Republicans deferred some of their most painful spending cuts until after the midterm elections.
The company has devoted resources to autonomous driving rather than developing new models to attract car buyers.
But the benefits of the deduction, estimated to cost $31 billion over four years, may be limited to a narrow slice of consumers, economists say.
China’s lead in electric vehicle technology, which is already huge, could become insurmountable if incentive programs are slashed, auto experts and environmentalists say.
Wind and solar companies were already bracing for Congress to end federal subsidies. But the Senate bill goes even further and penalizes those industries.
For 50 years, automakers have had to increase the fuel efficiency of their vehicles or pay fines. The Republican megabill would set those penalties to $0.
Three weeks after a fire broke out on the ship off the coast of Alaska, the Morning Midas sank, along with thousands of cars on board.
Ford Motor said it would open a new plant in Michigan that could become ineligible for federal incentives under a policy bill championed by President Trump and passed by the House.
The vehicles will have safety monitors and may not operate in bad weather, making them more restricted than the fully autonomous vehicles promised by Elon Musk.
The 7-to-2 decision stressed that it did not address the merits of the dispute, and concerned only whether the producers had standing to sue.