Biden’s plan for electric vehicles: what you need to know



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But production is only one piece of the puzzle. The transition to gasoline-powered vehicles is based on consumers’ belief in the benefits of electric vehicles. It wasn’t easy because the cars have higher prices, even though researchers say they cost less to own. Electricity is cheaper per kilometer than gasoline, and electric vehicles require less routine maintenance – there is no oil to change – than cars with combustion engines.

The highest cost of an electric car comes from the battery, which can cost around $ 15,000 for a midsize sedan. This cost has fallen and is expected to continue to decline thanks to improvements in manufacturing and technical advancements. But some researchers believe a major technological breakthrough will be needed to make electric cars much, much cheaper.

“There’s a good feeling that at least for the next five years or so, they’re going to keep going down, but then are they going to stabilize or are they going to keep going down?” Joshua Linn, a professor at the University of Maryland and a senior researcher at Resources for the Future, an environmental nonprofit, spoke about battery costs. “It won’t be enough, so it’s garnered a lot of attention for infrastructure.”

The federal government and some states already offer tax credits and other incentives for the purchase of electric cars. But the main federal incentive of this kind – a $ 7,500 tax credit for the purchase of new electric cars – begins to disappear for cars once an automaker sells 200,000 electric vehicles Tesla electric car buyers and GM, for example, are no longer eligible for this tax credit. but Ford and Volkswagen electric car buyers are doing it.

Mr Biden described his incentives for electric car purchases as “point-of-sale” discounts, which presumably means at dealerships or when ordering cars online. But the administration has not released details on the extent of these discounts and which vehicles they would apply to.

Another big concern is the load. People with dedicated parking spaces usually charge their EVs at night at home, but many people who live in apartments or have to travel longer distances have to use public charging stations, which are still largely overwhelmed by public charging stations. gas stations.

“The top three reasons cited by consumers for not buying electric vehicles are the lack of charging stations, the charging time and the cost of electric vehicles,” said Sam Abuelsamid, analyst at Guidehouse Insights. “They seem to really insist on all three. So overall, it looks very promising.

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