Volvo EX30 debut, base Model 3 tax credit, plugging in PHEVs: Today’s Car News

Base Standard Range versions of the Model 3 are eligible for more EV tax credit money than they were last week. Plug-in hybrid drivers likely aren’t plugging in as much as the EPA has been assuming. And the Volvo EX30 EV aims for the $35,000 mark from the start. This and more, here at EV kind of cars. 

The Volvo EX30 EV will start around $35,000 in the U.S., the automaker revealed Wednesday, in a form that might achieve a range of about 275 miles. In its optional Twin Motor form, the EX30 will be Volvo’s fastest-accelerating vehicle ever, while the EX30 lineup is professed to have the brand’s lowest carbon footprint of any vehicle it’s made. 

Meanwhile, the base Tesla Model 3 now qualifies for the full $7,500 EV tex credit, the EPA confirmed on Tuesday—making the effective price, for those income-qualified, under $35,000. Until last week it was only eligible for half that, and Tesla hasn’t yet confirmed what it changed in battery sourcing to meet the top eligibility tier. 

And how often do plug-in hybrid drivers plug in? Fields of data suggest it’s not as often as the EPA assumes in its fleet emissions rules, so it’s likely tightening them by assuming owners plug in a smaller portion of the time—giving automakers less of a regulatory boost from them.

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