Policy & Regulatory Changes: California EV Rebate Excludes Tesla (Except Base Trims), Federal EV Fee, NJ Robotaxi Ban Threat, NHTSA Actions

California's new $3,500 first-time EV buyer rebate explicitly excludes Tesla from the HQ carve-out, but base Model 3/Y trims under $50k MSRP may still qualify if Tesla participates. The program is point-of-sale and first-come, first-served, starting later this summer. This is a direct policy hit for Tesla buyers in CA, especially for higher trims and Cybertruck. Also: Proposed $130 federal EV fee passed committee vote. New Jersey bill would mandate lidar/radar for AVs, effectively banning Tesla's camera-only robotaxi; Tesla urging NJ owners to oppose. NHTSA continues to push for steering wheel removal and first responder interference fixes. These regulatory developments directly impact US Tesla owners' purchase decisions and robotaxi rollout.