Up To $9,500 Incentive Offered For EVs Or Hybrid Vehicles In Bay Area
The Clean Cars for All program is offering up to $9,500 for the purchase or lease of an EV or hybrid vehicle for Bay Area residents who qualify. The $9,500 option is available for certain residents who have an older vehicle which is dismantled and who also purchase an EV or plug-in hybrid vehicle to replace it. If you buy an EV, there is also a home charger rebate potentially available. Getting older vehicles off the streets reduces harmful air pollution levels and climate change emissions. EVs and hybrids are also more energy efficient so they can save their owners money. Simrun Dhoot, a spokeswoman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, answered some questions about the program for CleanTechnica.
1. Who had the idea for the low emissions vehicle incentive, and who is offering it? 
The Air District has partnered with GRID Alternatives, a local non-profit in the Bay Area, to implement the Clean Cars for All program. The Clean Cars for All program is funded by the California Air Resources Board and California Climate Investments as part of a statewide initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
2. What is the amount and is it a tax credit or a rebate, and what is it intended to be used for?
Incentives for this program vary depending on an applicant’s income and the incentive they select. There are three incentive options. Residents can receive up to $9,500 to scrap an older vehicle and replace it with a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or electric vehicle. The award amount will be deducted from the total selling price at Air District approved dealerships.
Residents participating in the program may also be eligible for a rebate of up to $2,000 for the purchase and installation of a home charger. Residents also have the option to scrap their vehicle for up to $4,500 towards a Clipper card. (This is for public transportation in the Bay Area.)
3. Who is eligible for the incentive and how does one apply for it?
To be eligible for the Clean Cars for All program, residents must own a model year 1996 or older passenger vehicle that has been registered or operated in California for more than two years, live in an eligible area, and qualify as a low-income household. Bay Area residents may check our website at www.BAAQMD.gov/CleanCarsForAll to verify their eligibility for the program.
4. When is it available and how long will it be provided?
The Clean Cars for All program is currently open and is accepting applications on a first-come, first-serve basis until funds are exhausted.
5. What low emissions vehicles are available for the incentive?
New or used hybrid, plug-in, or electric vehicles are eligible for purchase with Clean Cars for All program funds. Applicants may also lease a new hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or electric vehicle.
6. What are the goals of the program?
The goal of this program is to have cleaner, healthier air by removing high emitting vehicles from our most polluted communities and ensuring that all families benefit from California’s effort to fight climate change.
7. How will you measure the program’s success?
Reduced emissions, the number of high polluting vehicles removed from our roadways and the total funds awarded to families in areas hardest hit by air pollution will be used to measure the success of the program.
Image Credit: Clean Cars for All
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