Rebates in Ontario...

[RiverBrick]

And yes, I stand buy my statement that most Model S owners are Millionaires (or extremely dumb people). If you aren't worth over a million bucks you have no place buying a car that costs well over $100k. It's a great car but you shouldn't be putting all of your money into a depreciating asset.

I guess I am really dumb then, at least in the kingdom of kzod. By the way, my car was 99k before taxes, incentives and gas savings. You have a peculiar definition of "well over 100k."

 

[Duckjybe]

Well then it's an even bigger fail than I previously stated.

A fail because of people like you who cannot see the bigger picture. And why the program needs to add bigger incentives for long range BEV's like Tesla's.

If you want to reduce carbon emissions start taxing the crap out of gas and get most people to stop buying SUV's and trucks

Good suggestion. But what is one to buy right now to replace a gas guzzling SUV or truck? Taxing people at all income levels to change their behaviour who have no options to turn to is unfair. Start with incentives first, phase them out as the EV industry gets established and there are more vehicle models. As the market grows increase taxes on carbon.

Getting people into a boring ICE car like the Honda Fit and out of Ford Explorer's will have a much larger impact on emissions than encouraging the adoption of .5% ev's

Someone who needs a Ford Explorer likely cannot or would not want to substitute a "boring" Honda Fit. Unrealistic suggestion. A more realistic switch would be going from a Ford Explorer to a Tesla Model X would reduce emissions by something like 95%. But alas the pricing is out of whack which is why people need incentives.

And yes, I stand buy my statement that most Model S owners are Millionaires (or extremely dumb people). If you aren't worth over a million bucks you have no place buying a car that costs well over $100k. It's a great car but you shouldn't be putting all of your money into a depreciating asset.

Thanks for the advice. So what if the incentive brought the price below $100K? Would it be ok to buy it then if I am not worth a million bucks?

What about people who are worth over a million bucks who are smart like you and don't want to buy a car over $100K? But then the incentive brings it down below $100K? No incentive = no sale even for rich person, versus incentive = sale for a rich person that would otherwise not have bought an EV.

Again the goal is reducing carbon emissions as quickly and efficiently as possible through proper incentives.

 

[kzod]

Well, any current base car is over $100k after tax. So, you have more than 10% of your net worth invested in a car? You are either very committed to the cause or way to image conscious, At least it's a great car. Enjoy.

Ducky -> Of course people would switch to a fit from an explorer. Most people drive a bigger car than they need, because it's convenient and it's cheap. Look at most of the people driving the biggest SUV's and minivans around town. 90% of the time there is only 1-2 people in them. People buy them for that 1 time a year that they need the extra space and the extra flexibility it affords them. Attach a cost to those purchases and their behaviour will definitely change. i.e. look at how much more popular compacts already are in Canada vs. the states. Or look at how many Europeans drive SUV's with the highest gas prices. Will everyone switch? No, of course not. People that truly need a truck for work or life will pay extra for it. Others will adapt.

 

[Jaff]

Except opting for one vehicle is much more eco friendly than buying three and the Ontario rebate program gives generous rebates to certain hybrids that use their gas engine for over half the epa drive cycle and always use gas in the Winter, so you're only half replacing an ICE, at best.

Several times, you've referred to Tesla owners as millionaires. Where do you get this info from? The prior make of car most common for Tesla owners is Toyota. Are Toyota owners millionaires in your book as well?

If the rebate program is supposed to be for the environment, it makes no sense to cut out the car which is the best for the environment. Many Tesla owners are not rich, but are willing to stretch their budgets in order to avoid burning gas. That's where the rebate helps.

The Federal provincial governments spent over 5 billion propping up the Ontario ICE industry just from 2008-2012. Now it's a scandal if they grant a rebate to a green car?

RB, some folks are out of touch, and still think that a million dollars today will let you live on your 200ft yacht like Thurston Howell III.

It appears that working hard, employing others, and risking capital ain't in vogue with some.

As I've said before, buying a Tesla means you qualify for the financing to acquire one...it doesn't mean you can drop into the Tesla store and pay cash on the barrel head