http://www.hybridcars.com/federal-incentives/
“They were nice while they lasted, but the tax credits available to hybrid gas-electric cars bit the dust on Dec. 31, 2010. The incentives that President George Bush signed into law, as part of The Energy Policy Act of 2005, had granted up to $3,400 as a tax credit for the most efficient hybrid cars—and $4,000 for a compressed natural gas vehicle. They are gone, with little prospects for returning.
Instead, legislators have jumped to the next technology breakthrough: tax credits for plug-in hybrids and electric cars. A combination of local and national credits—up to $7,500 at the federal level, plus a $2,000 credit for charging equipment installation, plus state-based incentives (of $5,000 in California)— represent so far the largest bundle of incentives ever for private purchasers of green electric-drive vehicles.”
Pres Bush signed a similar law for hybrids, now expired. The Stimulus didn’t continue an EV credit, but replaced the hybrid credit signed by Pres. Bush.
So. I’ll concede that the original idea was first enacted by Pres. Bush in 2005. The current version is identical in form, it just applies to EVs instead of hybrids, at a rate of 200,000 models per manufacturer instead of 60k.
All manufacturers combined sold 100,000 last year (per article starting this thread), and by all accounts, it’s a banner year. No manufacturer is near their 200,000 phase out.
You are referencing the wrong piece of legislation. The one that Bush signed into law did indeed apply to EVs, and it was for $7,500. It was called the “Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008.” You can read about here, specifically the section titled “Transportation Sector.”
I made a slight mistake though. The one Bush signed into law covered the first 250,000 vehicles sold by all manufacturers combined, not the first 200,000.
The provision did not get much press at the time, mainly because the first electric cars did come to market until December 2010.