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Recent Tesla price cuts could save drivers an additional $7,500: 'These prices are much more sensible'

"How low can it go?"

Tesla Model X Long Range

Photo Credit: iStock

Various Tesla models have qualified and unqualified for the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit too many times to count. The latest entry in the saga is positive news for prospective Tesla customers, as recent price cuts to the Tesla Model X Long Range seem to have qualified this particular model for the discount.

The Model X Long Range was, until recently, listed for a little over $100,000. However, it seems that Tesla has (at least for now) abandoned the experiment of introducing range-limiting software into its vehicles, which labeled the limited versions as "Standard Range," and charged more for the newly labeled "Long Range" versions that were previously standard.

Unsurprisingly, it does not seem that customers were all that interested in that proposition. Although Tesla has kept the "Long Range" branding, it has done away with the range-limiting software and lower prices. The repriced Model X Long Range is now listed for $79,990.

In addition to being a better deal for customers, this price reduction brings the Model X Long Range below the $80,000 threshold, therefore qualifying it for the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit included in the Inflation Reduction Act. That effectively makes the price cut even steeper, factoring in the tax credit.

The $80,000 threshold applies to crossover SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks. The cap for other cars to qualify for the tax credit is $55,000, which means that the Model S still doesn't qualify despite a similar price reduction.

"These prices are much more sensible," wrote one InsideEVs commenter. "I like the Model S but never understood the huge price premium over the Model 3. Just bigger with more batteries."

"How low can it go? $60K for a base Model X in 2024??" wrote another hopeful commenter.

While it may be a small step, if more cars qualify for the tax credit, then more drivers may switch to EVs.

Transportation is a major contributor to the overheating of our planet, accounting for more than 16% of annual global carbon pollution. A typical car produces more than 10,000 pounds of carbon pollution annually, and worldwide, passenger cars produce around 3.3 billion tons. The more EVs on the road, the better, so anything that helps people make the switch benefits both the consumer and the environment. 

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