Factoring in government incentives is a tricky thing. See college loan forgiveness.
I already own an EV and can't cash in retroactively on the latest government incentive without purchasing another. But I could probably find some loop hole and sell my used EV to my neighbor, then buy my neighbor's identical EV and we both qualify. We don't exchange any money, but each file for some thousands of dollars from the government.
If the government lets even the purchase of used vehicles qualify, and lets you qualify, say, once a year... my neighbor and I can just keep trading cars every year and get paid.
But that doesn't seem to be any valuable way to calculate TCO.
> Beginning January 1, 2023, if you buy a qualified used electric vehicle (EV) or fuel cell vehicle (FCV) from a licensed dealer for $25,000 or less, you may be eligible for a used clean vehicle tax credit (also referred to as a previously owned clean vehicle credit). The credit equals 30% of the sale price up to a maximum credit of $4,000.
They have to be a licensed dealer, and the benefit is a portion of the sale price.
I already own an EV and can't cash in retroactively on the latest government incentive without purchasing another. But I could probably find some loop hole and sell my used EV to my neighbor, then buy my neighbor's identical EV and we both qualify. We don't exchange any money, but each file for some thousands of dollars from the government.
If the government lets even the purchase of used vehicles qualify, and lets you qualify, say, once a year... my neighbor and I can just keep trading cars every year and get paid.
But that doesn't seem to be any valuable way to calculate TCO.