[PHASED-OUT]: Tracking the $5k California CVRP Fund

[dlich18]

Well the wait list has now started. Looks like all general money has been exhausted

I see that a wait list has been started (https://energycenter.org/index.php/incentive-programs/clean-vehicle-rebate-project/cvrp-program-status), but the CVRP site also shows that as of today there are $1,298,929 remaining. Not sure how they can both be true.

 

[thankyouOB]

I reserved my Leaf on the first day you could in April 2010. I have been subject to all the delays and line jumping. As a result, I will not get the $5k CVRP rebate as my car will be delivered the week on June 28th and I will not be able to get the EV Project Blink installed due to the second meter requirement which will cost me a fortune as I have underground utilities. It's looking like this was just not meant to be as my out of pocket cost has jumped quite a bit. Too bad.

I read with some sadness the word the rebate funds actually running out and the shift to a lower rebate, even for those who tried to order at the earliest possible date in the process.
sorry to hear what happened to you. it is a raw deal.

but you should also know, that there was no line jumping, just people like me who were luckier than others.

 

[Devin]

I would be discussing this with Brian or Brendan at Nissan USA before your vehicle arrives if I were still in this situation.

Maybe I'm missing something but has anyone had any luck with getting some consideration from Nissan in this situation? I ordered in late October due to a Nissan online panel malfunction (would have been able to order end of September if it weren't for that, probably August had my inital reservation not been subject to the "American Express problem"). CS always told me on chat and on the phone that it wouldn't affect my place in line. Then I had an April delivery but the earthquake happened and I suspect my car was one of the destroyed ones as my estimate shifted to June. This week it has bounced between week of June 23 and 27, which would be a week or two from now.

Obviously this is incredibly frustrating as through a series of unfortunate events I will not be eligible for the CVRP. To quote Maxwell Smart, I missed it by *that* much. It seems like Nissan should have some sort of insurance to cover themselves and make it right for the customers who were counting on the CVRP but whose orders fell behind other later orders.

I don't blame people who got their cars before me, that's just good luck, but I do blame Nissan for not making it right given that this is ultimately their screw up and they had assured me (and others) so many times throughout the process that our places in line would be preserved.

All that aside, if I go through with the purchase and take delivery of my Leaf - is it fairly assured that I'll be eligible for the lower $2500 rebate whenever the additional funding becomes available? Does anyone know the likelyhood of that actually happening given our states fiscal issues?

I hope I'm not bringing up issues that have been discussed prior in this thread but 51 pages is a lot to sort through!

 

[Center4Energy]

I would be discussing this with Brian or Brendan at Nissan USA before your vehicle arrives if I were still in this situation.

Maybe I'm missing something but has anyone had any luck with getting some consideration from Nissan in this situation? I ordered in late October due to a Nissan online panel malfunction (would have been able to order end of September if it weren't for that, probably August had my inital reservation not been subject to the "American Express problem"). CS always told me on chat and on the phone that it wouldn't affect my place in line. Then I had an April delivery but the earthquake happened and I suspect my car was one of the destroyed ones as my estimate shifted to June. This week it has bounced between week of June 23 and 27, which would be a week or two from now.

Obviously this is incredibly frustrating as through a series of unfortunate events I will not be eligible for the CVRP. To quote Maxwell Smart, I missed it by *that* much. It seems like Nissan should have some sort of insurance to cover themselves and make it right for the customers who were counting on the CVRP but whose orders fell behind other later orders.

I don't blame people who got their cars before me, that's just good luck, but I do blame Nissan for not making it right given that this is ultimately their screw up and they had assured me (and others) so many times throughout the process that our places in line would be preserved.

All that aside, if I go through with the purchase and take delivery of my Leaf - is it fairly assured that I'll be eligible for the lower $2500 rebate whenever the additional funding becomes available? Does anyone know the likelyhood of that actually happening given our states fiscal issues?

I hope I'm not bringing up issues that have been discussed prior in this thread but 51 pages is a lot to sort through!

Devin,

We can assure you that when you apply for a rebate and are entered into the waiting list, you will be eligible for the reduced rebate amount at $2,500. The funding for the CVRP comes from legislation that was signed into law in 2007. It would be very difficult and therefore highly unlikely for this funding to be cut off, even considering the financial situation of the state.

That being said, the disbursement of the CVRP funding is dependent on the state budget passing. Meaning, the Air Resources Board will not be able to spend any money until the budget has been completed. While we hope that the program will be refunded in September, it could be delayed due to the budget. If it is delayed, we will still be processing rebates and entering individuals information into the waiting list.

Please, feel free to post any questions or need for clarification on this thread or by emailing me directly.

Best,

David Almeida
Program Manager, Clean Vehicle Rebate Project

California Center for Sustainable Energy
8690 Balboa Ave., Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92123-1502
858.244.1190 phone
858.244.1178 fax
http://www.energycenter.org web

 

[Devin]

Thanks for the clarification, David. That definitely helps!

Now I guess I should try contacting some people at Nissan to see if they'll make up the difference. I suspect I'll need a lot of luck on that.

 

[Boomer23]

Well the wait list has now started. Looks like all general money has been exhausted

I see that a wait list has been started (https://energycenter.org/index.php/incentive-programs/clean-vehicle-rebate-project/cvrp-program-status), but the CVRP site also shows that as of today there are $1,298,929 remaining. Not sure how they can both be true.

Yes, David (Center4Energy), can you please explain? Why is there now a wait list while there are over $1.2 million in remaining unreserved funds?

 

[smkettner]

Because the general money is exhausted. The last 2m had special requirements that include Leaf. The wait list balance you see is surely the vehicles that do not qualify... such as required to seat four occupants would exclude the motorcycles. I trust all Leaf applications will be processed for payment until the remaining balance is less than $5k.

 

[Boomer23]

Because the general money is exhausted. The last 2m had special requirements that include Leaf. The wait list balance you see is surely the vehicles that do not qualify... such as required to seat four occupants would exclude the motorcycles. I trust all Leaf applications will be processed for payment until the remaining balance is less than $5k.

Ahhhh.... So people on this thread, like Devin and Lisadmn, who think that they are now SOL need to realize that there is still money for $5k LEAF rebates until the available funds amount equals zero, right? That means that there is funding for over 250 more LEAF rebates at $5k, perhaps 8 to 10 more days.

 

[Center4Energy]

Because the general money is exhausted. The last 2m had special requirements that include Leaf. The wait list balance you see is surely the vehicles that do not qualify... such as required to seat four occupants would exclude the motorcycles. I trust all Leaf applications will be processed for payment until the remaining balance is less than $5k.

Ahhhh.... So people on this thread, like Devin and Lisadmn, who think that they are now SOL need to realize that there is still money for $5k LEAF rebates until the available funds amount equals zero, right? That means that there is funding for over 250 more LEAF rebates at $5k, perhaps 8 to 10 more days.

Thanks smKettner,

You are indeed right. The remaining funds are from the California Energy Commission (CEC). The funding provided by the CEC will only be open to light-duty zero emission vehicles capable of freeway operation and certified for four or more passengers. Thus the money in the waitlist category is showing vehicles that are eligible for the CVRP but not for the additional funds provided by the CEC.

Let me know if you need further clarification.

-D

 

[surfingslovak]

Thank you for clarifying that, David. I have just submitted the application for my Leaf and received the following response from Kyle at the Center for Sustainable Energy. Leaf EV rebate applications are definitely being processed and approved as of this writing.

Thank you for your application for a rebate from the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.

I am pleased to inform you that upon initial review of your application we have reserved a rebate amount of $5,000.00 for the vehicle listed below:

Vehicle Model: Nissan Leaf, SV,
Vehicle Year: 2011

 

[thankyouOB]

100 times 2500 = 250,000

wouldnt that cover all the CA left behinds?
what is Nissan thinking?

 

[garygid]

My guess is that there are far more than 100 CA delayed-deliveries from 2010 orders.

If you want an SV model and an available color, and "squeak" today, you might still be able to get a dealer demo quickly enough to get the CA $5k?

 

[thankyouOB]

so make it 200 missed orders in CA x 2500 = 500k
There cant be too many more than that?

still--lint in Nissan's pocket.

 

[davewill]

so make it 200 missed orders in CA x 2500 = 500k
There cant be too many more than that?

still--lint in Nissan's pocket.

Oh. You were SERIOUS?!?!!??? I thought you were being sarcastic. The chance that Nissan is going to drop half a mil on this is absolutely zero.

 

[thankyouOB]

so make it 200 missed orders in CA x 2500 = 500k
There cant be too many more than that?

still--lint in Nissan's pocket.

Oh. You were SERIOUS?!?!!??? I thought you were being sarcastic. The chance that Nissan is going to drop half a mil on this is absolutely zero.

I dont actually think so. they have a PR problem that they could cure with less money than they spend on ONE network ad.

 

[gbshaun]

so make it 200 missed orders in CA x 2500 = 500k
There cant be too many more than that?

still--lint in Nissan's pocket.

Oh. You were SERIOUS?!?!!??? I thought you were being sarcastic. The chance that Nissan is going to drop half a mil on this is absolutely zero.

I don't actually think so. they have a PR problem that they could cure with less money than they spend on ONE network ad.

There was already the bad Bloomberg article about the ordering process snafu, and that's now been echoed on automobilemag.com. No doubt the story will be picked up upon elsewhere. i don't know what it's worth to them to "do the right thing" and avoid further negative publicity. My view of Nissan USA (not my local dealer) has gone downhill tremendously since this process began to the point where i expect this will be my first and last Nissan. If I heard they had taken responsibility for bumping those 200 out of the rebate pool I'd be FAR more forgiving and probably prepared to take my chances with them again.

 

[Devin]

Yikes. Given that the rebate went from 1.51m remaining on Monday to only 816k remaining today I think the chances of getting the rebate are slim to nil. My dashboard is now saying June 27th. It was saying June 23rd but even that would be too late.

I emailed Brendan Jones at Nissan USA per prior suggestion but haven't had any response. I doubt I will.

The car would have to show up at Fontana today or early tomorrow for me to have a hope of getting the rebate.

Disappointing.

 

[smkettner]

Looks like some checks ran today. I hope I am in there but there is always next week.

 

[gbshaun]

Yikes. Given that the rebate went from 1.51m remaining on Monday to only 816k remaining today I think the chances of getting the rebate are slim to nil. My dashboard is now saying June 27th. It was saying June 23rd but even that would be too late.

I emailed Brendan Jones at Nissan USA per prior suggestion but haven't had any response. I doubt I will.

The car would have to show up at Fontana today or early tomorrow for me to have a hope of getting the rebate.

Disappointing.

My date went from June 17th, to 24th, and then to 27th... on the day it was on a trailer to my dealer. Others have had the same experience. See if CS can tell you whether your dealer has been invoiced. That seems to be a clue its delivery is imminent.


I just posted this on the June Delivery board:

I've been tracking it pretty closely. Sorry i don't know how to upload my spreadsheet. Anyhow the situation right now is that there are 114 full rebates available. The number of claims per day has picked up over the past 2 weeks from 20-25-30, but in the past few days it's jumped to around 50.
My prediction is that someone on 18th, possibly 19th, will reserve the last full $5k, and the next person will get a check for the remaining $4929.
Most deliveries that day will not be to MNL'ers or folks who are aware of the process, and it might be worth filling out the online form first thing that morning if you think there's even a chance it'll arrive that day.

Davewill followed up with a good point "I'd do that even if you think they're gone. It wouldn't surprise me to have the first few people on the wait list end up getting the full rebate because some get rejected later for applying too soon."

Good Luck.

 

[Center4Energy]

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to send you all a note confirming that we have started the waiting list for CVRP rebates. We officially started the list this weekend. I am hesitant to give you all a exact time/date as it will shift slightly as we finish auditing the applicants we received over the weekend. That being said I thought I would give you an update about the waiting list and some future milestones coming up.

Waiting List
As the website has shown, we have run through our funding for FY 2010-2011. However, we are still accepting applications and following through with each step of the application process, with the exception of mailing out a check. So please do not wait to apply for your rebate. The more work we can do on the front end of this process, the faster we can get rebate checks out when FY 2011-2012 funding is allocated.

FY 2011-2012 Funding for CVRP
As I have mentioned in earlier posts, the Air Resources Board (ARB), the main funding agency for the CVRP has proposed a significant increase in funding for the CVRP in FY 2011-2012 to $15 million. This funding level along with the reduced rebate amounts (see below) will become official after the Board approves the Draft Funding Plan at their July 21 meeting.
If you want to read this plan, follow this link http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/aqip/fundplan/proposed_aqip_fy2011_funding_plan.pdf.
You can also check out the meeting notice by clicking on this link, http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/nonreg/ab118aqip2011.pdf.

While I can't say for certain when FY 2011-2012 funding will be allocated, I can shed some light on the process which will hopefully give you an idea of how long this will be. After the Draft Funding Plan is finalized, ARB must wait until the state budget has been approved. As a state agency, ARB is not able to spend any money until this has been finalized. Once approved, ARB will then open up a competitive bidding process to organizations interested in administering the CVRP (i.e. CCSE), score the applications and award the grant to a successful organization. This process usually takes about a month and I would add a few weeks to process the paperwork and transfer funding from ARB to the administrating organization.

Rebate Amounts
As many of you have already heard, rebate amounts will be reduced when FY 2011-2012 funding is added. Again, the actual rebate amounts will be published once the Draft Funding Plan (see above) is finalized. That being said, the rebate amounts below are the proposed levels and will most likely be adopted after the July 21 meeting.

Rebate Amounts by Vehicle
Light-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicle

Type II, III, IV, or V (e.g. Nissan LEAF) $2,500

Type I.5 (e.g. Azure Transit Connect) $2,000

Type I (range = or >50, <75 miles) $1,500

Light-Duty Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (e.g. Plug-in Prius) $1,500

Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (e.g. GEM) $900
Note: This is the maximum rebate amount, the actual rebate amount may vary depending on the MSRP.

Zero-Emission Motorcycles (e.g. Brammo) $900


As always, if you have any questions or need further clarification please reach out to us.

David Almeida
[email protected]
858.244.1190