Clean Energy Vehicle Rebates Are Back!
As of April 1, 2015, rebates of up to $5,000 will be available for the purchase or lease of new battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and up to $6,000 for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
The Province has invested $10.6 million in Phase 2 of the Clean Energy Vehicle (CEV) program to make electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles more affordable for British Columbians and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Funding for the CEV program is over the next three years and includes:
- $7.5 million for point-of-sale incentives for electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. (See www.cevforbc.ca)
- $1.59 million for investments in charging infrastructure and hydrogen fuelling infrastructure.*
- $1 million to assist fleets in adopting CEVs.*
- $500,000 for research, training, and public outreach on clean energy transportation technology.*
*Program details for these investments are still under design. Investments in infrastructure will be based on the results of a charging infrastructure gap analysis, to commence immediately, that will identify where there are critical gaps and where provincial investments can have the most impact. Details of the programs will be available by this fall, and Plug In BC will share information as it becomes available. There will not be incentives for residential charging stations for single-family homes.
The first phase of the CEV program ran from 2011 to 2014 and helped stimulate the purchase of 950 electric vehicles, development of over 1,000 charging stations, and resulted in 55,900 tonnes of direct emissions reductions – equivalent to taking approximately 1,000 vehicles off the road.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines will administer and implement the CEV program through partnerships with the New Car Dealers Association of British Columbia, the Fraser Basin Council, and the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association.
Click here to read the program announcement from the Province.