Those down payments will qualify the lending arms for the federal $7,500 tax credit on those vehicles, according to the documents and dealers. The programs are aimed at softening the impact of the disappearance of the tax credit, which has been in place for more than 15 years to encourage EV adoption. "We worked with our GM dealers on an extended offer for customers to benefit from the tax credit for leases” of EVs, GM said in a statement to Reuters on Monday. It was unclear if other automakers were pursuing similar tactics to extend the period through which they can take advantage of the tax credit to sell their EVs. In August, the IRS said vehicles must be purchased by September 30 to qualify for the $7,500 tax credit.