. . . Researchers Dana Rubin and Evelyne St-Louis, two recent graduates of the University of California, Berkeley’s master’s program in city and regional planning, analyzed 98,901 rebates issued to Californians buying or leasing low-emission vehicles from the inception of the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project in 2010 through March 2015. . . .
Rubin and St-Louis say that considering the high costs of fuel-efficient electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and fuel cell vehicles, whose sticker prices start at around $20,000, it was not surprising to find that 83% of rebate recipients in the period studied reported yearly incomes of more than $100,000. . . .
As of 1 November 2016, CVRP began instituting changes in its income requirements and rebate levels. Rebates for all types of eligible light-duty passenger vehicles increased by $500 for a total of $2,000 more for each rebate, for a range of $3,500 to $7,000. To qualify for the increased rebates, applicants must have household incomes not more than 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
Residents will not be eligible for rebates if their gross annual income exceeds $150,000 for single tax filers, $204,000 for head of household filers and $300,000 for joint filers. However, the limits do not apply to fuel cell electric vehicles, which represent less than 1% of rebate applications.
St-Louis and Rubin say the adjustments are a first step to rectify the program’s imbalance in terms of income, race and ethnicity. . . .[/list]
