I would love to hear from somebody that knows more, but I believe that the leasing company takes the $7500 federal tax credit, and the buyer takes the $2500 California tax credit. So on a, say, 3 year lease, that's $2,160 in lease payments, and $10,000 in tax credits, and if the residual value after three years is $13,000 or more, then the numbers mostly add up.
I tried to talk to the dealer about this when I leased a Fiat 500e, but as is typical with dealers they were all lies and untrustworthiness, so I have no clue of their financials. I never want to step foot in a dealership again, if possible...
California requires car companies to sell a certain number of EVs in order to sell other cars in the state.
So companies take their cheapest model, convert it into a passable EV, then their financing arm offers nice incentives to get them out the door and the parent company eats the difference as a cost of doing business in California.
I tried to talk to the dealer about this when I leased a Fiat 500e, but as is typical with dealers they were all lies and untrustworthiness, so I have no clue of their financials. I never want to step foot in a dealership again, if possible...