Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Up to $1.5K off: California rolls out a new incentive program for clean cars
In another example of California encouraging drivers to buy zero- or low-emissions vehicles, the California Air Resources Board and the state’s utilities have teamed up to launch a program offering a discount of up to $1,500 on the purchase or lease of new electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids.
Called the California Clean Fuel Reward, the program is open to all residents of the Golden State, provided they register the vehicles with the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
“The goal of the program is to accelerate the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on California’s roads and highways,” Sandy Berg, vice chairman of the Air Resources Board, said in a statement.
The discount can be stacked on top of federal, state and local incentive programs already in place, such as the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Project that offers rebates of $2,000 for EVs and $1,000 for plug-in hybrids.
“When you factor in rewards like the California Clean Fuel Reward and lower fuel and maintenance costs, electric vehicles are on par with and can cost less than gasoline-powered cars,” Carter Prescott, principal manager for the eMobility team at Edison, said in an email.
Battery-powered motorcycles are also eligible for the Clean Fuel Reward. However, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are not, with a spokeswoman for Edison saying the program is targeted at EVs.
The money for the program comes from the sale of credits in the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard — a program in which the makers of carbon-intense products buy credits from clean-fuel producers, such as utilities.