California Bill Could Increase EV Rebates up to $7,500

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

As far as U.S. states, California leads the way for zero-emissions cars. In the first quarter of 2019, 30,745 plug-in electric cars were sold in the state. That figure is 13 percent higher than the first quarter of 2018. More importantly, that figure is approximately half of the entire U.S. sales during the first four months of 2019. So electric vehicles are clearly a big deal in California.

Giving Buyers More Incentive

Well, Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting has come out with a bill that would provide consumers purchasing an electric vehicle with a larger rebate. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, AB1046 would allow state regulators to increase the rebate a consumer would get for purchasing an electric vehicle up to $7,500. The San Francisco lawmaker's bill is specifically aimed at ensuring California is on the right path to meet its stricter climate change goals, claims the outlet.

At the moment, California's rebate program provides buyers with just $2,500 for the purchase of a battery-powered car. While $2,500 isn't a small amount of money toward the purchase of a new vehicle, Ting believes that the current rebate program doesn't provide enough of an incentive to purchase an electric car right now. Instead, buyers can choose to wait for a few years. With the new bill, Ting is hoping that consumers will flock to electric cars now, as the rebates will reduce over time.

The bill would also bring California's waiting list for an electric vehicle rebate to an end. In California, rebates for electric cars run out every fiscal year. This forces consumers to wait until next year until leaders in the state get more funding for the rebate. Previously, California also thought about coming out with an extra $2,000 subsidy toward the purchase of a new EV.

More EVs Are Key To Curbing Emissions

Providing buyers in the market for a new car with the right incentive to purchase an electric vehicle will help California reach its lofty greenhouse-gas emissions figures. Last year, California's Air Resources Board came out with a report that indicated emissions from passengers cars were primarily to blame for the rise of the state's greenhouse-gas emissions. This new bill, if it were to be passed, would help the state get on track to curb those missions.

"If we don't individually move into clean cars, there's no way we're going to get there," said Ting, reports the outlet. "Even if we did great on everything else but clean cars, we're just not going to do it."

The SF Chronicle claims that transportation accounts for roughly 39 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the state. The majority of emissions come from passenger vehicles. What California wants to do is cut emissions to 40 percent below levels from 1990. The state wants to get this done by 2030.

The new bill will also help California reach its goals of having 5 million zero-emission vehicles driving around the state by 2030. Currently, there are 550,000 vehicles in that meet the zero-emission moniker.

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods