美国国家公共电台 NPR--Tax credits for electric vehicles create confusion and some frantic lobbying

Tax credits for electric vehicles create confusion and some frantic¹ lobbying

Transcript²

Lawmakers in Congress passed big incentives³ for electric vehicles this year, but only for cars that are assembled in the U.S. — which is upsetting foreign carmakers.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We have a story on the complexities⁴ of facing climate change. The United States is trying to do that in a big way. It's trying to encourage the already growing market for electric cars. They move cleanly, assuming they get a battery charge from a clean power source. And this summer, Congress put money on the line. A law extends tax credits for people who buy electric vehicles and also tax credits that encourage building more vehicles in the United States. Turns out it's hard to do both of those things at once, which is why automakers and others are lobbying for change. NPR's Camila Domonoske is here to bring us up to speed. Good morning.

CAMILA DOMONOSKE, BYLINE⁵: Good morning.

INSKEEP: What's the plan right now?

DOMONOSKE: Well, this tax credit is requiring that vehicles be made in America and also, starting on January 1, that the batteries inside those cars and a big chunk⁶ of the minerals they're made out of come from the United States or from a short list of designated countries.

INSKEEP: OK. That sounds good. Made in America, what's so hard about that?

DOMONOSKE: Well, some of the stuff inside batteries, like graphite, the U.S. simply doesn't make. Some of the other stuff, it's actually kind of hard to determine where it comes from, whether a vehicle meets these requirements. It's not 100% clear at this point which vehicles actually satisfy every one of these requirements. The IRS is promising⁷ some answers by the end of December, which is coming up fast. But we already know that lots of vehicles, especially from foreign automakers, definitely will not qualify for the tax credit.

Companies are scrambling⁸ to figure out how fast they can change that, which obviously is kind of the point of the law - right? - to move manufacturing. But the challenge is, if you also want to incentivize electric vehicle sales, until that new supply chain is built, consumers won't feel the full benefit of the incentives, which is one reason why there's an intense lobbying push right now to try to relax some of the requirements.

INSKEEP: OK. But if the idea is to change the industry, what's the argument for, instead, changing the requirements?

DOMONOSKE: Well, take one of these restrictions⁹, which is a basic one, that the vehicle be built in the U.S. I spoke¹⁰ to Jose Munoz, the chief operating officer of Hyundai. He was lobbying about this to the government. He says, look; Hyundai is going to make batteries and electric vehicles in Georgia, in the U.S. They announced that before this law was passed. But it takes years to build a factory. And until that's done, no tax credit for them.

JOSE MUNOZ: We think this is being unfair because we are definitely committed and aligned¹¹. And we walk the talk. So we feel it is unfair that, then, as a consequence of doing the right thing, now we get penalized¹². That's all.

DOMONOSKE: And it's not just companies. The governments of Japan, South Korea, the European Union, they've all objected more fundamentally to this requirement. French President Emmanuel Macron, he's in D.C. for a state visit. And last night, he said this is fragmenting the West.

INSKEEP: All that said, the law was passed. It was very, very hard to pass any law at all. And now the House of Representatives is changing hands. Is there any chance this law would be changed?

DOMONOSKE: Well, unless Congress acts, this is the law. But the IRS is going to release guidance about how to interpret the law. And so people like Munoz say, maybe that include - could include some relief, as well as more clarity about things like the minerals requirement.

INSKEEP: What does all this mean for people maybe thinking about buying an electric car, wondering if they get a tax credit?

DOMONOSKE: It's been confusing. And keep - stay tuned¹³ for more updates from the IRS, basically.

INSKEEP: We'll stay tuned for more updates from you. Camila, thanks so much.

DOMONOSKE: Thank you.

INSKEEP: NPR's Camila Domonoske.

1 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 complexities   

复杂性(complexity的名词复数)； 复杂的事物

参考例句：

• The complexities of life bothered him. 生活的复杂使他困惑。
• The complexities of life bothered me. 生活的杂乱事儿使我心烦。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

7 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

8 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

12 penalized   

对…予以惩罚( penalize的过去式和过去分词 )； 使处于不利地位

参考例句：

• You will be penalized for poor spelling. 你拼写不好将会受到处罚。
• Team members will be penalized for lateness. 队员迟到要受处罚。

13 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》