Texas Makes It Better to Buy Electric Cars
Photo: byronv2
When it comes to green technology, I keep getting surprised by Texas. One big surprise for me was that it generates more wind energy than any other state in the union. And now, another surprise has come in the form of a new state bill that is going to make it much nicer to buy electric vehicles.
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Texas has passed an electric vehicle rebate, to apply to vehicles during 2018 and 2019, adding $2,500 on top of the $7,500 federal tax incentives. That effectively reduces the cost of an electric vehicle by a full $10,000.
This is actually a reinstating of a previously implemented rebate, which Texas put up with the Texas Emissions Reduction Program during the 2013 legislative session (the state’s legislature only meets every other year), but it was discontinued in 2015.
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Of course, the program isn’t without its restrictions. The rebate is only offered through the state’s franchised car dealers—a very powerful group in the state. So that means that Tesla, which doesn’t use dealerships, is completely shut out (although, of course, Teslas aren’t allowed to be delivered in-state anyway, despite the brand’s five service centers in Texas).
However, the increased incentives are sure to at least make other automakers like Nissan and Chevrolet happy. That would bring the price of the Chevrolet Volt, which currently starts at an MSRP of $33,170, down into the low-$20,000 range, or about the price of the Chevy Malibu.
News Source: Green Car Reports
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