Author: EVAI

Maserati gave the GT2 Stradale lots of the GT2 race car’s visual DNA The GT2 Stradale is less tunable than a 911 GT3 RS and quieter than an Artura The GT2 Stradale arrives in the U.S. in August and costs $311,995 Maserati’s going back to its racing roots. Or at least it’s trying. The storied Italian automaker out of Modena…

The 2025 Acura ADX is the Acura brand’s new entry-level crossover The ADX shares a platform with the Integra and is close in size to the RDX It goes on sale in the spring with a starting price of $36,350, including destination The Acura RDX compact crossover has grown bigger and more expensive over the years, with the current 2025 model’s starting…

• Trump can’t end EV tax credit; Congress can
• Proposed bill would end new EV, used EV, and commercial EV credits
• EV leasing loophole goes away with commercial credit (45W)
• Up-front federal EV tax of $1,000 proposed in addition to state EV surcharges

As bold as President Trump’s initial executive actions relating to EVs might be, they don’t yet directly affect car shoppers’ ability to claim the $7,500 EV tax credit, or to access bargain EV leases. 

For that, it would take an act of Congress. And based on bills introduced this week, that act may be quite close. 

On Wednesday, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo, with a group of 14 Republican senators signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, introduced legislation that could effectively end the EV tax credit. 

If adopted by Congress it might take effect as soon as 30 days after enactment. That might be a hard pill to swallow for a number of automakers; GM and Ford are reportedly among those seeking a gradual EV tax credit phaseout. 

2025 Ford F-150 Lightning

The EV tax credit isn’t just one tax credit, but three different EV affordability credits—and, some would say, subsidizing the American industry behind them. In addition to IRS 30D, commonly known as the EV tax credit, the bill includes the Used Clean Vehicle Credit (25E) for used EVs, and the Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit (45W) for fleet EVs.

The commercial vehicle credit contains one of the most controversial pieces of the EV tax credit—the so-called “leasing loophole,” which was the result of a Treasury Department interpretation that many lawmakers said doesn’t keep to the original intent of the law. It effectively allows automakers’ captive credit companies to capture a $7,500 tax credit for each EV they lease—regardless of the sticker price of the EV or where it was built. 

That fueled a leasing boom for EVs over the past couple years, allowing automakers to offer attractive lease prices that in many instances undercut those of hybrids or other gasoline models, and allowed shoppers to bypass stricter rules about income and vehicle origins that applied to purchases. 

2025 BMW iX

That aside, the latest iteration of the EV tax credit—for those who buy rather than lease—has narrowed the number of shoppers and vehicles eligible. To claim a credit of up to $7,500, buyers must meet household-income requirements, and the vehicle must meet a set of criteria for American assembly, EV battery sourcing, and battery materials. The vehicle must also be offered below a price ceiling of $55,000 or $80,000 depending on the vehicle type. 

But in serving its purpose of aiding affordability up front, the EV tax credit did become a point-of-sale rebate that can be claimed at the dealership starting in 2024. 

The oil industry appears eager to see the tax credit end. A release on the bill from Barrasso included a quote from Chet Thompson, the president and CEO of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), emphasizing that “it’s time for EVs to compete on a level playing field.” 

According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, the U.S. provides about $20 billion in fossil fuel subsidies annually, with about 80% of that going to natural gas and crude oil.

2024 GMC Hummer EV

Meanwhile, a companion bill, introduced Wednesday by Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska, aims to tax EVs $1,000 at the point of sale for road use—which the bill says is the average amount consumers currently pay through gas taxes over a span of 10 years. A different, tiered structure would apply to heavy-duty electric trucks. 

Such a one-size-fits-all strategy for paying for EV road use, however, ignores the fact that in the U.S.—according to the federal government itself—EVs are driven less. According to the DOE, they cover 12% fewer miles on average than gasoline vehicles and 29% fewer miles than diesel models. 

The federal fee would impact EV buyers in addition to premiums already levied for EV use or ownership by individual states. It’s an issue that many have stepped up to address with various solutions, nearly all ultimately sidestepping the question of whether there could be an “electric fuel” tax for EVs that, like gasoline, is based on real-world use.  

Williams has revealed the FW47 as its contender for the 2025 Formula 1 season The FW47 will be piloted by Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon in the new season Williams also has a new title sponsor, Atlassian Williams provided a sneak peek of its 2025 Formula 1 car, the FW47, on Friday following an initial shakedown test at the Silverstone Circuit in the…

The all-new small crossover costs $36,350 with destination The $36,350 starting price is only $2,000 more than the Integra hatchback in Acura’s lineup All-wheel drive costs $2,000 extra Acura on Friday confirmed pricing for the 2025 ADX, its smallest crossover SUV yet. At $36,350 with the mandatory $1,350 destination charge, the ADX is also the…

Hyundai and Kia are looking to combine battery-pack cases with vehicle structural components for greater packaging efficiency.

In a patent filing published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Nov. 14, 2024, and first submitted by the automakers to that agency Oct. 26, 2023, Hyundai and Kia discuss having a vehicle’s floor double as the upper panel of a battery pack case. This would make better use of available space, allowing more modules to be fitted, the automakers argue.

Hyundai and Kia battery case floor patent image

This would more closely integrate the battery pack with the vehicle’s structure, several major components of which would attach to the floor panel that also serves as the upper battery case panel. These include side sills and cross members, with some of the latter potentially blended with the floor panel by using an extrusion fabrication method.

Battery modules would be placed underneath the floor, potentially in voids not occupied by crossmembers, with front and rear barriers protecting the pack and integrated with the side sills, the automakers say in the filing.

Hyundai and Kia battery case floor patent image

Other companies have also explored structural battery packs. Tesla outlined its own design at its 2020 Battery Day, claiming at the time that a structural battery would offer a 10% mass reduction, a potential 14% range increase, and 370 fewer parts with battery cells essentially incorporated as part of a honeycomb against the underside of the vehicle floor. Startup Canoo made structural batteries part of its unique skateboard platform, but retained modules while still claiming a 90-pound weight reduction.

Last year, Chinese startup Neta Auto said it was working with battery supplier CATL to ditch battery packs and integrates cells directly with a vehicle’s chassis, taking CATL’s cell-to-pack tech one step further. Beyond that, researchers have also looked at using body panels as batteries, although the various structural battery pack concepts are likely closer to production.

TDF has an upcoming documentary that details how it turns retired Formula 1 cars into track toys The company uses original chassis but swaps in its own power unit and gearbox The company only uses chassis that have competed in actual F1 races Forget the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-Benz AMG One—if you’re after the closest thing…

Acura, which hasn’t sold a hybrid vehicle since the NSX supercar ended production in 2022, may be reconsidering its strategy. The automaker previously announced in 2021 that it planned to bypass hybrids entirely, and would instead focus on electric vehicles when it comes to electrification, with a goal of 60% EV sales by 2030. However, recent…

What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Chevrolet Suburban? What does it compare to? What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Chevrolet Suburban? What does it compare to?The Suburban remains Chevy’s stalwart SUV, with three rows of seats for up to nine passengers and a vast amount of cargo. It’s offered in LS, LT, RST, Z71, Premier, and High Country…

Electric vehicles improved in the 2025 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study but plug-in hybrids got worse.

Released Thursday, the annual study focuses on the rate of problems with new vehicles, as reported by owners, with scores assigned based on problems per 100 vehicles. The new results are based on problems experienced by the original owners of vehicles going back to the 2022 model year. The sample included 34,175 responses from owners gathered from August through November of 2024.

EVs improved by 33 problems per 100 vehicles compared to the previous year’s study, while plug-in hybrids saw an increase of 26 problems per 100 vehicles compared to last year, when EVs were found to be the most trouble-prone vehicles.

2024 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid

The gap between EVs and gasoline vehicles also narrowed significantly, J.D. Power noted, now standing at 223 problems per 100 vehicles and 200 problems per 100 vehicles, respectively. Plug-in hybrids were the most problematic, at 242 reported issues per 100 vehicles. Hybrids fared the best; such models without a plug experienced the fewest problems, at 199 per 100 vehicles.

In a previous study, J.D. Power underscored that the powertrains aren’t to blame for all these issues; rather it’s been all the other tech that debuts in EVs. The 2025 Vehicle Dependability Study indicates that tech-related issues are becoming more prevalent across the auto industry, with software connectivity issues among the most frequent owner complaints, and just 30% of owners saying that they saw improvements after over-the-air updates.

2022 Audi Q5 55 TFSI e plug-in hybrid

That contributed to a worse performance, as averaged across the entire industry, in this year’s study. The industry as a whole saw problems per 100 vehicles increase by 6%, averaging 202 problems per 100 vehicles.

But EVs continue to perform more poorly than other vehicles in these studies. J.D. Power also noted a higher rate of owner-reported problems for EVs, compared to the industry average, in its 2024 Initial Quality Study. Consumer Reports’ annual reliability survey in late 2023 found that vehicles that plug in, overall, are more trouble-prone—and it noted that especially applies to plug-in hybrids.