Overview

• Market research firm Rho Motion estimates up to 90% of BEV and PHEV sales this year benefited from tax credits, and Princeton’s Zero Lab projects U.S. battery EV sales about 40% lower by 2030 without them.
• Record buying ahead of the Oct. 1 cutoff lifted third-quarter results, with Ford BEV sales up 86% to 30,612, GM up 44% to 66,501, Tesla up 27%, and Hyundai seeing demand more than double for the Ioniq 5.
• Automakers are cushioning the loss of subsidies with deals, led by Hyundai cutting U.S. EV prices by as much as $10,000, while Ford, Nissan and Kia add promotions and Tesla boosts referral incentives.
• A leasing pathway using the Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit let manufacturers capture up to $7,500 per vehicle and lower lease prices, including for models not built in North America.
• Chinese EVs remain largely blocked by tariffs enacted under both Trump and Biden, as editorial voices call for conditional access to spur competition and address cost and capability gaps.