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12/1/2023

Treasury Releases Proposed Guidance to Continue U.S. Manufacturing Boom in Batteries and Clean Vehicles, Strength…

Treasury Releases Proposed Guidance to Continue U.S.
Manufacturing Boom in Batteries and Clean Vehicles, Strengthen
Energy Security
December 1, 2023

WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
released proposed guidance on the clean vehicle provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act
(IRA) that are lowering costs for consumers, spurring a boom in U.S. manufacturing, and
strengthening energy security by building resilient supply chains with allies and partners. Since
the IRA was enacted, nearly $100 billion in private-sector investment has been announced
across the U.S. clean vehicle and battery supply chain.
“The Inflation Reduction Act has unleashed an investment and manufacturing boom in
the United States, and since President Biden enacted the law, ecosystems have
developed in communities nationwide to onshore the clean vehicle supply chain,” said
Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. “The Inflation Reduction Actʼs clean vehicle tax
credit saves consumers up to $7,500 on a new clean vehicle and hundreds of dollars per
year on gas, while creating American manufacturing jobs and strengthening our energy
security.”
“President Biden entered o ice determined to reverse the decades-long trend of letting
jobs and factories go overseas to China,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the
President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation. “Thanks to the Investing in
America agenda and todayʼs important guidance from Treasury and the Department of
Energy, weʼre helping ensure that the electric vehicle future will be made in America.”
Todayʼs Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NRPM) provides clarity and certainty around the
IRAʼs foreign entity of concern (FEOC) requirements. To strengthen the security of Americaʼs
supply chains, beginning in 2024, an eligible clean vehicle may not contain any battery
components that are manufactured or assembled by a FEOC, and, beginning in 2025, an
eligible clean vehicle may not contain any critical minerals that were extracted, processed, or
recycled by a FEOC. In conjunction with todayʼs Treasury NPRM, the Department of Energy has
released proposed guidance defining what entities are a FEOC.
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12/1/2023

Treasury Releases Proposed Guidance to Continue U.S. Manufacturing Boom in Batteries and Clean Vehicles, Strength…

In addition to the FEOC requirement, clean vehicles must also continue to meet additional
statutory criteria, including additional sourcing requirements for both the critical minerals and
battery components contained in the vehicle, a requirement that vehicles undergo final
assembly in North America, and a requirement that vehicles do not exceed a Manufacturers
Suggested Retail Price of $80,000 for a van, pickup truck, or sport utility vehicle, or $55,000 for
any other vehicle.

F OREIGN ENT IT Y OF CONCERN REQUIREMENT
The NPRM provides proposed rules to determine whether applicable critical minerals (and
their associated constituent materials) and battery components are manufactured or
assembled by a FEOC for battery components, and extracted, processed, or recycled by a
FEOC for critical minerals. The proposed rules would require manufacturers to conduct due
diligence that complies with industry standards of tracing for battery materials.
Under the proposal, FEOC-compliance for battery components would be determined at the
time of manufacture or assembly, and FEOC-compliance for critical minerals would be
determined by reviewing all phases of applicable critical mineral extraction, processing, and
recycling. For example, a mineral extracted by an entity that is not a FEOC but processed by an
entity that is a FEOC would not be compliant. Compliant battery components would have to
be tracked to FEOC-compliant battery cells, and cells could not be manufactured or
assembled by a FEOC.
Critical minerals generally also must be traced. However, given that there is commingling in
the critical mineral supply chains and suppliers may not be able to physically track certain
specific masses of minerals to specific battery cells or batteries, the NPRM asks for comments
on a temporary transition rule, under which critical minerals and associated constituent
materials may be allocated to a particular set of battery cells. The battery cells would then
have to be physically tracked to batteries and new clean vehicles using a serial number or
other identification system.
The NPRM also asks for comment on a proposed additional transition rule as the automotive
industry develops the ability to trace certain low-value materials with precision. The NPRM
proposes a temporary transition rule through 2026 that would give the industry time to
develop tracing standards for these low-value materials. The guidance asks for comment on

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12/1/2023

Treasury Releases Proposed Guidance to Continue U.S. Manufacturing Boom in Batteries and Clean Vehicles, Strength…

the need for and design of such a rule, what materials should be included under this approach,
and whether alternative approaches to such a transition rule would be more appropriate.
To allow compliant vehicles already on dealer lots and currently being manufactured to qualify
for the credit while the rulemaking process proceeds, the proposed rules would provide a
transition rule to expedite certification for new clean vehicles that do not contain battery
components manufactured or assembled by a FEOC and are placed in service in 2024 between
January 1 and 30 days a er the rules are finalized.
The proposed rules would also create an upfront review system starting in 2025 that would
provide additional oversight of FEOC compliance, as well as certainty to manufacturers. For
new vehicles placed in service in 2025 or later, the IRS would track FEOC compliance via a
compliant-battery ledger. Each year, automakers would be required to submit to the IRS an
estimate of the number of FEOC-compliant batteries they expect to procure each year, along
with supporting documentation, and the Department of Energy would review these
submissions. Automakersʼ balances would be adjusted to account for changes in the number
of anticipated FEOC-compliant batteries and would be reduced as new credit-eligible clean
vehicles are reported to the IRS. Once the ledger reaches zero for a year, the automaker could
no longer submit vehicles as qualifying for the clean vehicle credit under section 30D.
Finally, the NPRM proposes a regime to incentivize compliance by automakers. Inadvertent
errors may be cured; otherwise, the vehicle related to the error will no longer be credit
eligible. If that vehicle has already been sold, the error would instead cause a reduction to the
ledger.
Under the proposed enforcement framework, in cases of fraud or intentional disregard for the
rules, all unsold vehicles of the automaker may be no longer eligible for the section 30D credit.
The IRS may also terminate the automakerʼs ability to qualify additional vehicles for the credit
in the future. Treasury and the IRS will carefully consider public comments before issuing final
rules.

B AT T ERY COMPONENT REQUIREMENT
To meet the battery component requirement and be eligible for a $3,750 credit, the applicable
percentage of the value of the battery components must be manufactured or assembled in
North America
For 2023, the applicable percentage is 50 percent.
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Treasury Releases Proposed Guidance to Continue U.S. Manufacturing Boom in Batteries and Clean Vehicles, Strength…

For 2024 and 2025, the applicable percentage is 60 percent.
For 2026, the applicable percentage is 70 percent.
For 2027, the applicable percentage is 80 percent.
For 2028, the applicable percentage is 90 percent.
Beginning in 2029, the applicable percentage is 100 percent.

CRIT ICAL MINERAL REQUIREMENT
To meet the critical mineral requirement and be eligible for a $3,750 credit, the applicable
percentage of the value of the critical minerals contained in the battery must be extracted or
processed in the United States or a country with which the United States has a free trade
agreement or be recycled in North America—as mandated by the Inflation Reduction Act.
For 2023, the applicable percentage is 40 percent.
For 2024, the applicable percentage is 50 percent.
For 2025, the applicable percentage is 60 percent.
For 2026, the applicable percentage is 70 percent.
Beginning in 2027, the applicable percentage is 80 percent.
Beginning in 2024, an eligible clean vehicle may not contain any battery components that are
manufactured by a foreign entity of concern and beginning in 2025 an eligible clean vehicle
may not contain any critical minerals that were extracted, processed, or recycled by a foreign
entity of concern.
2025

2024
(To receive $7,500)

(To receive $7,500)

Foreign Entity of Concern (Battery Component)

YES

YES

Foreign Entity of Concern (Critical Minerals)

NO

YES

Battery Component Percentage

60%

60%

Critical Minerals Percentage

50%

60%

Clean Vehicle Credit Requirement

###

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