Democrats are about to ruin their plan for electric cars

An electric car.
(Image credit: Illustrated | iStock)

As Democrats frantically negotiate the shape of their social spending package with multiple deadlines and economic mayhem looming, they are reportedly considering "means-testing" some of their new programs. Progressives have long derided means-testing – phasing out benefits above a certain income threshold – as a practice that undermines social solidarity and forces the government to create expensive and confusing bureaucratic machinery. It also just so happens that the most popular and enduring programs operated by the federal government (Medicare and Social Security) aren't phased out above any income level.

Nevertheless, congressional Democrats are talking about applying means-testing to a critical climate idea: tax breaks for the purchase of electric vehicles (EVs). Today, most electric vehicles are prohibitively expensive, and consumers can only claw that up-front money back over time with existing tax credits, and reduced fuel and maintenance costs. The lack of infrastructure for charging is an additional deterrent and helps explain why just 2 percent of new vehicle sales in the U.S. are electric.

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David Faris

David Faris is an associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics. He is a frequent contributor to Informed Comment, and his work has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Indy Week.