Electric car buyers in California will have to reach deeper in their pockets as the state has run out of the $5,000 rebates it was handing out to customers interested in vehicles like the Nissan LEAF and the Tesla Roadster. The generous rebate was given on top of the $7,500 tax credit offered by the government.
As for the 500 owners of electric cars that are currently on the waiting list to receive the rebate, California’s Air Resources Board said it will consider providing them with a $2,500 discount. Not what they signed up for, but still better than nothing.
According to the Board’s spokeswoman, Mary Fricke, the state will also vote on providing $2,500 rebates to another 5,500 consumers who opt for an EV or other Zero Emission Vehicle offered on lease programs by select carmakers.
“It’s not a surprise that the California rebates are shrinking,” Brian Wynne, president of the Electric Drive Transportation Association, told the LA Times. “The California rebate already has been a particularly generous incentive”.
Nevertheless, the $7,500 federal tax rebate that is offered as an incentive for consumers to buy EVs and plug-in hybrids, like the Chevrolet Volt, is still in effect.
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