of like how governments subsidize(d) the infrastructure for the automobile vs everything else by building out roads, local ordinances for parking mandates, etc. vs direct subsidies to end-users. Build the commons.