Electric cars are finally starting to take off. Congress should keep them affordable.
They cost less to drive, accelerate quickly and pollute far less than their traditional counterparts. Electric vehicles are starting to make inroads into the U.S. market, with more than 1 million silently and efficiently zipping around our streets.
But just as we’re seeing more electric models, better batteries and more charging options, there’s a potential roadblock ahead. The federal tax incentives that have made these cars more affordable are beginning to expire. Two manufacturers have reached the 200,000-vehicles-sold point, where the tax credits start to phase out — and it is clear that this number doesn’t allow the economies of scale that will be needed for the electric-vehicle sector to flourish on its own. If Congress doesn’t keep these credits alive, the United States will hit the brakes on the growth of electric vehicles just as they are starting to take off in China.
Last week, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers offered a solution: They introduced the Driving America Forward Act to continue incentives until the growing U.S. market for electric cars is large enough to bring prices down.
Here’s why it will work. As most of us understand, products are most expensive when they’re first introduced, and electric cars are no exception. A decade ago, Congress recognized the opportunity in these vehicles and stepped up to make them accessible by providing buyers a tax credit of up to $7,500. It didn’t matter whether the car was domestic or imported, large or small — it just had to be electric. It was a sensible move to help a promising new technology get on the road.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/electric-cars-are-finally-starting-to-take-off-congress-should-keep-them-affordable/2019/04/15/eed30692-5d39-11e9-a00e-050dc7b82693_story.html
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