SACRAMENTO - The California Air Resources Board and the California Environmental Protection Agency announced today that 10,000 zero emission vehicles have been purchased and are on the road thanks to the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. 
 
The state program provides rebate incentives to drive increased sales of the very cleanest vehicles such as electric cars, plug-in hybrids, and fuel cell vehicles. The 10,000th rebate recipient, Natasha Casteel, from Meadow Vista in Placer County, was an honored guest at the Governor’s Summit on Zero Emission Vehicles at the Cal/EPA headquarters in Sacramento.
 
 “There is no doubt now that plug-in electric cars have gone main stream in California.  Rebates have played a major role in encouraging customers to take a serious look at plug-in driving,” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols.  “Electric vehicles benefit us all. Every EV on the road is helping end our dependence on petroleum, clean the air and fight climate change.” 
 
 “On top of the obvious environmental benefits, increasing the number of electric vehicles on California roadways will help drive economic growth,” said Cal/EPA Secretary Matt Rodriquez. “Simply put, every dollar not spent at the pump is money that can be spent elsewhere in the economy.”

A recent report from the California Electric Transportation Coalition shows that plug-in electric cars can create nearly 100,000 California jobs by 2030 and provide a powerful local economic stimulus.

The rebate program has already helped propel California to the forefront of the nation in terms of sales. California accounts for 40 percent of all plug-in electric vehicles purchased nationwide over the past two years even though the state constitutes only 10 percent of the national market for conventional vehicles. This growing California market has led to two companies whose cars are eligible for rebate, Coda, and Tesla.   Both are setting up shop in California, and providing thousands of Californian jobs.

The rebate program supports ARB’s Zero Emission Vehicle mandate requiring that 15 percent of cars sold in 2025 be zero emission. It also complements Governor Brown’s March Executive Order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and establish rapid commercialization of zero-emission vehicles, including an infrastructure to support one million zero-emission vehicles by 2020.

Casteel received the 10,000th, Clean Vehicle Rebate check at the Governor’s Office Summit on Zero Emission Vehicles, where the Brown Administration released the 2012 ZEV Action Plan for public review and discussed additional actions to help make ZEVs affordable and practical for Californians.
  
“I’m very excited about my new Nissan Leaf,” said Casteel. “When I saw a charging station was finally available at my work, that sealed the deal for me.”

Manufacturers with eligible vehicles include: Chevrolet, Coda, Ford, Honda, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Smart, Tesla, and Toyota.  A complete list of eligible vehicles can be found at the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (https://energycenter.org/index.php/incentive-programs/clean-vehicle-rebate-project/cvrp-eligible-vehicles)

ARB’s clean car rebate program was established under AB 118 (Nunez, 2007) with funding from smog abatement, vehicle, and vessel registration fees.  The top California rebate amount is $2,500. To qualify an individual must purchase or lease a new vehicle, register it with the California Department of Motor Vehicles, and own it for a minimum of 36 months.  California’s rebate can be matched with a $7,500 federal tax credit as well.
 
For additional information visit:
- Rebate Program (http://energycenter.org/index.php/incentive-programs/clean-vehicle-rebate-project)
- ARB Advanced Clean Cars Regulation (https://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/consumer_info/advanced_clean_cars/consumer_acc.htm)
- Governor Brown’s Executive Order (http://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=17472)
- Governor’s Office Summit on Zero Emission Vehicles (http://www.opr.ca.gov/s_zevactionplan.php)