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New tool shows which used EVs qualify for federal tax incentives

Chevrolet Dealership with EVs

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A new tool released by Recurrent Auto shows car buyers which used EVs qualify for federal tax incentives based on a simple VIN search.

As electric vehicles have become ever-more popular in the United States, so has the market of used EVs. And to help those who want to purchase a used EV, the Federal government has introduced a tax incentive of $4,000. However, much like the rest of the Inflation Reduction Act, qualifying for this incentive is far from straightforward. But fear not; a new tool from Recurrent Auto will show you if the car you are looking at will qualify via a simple VIN searching system.

The current used EV incentive qualifications are extensive and incredibly specific:

  1. The vehicle must be at least two models years old (2021 and older).
  2. The vehicle must have a battery with a capacity above 7kWh. (This includes PHEVs)
  3. The vehicle must be sold by a licensed dealer; they cannot come from a private seller.
  4. The vehicle cannot have already been used to claim this credit, so each vehicle is one and done.
  5. And finally, the vehicle must be sold for less than $25,000.

On top of these factors, the buyer themselves must qualify, earning less than a specified amount and not having used the incentive previously.

“I have spent hours poring over the tax credit bill with legal experts, and the eligibility criteria can read like a puzzle,” said Liz Najman, policy research and communications manager at Recurrent. “This eligibility tool makes it much easier. In about 30 seconds, a car shopper will have a good idea if a used EV is likely to receive a tax credit – no tax law background required.”

While the federal government has come under fire for its harsh and hard-to-understand EV tax incentive system, both at home and abroad, this tool can ensure that buyers purchase one of the 23% of used EVs on the market that Recurrent says will qualify for the new incentive. This includes vehicles like the Chevy Bolt, the Nissan Leaf, or even the Volkswagen e-Golf.

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While this tool makes the purchasing experience of any used EV exponentially more accessible, it sadly cannot help you file the tax forms to receive the $4,000 once you have purchased the vehicle. Luckily, the page lays out a complete guide on how that is done, including all the tax forms and where they can be found.

This is not the only tool Recurrent Auto introduced to make used EVs a more viable option for consumers. In late 2022, the company released used EV battery monitoring software that can help buyers ensure that the vehicle they are considering purchasing has a battery that isn’t on its last legs, and in turn, can help sellers get top dollar for the vehicle they are selling.

As used EVs become increasingly popular, tools like these will become helpful and necessary to ensure that a buyer isn’t being taken advantage of. But the tools should also be a sign to lawmakers that the statutes they are creating may be a limiting factor in helping people transition to electric mobility. In the meantime, Recurrent’s tools will uniquely aid customers and protect them from potential fraud.

What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!

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Will is an auto enthusiast, a gear head, and an EV enthusiast above all. From racing, to industry data, to the most advanced EV tech on earth, he now covers it at Teslarati.

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Tesla Model Y on FSD saves couple after encountering King of edge cases

Experts have noted that if confirmed, this could be the world’s first recorded meteorite collision involving a Tesla.

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Credit: @10NewsAU/YouTube

A South Australian Tesla driver is thanking his Model Y’s Full Self-Driving system after a mysterious object, possibly a meteorite, slammed into his car’s windshield while it had FSD engaged. 

The impact sent hot glass fragments flying through the cabin as the vehicle continued driving without human input through the darkness. Experts have noted that if confirmed, this could be the world’s first recorded meteorite collision involving a Tesla.

The Tesla owner was enjoying a quiet drive home when they hit the king of edge cases

Veterinarian Dr. Andrew Melville-Smith and his wife were traveling north on Augusta Highway on the night of October 19 when a sudden blast struck their newly delivered Model Y. At the time, it was clear, pitch black night, and Dr. Melville-Smith and his wife were just listening to a podcast while FSD was operating the vehicle, as noted in a Yahoo News report. 

Suddenly, something hit the Tesla’s windshield. “Then there was, (what) I can only describe as a very, very violent explosion. The whole inside of the car was literally blasted with glass fragments. It was full of white smoke, and it smelled like the car was on fire,” Dr. Melville-Smith stated. 

The vet stated that he and his wife were stunned for a good 10 seconds, and for a bit, he and his wife thought they had crashed. Images of the crash’s aftermath showed a massive crack on the Tesla’s windshield, which Dr. Melville-Smith noted was hot to the touch. The object that hit the Tesla’s windshield was so hot that part of the vehicle’s windshield was partly melted. 

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FSD kept driving despite the possible meteorite strike

Thankfully, the Tesla was operating with its FSD (Supervised) system engaged at the time. Thus, despite the vehicle being hit by what might be a literal meteorite, and despite Dr. Melville-Smith and his wife being stunned because of the impact, their Tesla just kept driving steadily. 

“I thought we’d had an accident, but then I looked at the screen and went ‘Oh, we’re still driving. We were moving around, so it obviously thought we were paying attention, and it was happy to keep driving to Port Augusta. After we pulled over, we saw the big crater in the windscreen,” the vet said. 

The South Australian Museum is now examining the case, with geologist Dr. Kieran Meaney stating the scorched glass and heat damage do suggest a potential meteorite strike. “The little detail that’s really selling it for me at the moment is that whatever it was that hit the windscreen seems to have been very hot,” Meaney explained. However, the object has yet to be recovered.

Check out a video of the remarkable edge case below.

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“Foundation:” Elon Musk wants to send a record of Grokipedia to space

The idea sounds outlandish, though it is also something that is in character for the CEO.

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Credit: xAI

Elon Musk has announced one of his latest initiatives, and it is every bit as sci-fi as it is surprisingly grounded. In a post on X, Musk stated that Grokipedia, xAI’s new open-source encyclopedia, will be etched into stable oxide and launched into space. 

The idea sounds outlandish, though it is also something that is in character for the CEO.

Preserving human knowledge among the stars

Musk posted his plan following the launch of Grokipedia’s V0.1’s iteration. The CEO congratulated the xAI team for the online encyclopedia’s launch, though he also stated that the goal for Grokipedia is to create an open-source collection of knowledge. This would then be distributed to the cosmos.

“Nice work by the xAI team on Grokipedia! The goal here is to create an open source, comprehensive collection of all knowledge. Then place copies of that etched in a stable oxide in orbit, the Moon, and Mars to preserve it for the future. Foundation,” Musk wrote in his post.

While seemingly outlandish, this is not the first time that a record of human knowledge of sorts was sent out to space. In 1977, the Voyager Golden Record was launched aboard NASA’s Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft. The record contains sounds and images that ere aggregated to portray the diversity of the Earth’s culture. Of course, Musk’s plan with Grokipedia, is infinitely more ambitious. 

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Grokipedia and AI neutrality

Musk launched Grokipedia as an AI-driven alternative to Wikipedia, designed to eliminate the human biases that could affect conventional online knowledge platforms. The system is powered by xAI’s Grok, which scrape and summarize information from across the internet, offering balanced and nuanced coverage of topics ranging from science and technology to culture and politics.

Unlike Wikipedia’s human-edited format, Grokipedia would be able to evolve through machine learning, reading vastly more material than any editorial team could. Early testers, including Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger, praised its initial version as “very OK” and potentially more neutral than Wikipedia. Musk agreed, stating that even in its V0.1 form, Grokipedia is “already better than Wikipedia.”

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Tesla Cybertrucks to save Las Vegas police thousands in fuel and maintenance

Sheriff Kevin McMahill unveiled the new vehicles on Monday, describing them as “the next evolution to keep our community safer than it’s ever been.”

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Credit: @Sheriff_LVMPD/X

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has officially unveiled its fleet of Tesla Cybertrucks as part of its push toward a more advanced, cost-efficient, and sustainable patrol system. 

Sheriff Kevin McMahill unveiled the new vehicles on Monday, describing them as “the next evolution to keep our community safer than it’s ever been.” The trucks are expected to begin service across all area commands within two weeks.

High-tech patrol fleet

Each UP.FIT-modified Cybertruck has been customized with ladders, shields, and less-lethal equipment to support law enforcement operations. The vehicles will connect to a live drone response hub capable of facial recognition and gunshot detection, enabling drones to launch automatically when alerts trigger. The system streams real-time footage directly to responding officers, enhancing both speed and situational awareness during emergencies.

Officers have already completed training with the new fleet and offered feedback on its performance, according to Fox 5 Vegas. Sheriff McMahill noted that the trucks, along with robot dogs and SWAT vehicles, represent a coordinated effort to combine human expertise with emerging technologies. The Cybertruck rollout was made possible through a donation from the Horowitz family.

Cybertrucks’ major savings

The department’s ten UP.FIT patrol Cybertrucks are among the most American-made law enforcement vehicles available, featuring roughly twice the domestic parts content of comparable Ford and Chevrolet patrol trucks. Beyond their build quality, the electric fleet offers major cost benefits. Each Cybertruck is projected to save between $8,800 and $12,000 in annual fuel costs and roughly $3,540 in maintenance over a five-year service life.

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With regenerative braking, factory ballistic-resistant doors, and no idling fuel burn, the Cybertruck platform provides higher uptime, lower total cost of ownership, and a quieter patrol experience, all while reducing the department’s carbon footprint. Sheriff McMahill confirmed each area command will receive one of the new patrol units.

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