1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Featured GA EV sales plummet after tax credit expires and EV registration fee increase

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Ashlem, Nov 5, 2015.

  1. Ashlem

    Ashlem Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2013
    754
    502
    0
    Location:
    WI
    Vehicle:
    2017 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    N/A
    Georgia Electric-Car Sales Plummet After Incentive Replaced By Tax

    So, what are your thoughts on this?
     
  2. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2009
    13,525
    4,057
    0
    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    Georgia probably doesn't need to add to the federal tax credit. The $200 additional fee though doesn't make much sense, if they are not just trying to kill plug-in sales. My guess is people will wait to see if credit is revived, fee ends, before buying.

    Really $7500 off a 30kwh leaf or gen II volt should be good enough to sell in atlanta, and we know that Tesla is resource constrained for another year, so any model X or S that don't go to Georgia will just go to another state. Atlanta has a lot of tailpipe pollution. I think sales will comeback once the uncertainty ends. I'm sure a lot of extra bevs were sold as it was expiring, and that clears out buyers for awhile.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    was there a change in government?

    are tesla sales recorded upon registration? if so, people would have pre ordered them a long time ago, negating the surmised effect of the lost credit.

    ag, i have to disagree. a 7500. credit vs 12,500 is huge.
     
  4. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2009
    13,525
    4,057
    0
    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    Yes it is a huge differene, part of the reason georgia was number in in plug-ins behind california.

    Now I don't see much reason for it though. Georgia didn't sell that many more than Florida or washington. With battery prices lower this is not going to change nation wide buying much. It will mostly impact the leaf sales which now must compete more with phev sales. Tesla and bmw have been production constrained, and the credit did not apply to bevs.
     
    bisco likes this.
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i thought a leaf was a bev.(n)

    sounds political to me. oil lobby or some such.
     
    PriusC_Commuter likes this.
  6. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2009
    13,525
    4,057
    0
    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    Yes the leaf is a bev. That is the main car the $5000 helped in nation wide sales. You can see it from leaf concentration. Tennessee is the other state, and that is where they are manufactured so it makes sense.

    I don't live in georgia, but can't get mad at them for ending the subsidy. Plug-ins will do just fine without it.The subsidy may have made some georgians more classist against the bevs since their tax money was going for them.
     
  7. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2006
    11,309
    3,586
    1
    Location:
    Northern VA (NoVA)
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    GA had a very generous $5000 EV rebate, on top of the already very generous USA $7500 tax credit. So you got $12500 off a car, so that's understandably going to move some vehicles off the sales floor.

    Another factor I am aware of is that GA had, in recent years, reformed/improved its punitive local car tax system (which Virginia still has). So there was a window of opportunity, in GA, to get a Tennessee Leaf on the cheap.

    Another thing to discuss a little bit, is the new $200/yr Fee on EV's in GA. The new Transport Bill active in Congress was going to suggest more states add a fee like this, but I am not sure if that wording has survived or not.

    Oregon is another point to made here. Some Oregon law makers liked the aggressive $5k incentive GA had, and there was a proposal to match it with a $3k tax incentive in Oregon. Cars are tax free in Oregon, so that's already a defacto incentive for green cars.
     
    #7 wjtracy, Nov 6, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2015
  8. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,066
    15,372
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    they added a $200 annual registration fee

    So let's see:
    1. $200 - first year, $30k value
    2. $400 - second year, $24k
    3. $600 - third year, $19.2k
    4. $800 - fourth year, $15.4k
    5. $1,000 - fifth year, $12.3k
    6. $1,200 - sixth year, $9.8k
    7. $1,400 - seventh year, $7.9k
    8. $1,600 - eighth year, $6.3k
    9. $1,800 - ninth year, $5k
    10. $2,000 - tenth year, $4k
    It is called a 'hippy tax' but thanks for the tip. I'll see if I can pickup a used Leaf.

    Bob Wilson
     
  9. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

    Joined:
    May 13, 2008
    1,581
    290
    3
    Location:
    Middlesex County, MA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Regardless hat you drive, gov't will get their monies.

    DBCassidy
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    ma added a plug in credit recently. i wonder if it had any sales effect.
     
  11. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2005
    19,600
    8,034
    54
    Location:
    Montana & Nashville, TN
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Maybe their legislature owns a lot of Volkswagen stock

    Insult To Injury? GA Kills Electric-Car Incentive, Adds Last-Minute Luxury-Car Tax Break

    .
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    but this is the reason alternative energy has taken so long in this country. administrations change, and so do philosophy's.