By Alex Baumhardt/ Oregon Capitol Chronicle
Oregonians planning to buy or lease an electric vehicle before Nov. 4 can get thousands of dollars from the state to help pay for it.
Officials at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on Tuesday reopened the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, which offers rebates of $1,500 to $7,500 on the purchase or lease of an eligible electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, depending on income. Motorcyclists through the program can get up to $375 back on the purchase of an electric motorcycle.
The 8-year-old program is meant to accelerate Oregonians’ adoption of low- and zero-emission vehicles to help curb fossil fuel pollution contributing to climate change. Transportation is the single largest source of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon and across the U.S., according to DEQ and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Residents, business owners, nonprofits and government agencies can take advantage of the rebates until Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Any vehicles purchased or leased before Aug. 25 or after Nov. 4 are not eligible.
Applicants have six months from the date of purchase or lease to apply for a rebate, and are encouraged to apply early because the state’s limited funds for the program — currently about $8.5 million — are often depleted quickly. It’s funded through Oregon’s vehicle privilege tax of one-half of 1% on the sale of all taxable vehicles.
About one-third of the funding is reserved specifically for rebates available only to low- and moderate-income applicants.
If approved applications are submitted after funds are depleted, those applicants will be put on a waiting list for payment in early spring 2027, according to a DEQ news release. Rebates this year will be smaller so the application period can last longer and funds can reach more people under new rules state regulators adopted earlier this year.
Under the Clean Fuels Program, the Standard Rebate provides up to $2,000 back on the purchase or lease of a new fully electric vehicle and $1,500 back on a new plug-in electric hybrid. Zero-emission motorcycles will get a $375 rebate. Each of these purchases and leases would have received a $2,500 rebate last year.
The program’s Charge Ahead Rebate, which provides more money back for Oregonians with moderate or lower incomes, as well as nonprofits, provides up to $4,000 for the purchase of a used electric vehicle and up to $7,500 for the purchase of a new one. The program also provides up to $2,500 for the purchase of a used plug-in hybrid and up to $5,000 for the purchase of a new plug-in hybrid. The rebate for a used electric vehicle cannot exceed 30% of the vehicle price, and for a used plug-in the rebate cannot exceed the price of the vehicle.
The Charge Ahead Rebate is only eligible for those with a single household income of about $63,800 or less, a two-person household with income of about $86,500 or less, or a four-person household with combined income of $132,000 or less. Applicants can prequalify online to receive a voucher that can be used at participating dealerships. [Infobox: More details on zero and low-emission vehicle rebates offered by other state agencies and public electric utilities can be found on the Go Electric Oregon website.]
Under 2019 targets set by the Oregon Legislature, by 2030 zero-emission vehicles must make up 25% of registered vehicles in Oregon, and at least half of the new vehicles sold. Zero-emission vehicles should make up 90% of new car sales in Oregon each year by 2035 under the targets.
About 7% of vehicles registered in Oregon today are zero-emission vehicles, according to Oregon Department of Transportation data.
Since 2018, more than 42,500 rebates have been issued totaling nearly $140 million, according to DEQ data. Of them, 89% of rebates were for purchases of new cars, and 11% were for purchases of used ones.
More than 50% of rebate recipients reported household income of $100,000 or more, according to DEQ survey data that included responses from about 15,000 people. More than 50% of respondents said they would not have purchased a zero- or low-emission vehicle without the rebate.
This story originally appeared in Oregon Capital Chronicle: State rebates on electric vehicle purchases, leases opens again