America’s private sector just scored a win while Washington fiddled. Tesla reported a record-setting quarter with 497,099 vehicle deliveries, a surge driven in large part by consumers rushing to lock in the expiring federal EV tax credit at the end of September.
This wasn’t a government plan working — it was the free market responding to incentives and smart entrepreneurs meeting demand. Shoppers who wanted the $7,500 credit pushed orders hard in the third quarter, producing a near-term boom that Wall Street and Main Street both felt.
The IRS clarification that simply placing a binding order before the September 30 deadline secures the credit only underscores how confused and last-minute these Washington-engineered programs can be. Tesla and other automakers adapted quickly, and customers who moved decisively were rewarded, which is exactly how a real economy should function.
Let’s be clear: Elon Musk and Tesla didn’t get here because of political micromanagement — they got here because of innovation, hustle, and risk-taking. Musk’s personal fortune briefly crossing the half-trillion-dollar mark is a byproduct of that success, not the goal; the real story is tens of thousands of Americans with jobs and paychecks tied to an enterprise that took on the global auto industry.
If you worry about distortions, good — you should. Temporary, politically timed tax credits bend consumer behavior and create booms and busts that favor whoever times policy or product launches best, not necessarily whoever builds the best long-term business. Competitors — including foreign automakers — smelled the opportunity too, so this rally is as much a market signal as it is a policy-driven blip.
That said, conservatives ought to celebrate what worked: entrepreneurship answering consumer demand, American factories running, and customers getting choices. Instead of forever-expanding credit schemes and regulatory theatrics, Washington should clear the runway for private-sector growth through sensible trade, lower taxes, and fewer winners-and-losers picked by bureaucrats.
Hardworking Americans shouldn’t have to rely on political deadlines to make practical decisions about purchases or careers. Let this quarter be a reminder that when government gets out of the way and innovators like Musk are allowed to compete, Americans win — and our economy is stronger for it.
