Yes, I would have bought my Tesla if there were no government rebates/credits if.....Tesla reduced the price of the car $10,000.
Sad thing is, ALL EV automakers take advantage of the government, Tesla included. Tesla is a unique case in that they charge whatever the hell they want to and bounce prices all over the place, not because of actual costs, but because they can. Perfect example is the upgraded sound, went from $900 to $2,500 overnight. Cost sure as heck didn't more than double overnight. I had it on my 2013 for $900, passed on it in my 2015 for $2,500 and honestly, can't tell the difference. I have turn the volume up to 7 or 8 now instead of 5 or 6 in the prior car. Wheels at $4,500!!! How about $20,000 for a bigger rear motor!!! Despite being able to replace that motor for only $5,000 if it breaks out of warranty. And another $10,000 for what amounts to a new fuse and some programming if you want Ludicrous. Chevy charging $40,000 for a Volt!! I know the batteries are expensive, but think about it. Chevy said their cost on batteries right now is at $150 per kWh. That's only $2,760 for the 18.4 kWh battery. Add in $5,000 or so for the electric motor costs and accompanying hardware and you have an $18,000 Chevy Cruze with EV capability for another $7,760, that they charge over $35,000 for.
No, the automakers are taking advantage of the government rebates themselves and charging more for their cars. Buyers save nothing. Notice how they all advertise the price after incentives? Unfortunately, not everyone is eligible for the rebates. This partially cripples the EV market for those that don't qualify as the cars are simply too expensive when compared to other options. I personally wish the government stayed out of it and stopped blowing mine and your taxpayer money on this. Then the manufacturers would be forced to lower the price of the cars to more reasonable levels to get people to buy them. Then EVERYONE would benefit, not just those who make enough money to be able to get a full $7,500 refund. This alone could double the number of EV sales. Many people want them, just can't afford them and don't benefit from the rebates/credits.
Or, if the government truly feels they "must" provide incentives to get more EV's on the market, then work it out with the manufacturers. Make a deal with them, for every EV you sell, you get this much credit. Then it will still be up to the manufacturers to reduce the prices of the EV's for EVERYONE to get more of them sold.
I personally get the full benefit of the tax credit and rebates, but honestly, kind of feel guilty doing so. I shouldn't since I pay a fortune in taxes. But naturally, I can afford the Tesla and don't "need" the money to buy one. I think it's a piss-poor business model that probably only tips the scale for maybe 15-25% in favor of EV's. The other 75-85% would still buy the EV's even if the rebate didn't exist. However, if the prices of the cars were reduced by an equal amount so that it benefited everyone, EV sales would likely double, if not more. The Prius is a perfect example. Their prices were much higher than an equal ICE car when they had rebates. Eventually, the rebate funds allotted to Toyota were used up and they went away. Prices of the Prius came down and they still sold like hotcakes.
Again, just a piss-poor business model by our over-spending government. I'd rather they save the money on this and a million other programs and tax us all less.
The best, idiotic government program I remember, as an example of how crappy they work, was when they allowed me a $25,000 deduction, yes $25 GRAND because I bought a friggen Hummer over 10 years ago!! It weighed over 6,000 pounds and qualified for the deduction! Just stupid.
Sorry, not a fan of the way our government operates! Has to be the poorest run business ever! Which is why we're what, 19 TRILLION DOLLARS in debt!!!
Love my Tesla, wouldn't trade if for anything. And yes, 90% or more of us would have bought it anyway!