Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' is bad for American EVs, but it could have been worse

President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" has squeaked through the Senate in time for this weekend's pyrotechnic celebrations. The bill festively shoots down a long list of environmental protection measures of all shapes and sizes, with the red glare of those rockets looking set to burn all current federal EV rebates in particular.

While the exact timing is still in flux, as things stand the $7,500 federal rebate for electric vehicles would expire not in 2032 as originally specified, but as soon as the end of September. It's an abrupt, ignominious end to a series of incentives that, in some form or another, dates back to the George W. Bush administration.

This change doesn't just cover new consumer vehicles, like the Kia EV9 or Volkswagen ID.Buzz. It also eliminates the $4,000 federal credit on used EVs, and even stands ...