Fully Electric Audi e-tron on the Stand In LA. EVs, the new state bird flying on taxpayer money?
California is facing a budget crunch because consumers are applying for clean-vehicle rebates at a record pace as demand soared during the past year. Taxpayer subsidized electric vehicle rebates in California were 50% higher in 2018 than 2017.
Electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars are now 7.8% of all new car sales in California, and some areas such as Sacramento and San Luis Obispo counties, nearly doubled their EV rebates this past year. Known as the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP), its potential impact on funding is now a matter of discussion among officials.
“As a result of this success, we are working with stakeholders on adjustments to the program. Our goal is to keep the sales momentum up and demonstrate an ongoing commitment to continue the exciting increase in the number of EVs on our roads and highways,” said California Air Resources Board Executive Officer Richard Corey.
The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project is one of several California Air Resources Board incentive programs designed to reduce air pollution and protect public health. CVRP promotes clean-vehicle adoption by offering rebates for the purchase or lease of new, eligible zero-emission vehicles. Since the program began in March 2010, the Center for Sustainable Energy, which administers the CARB program, has issued more than 277,000 rebates totaling $620 million for plug-in, electric and hydrogen fuel cell cars, and motorcycles.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Record Electric Car Sales in California. Taxpayers on the Hook
Fully Electric Audi e-tron on the Stand In LA. EVs, the new state bird flying on taxpayer money?
California is facing a budget crunch because consumers are applying for clean-vehicle rebates at a record pace as demand soared during the past year. Taxpayer subsidized electric vehicle rebates in California were 50% higher in 2018 than 2017.
Electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars are now 7.8% of all new car sales in California, and some areas such as Sacramento and San Luis Obispo counties, nearly doubled their EV rebates this past year. Known as the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP), its potential impact on funding is now a matter of discussion among officials.
“As a result of this success, we are working with stakeholders on adjustments to the program. Our goal is to keep the sales momentum up and demonstrate an ongoing commitment to continue the exciting increase in the number of EVs on our roads and highways,” said California Air Resources Board Executive Officer Richard Corey.
The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project is one of several California Air Resources Board incentive programs designed to reduce air pollution and protect public health. CVRP promotes clean-vehicle adoption by offering rebates for the purchase or lease of new, eligible zero-emission vehicles. Since the program began in March 2010, the Center for Sustainable Energy, which administers the CARB program, has issued more than 277,000 rebates totaling $620 million for plug-in, electric and hydrogen fuel cell cars, and motorcycles.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.