Congress slips $8000 for efficient fuel cell vehicles into the budget

Tax Credit For Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicles Extended By Budget Deal

Why use 2002 base? Well these cars where supposed to be here by 2 years ago ;-) why change the fuel economy with the times. I think this means $8000 for the mirai.

Really though, compared to other pork slipped into the bill this is very small when you consider how few fuel cell vehicles are likely. It was not unexpected as toyota was so confident their lobbyists would push this through they were press releasing it as if it had already passed.

72 was much short of forecast of 200, but that 1000 2016 my should be fairly easy. 3000 - 2,928 in 2 years? I don't know, I think that may be tough. Its a lot less than the model S's sold last month, but stil with only 3000 hand raisers and poor infrastructure .... we will see.

Forecasts are for less than 40,000 fcv in the US by the end of 2021, which updates the more than 50,000 by the end of 2017. If we get 40,000 this is simply a transfer payment of $320 M of taxpayer money probably all to japanese and korean automakers. Over 5 years that isn't that much of a disaster, but you have to ask why they are doing this?

Oh and the feds are commuting to add more to the amount already spent on fueling infrastructure and the california $220M

My guess is they want to put a hydrogen station near each tesla super charger. You know to use government money to level the field. We wouldn't want home grown corporations using american labor to have an advantage of imported fuel cell cars now would we?

Maybe that's an extra $80M that will make this a $400M wet kiss to the fuel cell lobby. NASCAR got almost that much to pave tracks.

 

The standard is tied to 2002 cafe, which was 27.5 for a passenger car and 20.7 for the fleet. I'm not sure which number this needs to double but the honda fit and corola are more than double fleet cafe from 2002. The gen III prius is 77. Its a ridiculously easy test. Note this subsidy was in force from 2004-2014, but did not work. It is renewed not based on the 2016 or 2025 standards, but the old one, as the newer standards are more challenging. Every fuel cell vehicle is a winner!

Not that I think it matters, but it really isn't $4000 + $4000 but $8000 for all of the light vehicles. The amount for heavy vehicles was $12,000, I don't know if that is in force. Just the 72 mirai and handfull of hyundai tucsons leased in 2015 missed out. The clarities and tucsons leased before last year got the subsidy. The 9 zev credits and $5000 california money started in 2014. The tuscon got full benefits, early clarities missed out.

Federal money is not means tested. California incentives of $2500 for bev and $1500 for phev are mean tested now. None of the $13000 for fuel cell vehicles are means tested, but if you make less than 3 times the poverty rate california will up it to $14,500 for fcv, $11,500 for a bev, and $10,500 for a phev with 16kwh of batteries or more. If you are wealthy you still get $13,000 for a fuel cell vehicle, but bevs and phev drop to the federal subsidies alone of a max of $7500. I'm guessing they are targeting Jay Leno and Jody Foster for the fuel cell rebates.

 

+1

You probably mean its a good thing its per vehicle so you actually have to lease the vehicle to get the credit. That means that even though the credit is higher for fcv, wait, why do fcv get more per vehicle again? Never mind.

FCV, vehicles for the rich in one state, subsidized by everyone in every state. $13,000 + 9zev. 3 asian manufacturers. 0 retail green hydrogen stations. The DOE and state of california will use your tax money to build them, but these are only planned for rich neighborhoods.

200+ mile bev, vehicles for the rich in all states, $7500-$10,000 + 0-4zev depeding on the state. Currently only tesla, soon to be joined by chevy and nissan with lower priced vehicles. Owner can build subsidized solar or buy subsidized wind for full renewable in 80% of the US. Not many jobs, but majority are built with US labor in the US.