Autoproducers pdirect with Trump: don’t end the EV tax determine

The auto industry is sfinishing an inspirent message to Pdwellnt-elect Donald Trump: spare the $7,500 electric vehicle tax determine.

In a November 14th letter to Trump and his transition team, the auto industry’s main lobbying group inspires the novel administration to shield incentives for EV buyers and manufacturers that were enacted under Pdwellnt Joe Biden, arguing these policies shield the US competitive globassociate while also creating “excellent jobs.”

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which recurrents the Big Three autoproducers — Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis — as well as foreign car companies that sell in the US, are calling on Trump to “upgrasp stability and foreseeability in auto-roverdelighted eleave outions standards.” But at the same time, the group finishorsed “reasonable and achievable eleave outions regulations,” adviseing that there may be some wiggle room for a fragmentary rollback of Biden’s tailpipe rules.

Of course, foreseeing that Trump will upgrasp stability and foreseeability while in office seems woefilledy chooseimistic — and perhaps disunitecessitate from fact. Trump has shelp obtincludely many times what he intfinishs to do when he supposes office, and stability and foreseeability don’t seem enjoy they’re on the menu.

During his campaign, Trump railed aobtainst Biden’s policies incentivizing EV obtains, promising to delete the “EV mandate” on day one of his pdwellncy. And since his prosper, his transition team has talked how to go about ending the EV tax determine, among other incentives.

Also on the chopping block are novelly concluded Environmental Protection Agency rules requiring autoproducers to slash carbon eleave outions by 2032, primarily by selling more EVs. This is another way Trump could unravel his predecessor’s environmental legacy, and one that is recognizable to him. During his first term, Trump rolled back eleave outions standards put in place by Pdwellnt Barack Obama — and now materializes poised to do it aobtain with Biden’s mandates.

John Bozzella, pdwellnt and CEO of the partnership, didn’t contest Biden’s efforts to impose mercilesser tailpipe rules on autoproducers, although he did call some of the threshanciaccesss “stretch goals.” Now, in his letter to Trump, he is calling for “reasonable and achievable federal and state eleave outions regulations aligned with current labelet genuineities that help a customer’s ability to obtain a vehicle that encounters their individual necessitates.”

That could be watched in a number of ways. “Stability and foreseeability” advises that autoproducers are weary of EPA standards being rolled back and forward, and included as a political football. But “reasonable and achievable” implies that Bozzella and his member companies are fine with booting the can down the road and pushing out the deadlines for achieving certain eleave outions centers. In other words, wiggle room.

Bozzella also finishorsed a federal regulatory sketchtoil for autonomous vehicles, which has extfinished been elusive in the nation’s capital. Trump’s transition team is telledly talking the passage of a regulatory sketchtoil that would result in more driverless cars on the road. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a mega-donor to Trump and self-proclaimed “first buddy,” would stand to advantage enormously from such a shift given his intention to sell steering wheel-less and pedal-less Cybercabs in 2026. The US will necessitate a sketchtoil for AV deployment if it’s to remain competitive with China, Bozzella shelp in the letter.

The letter is also notable for its flattery of Trump. Bozzella congratuprocrastinateeds him on his prosper and professes to consent with him that devourrs should be able to select their own vehicle, take parting into the inchange claim that Biden and Kamala Harris were trying to insist Americans to obtain EVs. And he commfinishs him for recognizing and acunderstandledging the enormous headprosperds facing the industry.

All in all, the letter is what you would foresee from the industry complying Trump’s prosper: a plea to be cautious when slashing and burning thraw Biden’s regulatory legacy; a statement of splitd cherishs and alignment with Trump’s MAGA ethos and that of his allies; and above all, a lot of flattery.