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Why Tesla Model Y tax credit inclusion is good for some and bad for others
The Tesla Model Y complete lineup was recently added to the IRS list of qualifying vehicles that will give buyers a $7,500 tax credit. While it may seem like the company’s huge price cuts coupled with the tax credit would be good for everyone, it spells bad news for competitors that offer comparable EVs in the same category.
On Friday, the Model Y’s entire lineup was added to the list of qualifying vehicles after the U.S. Department of Treasury said, “The change will allow crossover vehicles that share similar features to be treated consistently.” The Model Y’s five-seat configurations did not reach the weight requirement to be considered SUVs and were put in another category that included “All Other Vehicles.” The price limit to qualify for the tax credit differs by $25,000: $55,000 for All Others, and $80,000 for SUVs.
Tesla Model Y’s complete lineup now qualifies for EV tax credits through Inflation Reduction Act
The inclusion is obviously a good thing for consumers, and events that transpired afterward are good for the investors. With Tesla’s $13,000 price cut on Model Y configurations in early January, the automaker had quadrupled the vehicle’s addressable market. At the same time, it had offered a substantial discount to some who could already justify the purchase, and if they were on the fence, there’s no denying that this inevitably won them over.
Lower prices mean more sales. The Model Y was already making waves in terms of Tesla’s total concentration of sales by model, and it has routinely competed with the Model 3 in various markets and won in many of them. However, the cuts meant Tesla would have to eat some of its margins, which were incredibly high, trailing only Ferrari and BMW in that category. Analysts and more hellbent investors who are obsessed with the company making as much money as possible may not have loved the price cuts, and Tesla obviously will not be making as much of a profit per vehicle. However, on Saturday, following the Model Y’s inclusion to the qualifying vehicles list, Tesla bumped up prices by $1,500.
Is it the $13,000 the automaker trimmed in January? No, absolutely not. But Tesla is already making considerable money on each unit, and the company’s industry-leading tech and Supercharging network are inevitably what will win consumers over, especially as the vehicle is still vastly more affordable than before. With Tesla reaching 1.313 million deliveries last year in 2022, the company has pulled out all the stops to get sales figures off to a fast start in 2023, with various discounts and other programs to push vehicles out the door.
Credit: Tesla
The old saying goes that one’s trash is another’s treasure, and in this instance, the competition is getting the trash while consumers are getting the treasure. Tesla’s massive price cuts and now qualifying tax credits make it a pretty simple choice for consumers. Without a doubt, one of the biggest issues with EV ownership, or at least in the broad consensus of the average consumer, is “Where will I charge my EV?” While this question still makes me chuckle to myself and want to say, “That thing you live in can do it. You know? Your house?” It’s much more complex than that.
A charging network is really what sets Tesla apart from the others. Some consumers may have been willing to spend a little extra to have the confidence that they could be surrounded by charging options, and Tesla is really the only automaker that has such broad options in terms of charging that it really doesn’t have a current competitor. If Tesla does end up opening up its network to other EVs, then this conversation changes. Of course, other companies out there have a robust infrastructure that is quickly growing. Still, these companies are often plagued by maintenance issues, rising costs, and a less-than-desirable experience.
Tesla is already controlling a majority of the U.S. market for electric vehicles, and there are worthy competitors. Volkswagen, Ford, and General Motors all have a wide variety of strategies in their plans to dethrone Tesla. Meanwhile, Polestar, Rivian, Lucid, and other startups are still working through their issues, which are usually money-related.
Tesla is well ahead of the curve, especially as it has already figured out mass production and launched a lineup of competitive vehicles with plans of more styles and applications to come. The inclusion of the Model Y, which CEO Elon Musk believes will be the best-selling car in the world one day, to the tax credit program only spells disaster for the companies attempting to catch up. Meanwhile, Tesla sits comfortably in the driver’s seat, and there does not seem to be any true comparison in current sight.
Disclosure: Joey Klender does own Tesla stock.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
Elon Musk
SpaceX just cleared a key FCC hurdle in its fight with Verizon and AT&T
The FCC accepted SpaceX’s bid for Grain’s 800 MHz spectrum, opening review for Starlink Mobile.
The Federal Communications Commission has formally opened its review of SpaceX’s plan to buy a nationwide block of 800 MHz spectrum from Grain Management, moving Starlink Mobile one step closer to operating as a full U.S. wireless carrier.
In a public notice issued Tuesday, the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau said it accepted for filing the applications to transfer control of two Grain license companies, Prism License Co. 1 and Prism License Co. 2, to Starlink Spectrum Holdings, a wholly owned SpaceX subsidiary. The deal covers 546 paired licenses across 3,224 counties, reaching roughly 100% of the U.S. population in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The proceeding sits under WT Docket No. 26-313.
Acceptance is not approval. It means the applications cleared an initial review and the public comment window is now open. Comments and petitions to deny are due December 1, and oppositions are due December 8. The bureau also said the conditions attached to Grain’s July purchase of the licenses from T-Mobile, which require rapid buildout for terrestrial and direct to device service, would carry over to SpaceX if the transfer is approved.
SpaceX announced the agreement on October 8, saying the new airwaves would let Starlink Mobile’s signal reach phones inside buildings, something its 2 GHz spectrum from EchoStar cannot do as well. The portfolio includes up to 14 MHz of paired spectrum in the 817 to 824 MHz and 862 to 869 MHz bands, which most existing phones already support. Elon Musk called it “the last critical piece of the spectrum puzzle needed for SpaceX to provide complete phone coverage in America.”
According to the filing, SpaceX would hold up to 89 MHz of total spectrum in any given market after the deal closes, including up to 14 MHz below 1 GHz. That is far under the 385 MHz threshold the FCC uses to flag a transaction for closer competitive scrutiny, and well short of the roughly 300 MHz each of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile holds.
Tuesday’s notice does not decide how SpaceX can use the spectrum from orbit. A separate application SpaceX filed on October 27 seeking authority to provide supplemental coverage from space on the same frequencies, along with related waiver requests, is still pending before the commission.
The ground network is already taking shape. Last week, SpaceX picked Qualcomm to supply radios, baseband units and software for a nationwide 5G build, with deployment across tens of thousands of U.S. cell sites starting in 2027. The FCC also voted on October 29 to advance a proposal opening another 482 MHz to direct to device service, though AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile hacritive pushed to strip nearly 300 MHz from it. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell has said service on SpaceX’s own airwaves is targeted for early 2028.
A Tesla upfitter has offered to take over Cybertruck lines from the company in a last-ditch effort to save the all-electric pickup from being completely canceled in the middle of 2027.
Unplugged Performance, the Hawthorne, California-based Tesla aftermarket specialist, has publicly offered to take over Cybertruck production from Tesla, funding the effort “through a consortium of investors.”
An open offer to Tesla: We fully support putting Cybercab first, and we’d be glad to take the Cybertruck line off your hands.
We’d fund it with a consortium of investors and run it at no cost to Tesla’s floor space, headcount, or focus. All of that goes to Cybercab. Cybercab gets first call on battery cells too. We’ll wait our turn.
Tesla gains incremental profit: a license fee, plus FSD and Robotaxi network revenues on every vehicle built.
We’d build the Cybertruck, a three-row CyberSUV, and an unmanned CyberCargo hauler. More autonomous miles, across every surface of this planet and beyond.
Worth a conversation?— UP (@UnpluggedTesla) November 10, 2026
The proposal comes as Tesla prioritizes its Cybercab Robotaxi program and prepares to wind down Cybertruck assembly at Gigafactory Texas around mid-2027.
Founded in 2013 by Ben Schaffer and located adjacent to Tesla’s Design Studio and SpaceX, Unplugged Performance has become a leading provider of premium upgrades for Tesla vehicles, including extensive Cybertruck packages under its UP INVINCIBLE line.
Through its UP.FIT division, the company has also developed purpose-built police and fleet versions of the Cybertruck, including deliveries to agencies such as the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
In an X post on Tuesday, Unplugged said:
“An open offer to Tesla: We fully support putting Cybercab first, and we’d be glad to take the Cybertruck line off your hands. We’d fund it with a consortium of investors and run it at no cost to Tesla’s floor space, headcount, or focus. All of that goes to Cybercab. Cybercab gets first call on battery cells too. We’ll wait our turn. Tesla gains incremental profit: a license fee, plus FSD and Robotaxi network revenues on every vehicle built. We’d build the Cybertruck, a three-row CyberSUV, and an unmanned CyberCargo hauler. More autonomous miles, across every surface of this planet and beyond. Worth a conversation?”
The arrangement would free Tesla resources and manufacturing capacity for Cybercab while allowing continued production of the stainless-steel pickup and expanded variants. Unplugged Performance indicated it would wait for battery cells after Cybercab needs are met and would generate ongoing revenue for Tesla through licensing and software/network services on the vehicles it produces.
Following strong initial interest, Unplugged Performance posted a follow-up inviting potential investors and strategic partners to email cyber@unpluggedperformance.com. The company clarified that the outreach is solely to gauge interest and does not constitute an offer to sell securities or acceptance of funds at this stage.
The proposal arrives shortly after Elon Musk indicated that Cybertruck production in Texas would be phased out by roughly the middle of 2027 to expand Cybercab output.
Whether Tesla engages with the offer remains to be seen, but the public overture highlights both the aftermarket specialist’s deep experience with the Cybertruck platform and the growing focus on autonomy within Tesla’s manufacturing plans.
Elon Musk said the Tesla Cybercab will perform “a majority of all passenger miles” where it is allowed to operate and that point is “obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain.”
Musk used the point to double down on the company’s decision to ax the cult-favorite Cybertruck, as its production space will be removed and transitioned into additional Cybercab lines. The move has catalyzed a polarizing conversation on whether its right or wrong.
Whatever side you are on — it’s happening.
Dodge ended the Viper.
Audi retired the R8.
Mitsubishi said goodbye to the Lancer Evo.
Ford bid farewell to the Bronco (at one point).
Chevrolet sunset the Camaro.Tesla is ending the Cybertruck. I’m pissed. I’m upset.
Fans of those five automakers mentioned did the same thing. It happens. It sucks. I don’t like it.
But I still love Tesla. I love my Model Y. I hoped to be in a Cybertruck in a little under two years.
I won’t be. But I still won’t put my family in anything else. Too safe. Too advanced. Too much better than everything else.
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 10, 2026
Regardless, Musk seems to be getting to the point that he is done talking about the choice. At some point, you have to think that this was truly a difficult decision for him and the company as well, and this is not something he took lightly. In fact, he’s probably a little bit disappointed with it, too.
But the point remains that the Cybertruck is gone. Musk’s focus is purely on developing an autonomous platform that the world will utilize for transportation, and he’s telling you that anyone “with eyes and a brain” can see it:
@PalmerLuckey @carlhancock Cybercab will do a majority of all passenger miles in any jurisdiction where it is not prohibited by law.
Obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2026
Tesla is betting that all of its passengers in the future will be okay with not owning their own personal cars and will be fine with ride-hailing for the rest of their lives. Every dinner, every errand, every trip to the airport and transportation thereafter, will all be operated by ride-sharing, and in Tesla’s perfect world, it will happen in a Cybercab.
As of now, Cybercab is only active in Austin, but it has been spotted all over the country with a driver behind the wheel in those prototypes. In Austin, the car has no steering wheel or pedals for people to control the vehicle.
The Cybertruck dilemma is one that has truly come across the entire Tesla community and while it seems to be a great idea to keep it because people love it, the business side of things is steering Musk and Tesla in another direction.
SpaceX just cleared a key FCC hurdle in its fight with Verizon and AT&T
Tesla upfitter offers to keep Cybertruck alive
