# EV CEOs Plan Without Counting on Federal Buyer Credits Returning By John Kim Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/57812 Published: 2026-11-15T13:19:25.000Z Updated: 2026-11-15T13:19:25.000Z Section: Business > Rivian, Lucid and Scout Motors leaders spoke after Democrats’ midterm wins. The federal new clean-vehicle tax credit is unavailable for vehicles acquired after Sept. 30, 2025. Leaders at Rivian, Lucid and Scout Motors say they are planning without a return of the federal new clean-vehicle tax credit, signaling caution after Democrats’ midterm wins. The comments were published Nov. 15. The executives spoke separately on Nov. 6, Nov. 9 and Nov. 11, after the election and ahead of Democrats’ expected control of Congress in January. None pointed to a bill, timetable or formal commitment to restore the credit. Their remarks describe company planning under policy uncertainty; they announce no change to federal incentives. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said Nov. 6 that the company does not plan around uncertain policy outcomes. “We try not to plan for those sort of things. The reality is it’s probably going to have less of an impact than we think,” he said. Scaringe added, “I think we’re going to actually have a lot of challenges getting things done.” Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli said Nov. 9 that the company would welcome any positive support while preparing for uncertainty. “Plan for the worst and … hope for the best,” he said. Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh said Nov. 11 that Scout was built to operate without relying on legislation that might not materialize. He favored support aimed at lowering production costs. “Anything that can drive down production cost is going to, of course, get passed along to the customer,” Keogh said. Eligible buyers could previously receive up to $7,500 through the federal new clean-vehicle tax credit. It is unavailable for vehicles acquired after Sept. 30, 2025. A qualifying vehicle acquired by that date may still meet the rules even if delivery takes place later. The average transaction price for a new EV was $55,879 in September 2026, 11% above comparable vehicles with internal-combustion engines. Estimated [third-quarter U.S. new-EV sales]() totaled 262,649, up 6.1% from the prior quarter but down 39.5% from a year earlier. September sales were estimated at 86,632, down 40.7% from 146,076 in September 2025. The comparison followed a rush to buy before the credit expired, but the figures do not establish how much of the later decline stemmed from the cutoff. ## Links in this article - [third-quarter U.S. new-EV sales](https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/32031)