New California EV Rebates!

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California drivers can save up to $1,500 off the price of a new electric vehicle, on top of previously available incentives!

California has long been an electric vehicle leader and has a clean vehicle rebate program that’s been running for years. Of course, electric car buyers can also benefit from the US federal tax credit for new electric vehicle purchases (though, that is expired by Tesla and GM EV buyers). Now, making outsiders more envious than we already were, there’s another EV incentive Californians are eligible for — a $1,500 rebate at the point of sale!

The new rebate, available across the state, is called a California Clean Fuel Reward. It comes to Californians via the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the state’s utilities.

The rebate applies to both purchased and leased electric cars. Just be sure to get one from a participating auto dealer or retailer.



If you are in Southern California Edison’s jurisdiction, though, note that due to the new California Clean Fuel Reward program, its own Clean Fuel Reward program will end on December 31 (and you can’t double up in the meantime). Though, Southern California Edison (SCE) does plan to launch a rebate program for used electric vehicles in early 2021.

The SCE crew, which is administering the new Clean Fuel Reward program, also argues that shoppers should pay attention to the full spectrum of vehicle costs, including incentives and fewer operational costs.

“Fueling an EV is equivalent to paying less than $2 per gallon of gasoline. Most EVs come with a Level 1 charger that can plug into a standard 120-volt residential outlet and SCE has different rate options to help customers save money. These plans may include special rates offering lower costs for charging off-peak or at night. The Rate Assistant Tool can help customers determine the best rate for them.”

“It’s a common myth that EVs cost more than their fossil-fueled counterparts,” said Carter Prescott, principal manager of operations for SCE’s eMobility team. “When you factor in rewards like the California Clean Fuel Reward and lower fuel and maintenance costs, EVs are on a par with and can cost less than gasoline-powered cars.”

While we may think of power plants and industry when we think about pollution, in the State of California, transportation is the biggie — by a large margin. Almost 80% of California’s air pollution comes from the transportation sector. Additionally, more than 40% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector. So, the #1 way to help cut air pollution and stop global warming in California is to make steep cuts into polluting vehicles.

California Governor Gavin Newsom determined earlier this year, via executive order, that 100% of California’s new vehicle sales have to be electric by 2035. This new EV reward program gives a boost in that direction.

Funding for this new EV rebate program comes from California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

All photos from Kyle Field/CleanTechnica


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Zachary Shahan

Zach is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao. Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA], NIO [NIO], Xpeng [XPEV], Ford [F], ChargePoint [CHPT], Amazon [AMZN], Piedmont Lithium [PLL], Lithium Americas [LAC], Albemarle Corporation [ALB], Nouveau Monde Graphite [NMGRF], Talon Metals [TLOFF], Arclight Clean Transition Corp [ACTC], and Starbucks [SBUX]. But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort.

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