A lawmaker from California is on a journey to find out what it would take for California drivers to buy electric cars. Phil Ting is an Assemblyman from San Francisco who is proposing a bill to increase electric car rebates. This would bump up state-funded electric cares to as much as $7,500, which is a huge jump for the top rebate sitting at $2,500. As time goes on, Ting’s proposed bill would reduce the value of the rebates. As a result, car buyers would be encouraged and prompted to switch to buying electric vehicles. Ting shared his input with the Detroit News that “there is no real incentive to buy or lease a zero-emission vehicle right now if consumers know the rebate level will be the same year after year.”
According to Ting, former Governor Jerry Brown set a goal last year to put 5 million zero emission vehicles on California roads, by 2030. Ting is trying to accomplish just that. Statistics show that there are about 600,000 electrical vehicles used in the state of California. The prices for these cars are set at a higher cost than gas-powered vehicles, thus the lack of sales of the zero emission vehicles.
California’s existing rebate program has previously placed car buyers on a waiting list, which adds to the consumer’s hesitancy in going forward with the zero emission vehicles. The budget this year has a proposal for the program, but it turned out to be $170 less than the state estimates that the cost will be. Phil Ting’s bill requires that the California Air Resources Board would seek out funding for rebates that would be constant and continuous, so the consumers could trust in it fully. Opponents of this bill include car makers, the Chamber of Commerce, and gas companies. Despite their opposition, the bill was cleared and will continue to forward for now.
The only known electric car maker right now, that is on board, is Tesla. Toyota, Ford, and BMW are all apart of a group called Auto Alliance. Although they are all in the process of creating zero emission, electric cars, they also all are opposing this new bill, and they made a statement as to why. Their lobbyist stated at a meeting that they’d like to work alongside the state in an effort to help lower the price of the electric cars, so low-income families can then afford them.
If this bill is in fact wanting to pursue Jerry Brown’s bill, it will come with a very big price tag. The goal is to get 5 million zero emission cars on the road in the next decade. It is estimated to cost at the minimum $16 billion, if the rebates are then used to buy 4.4 million new, electric cars. Ting is hoping for better luck with this bill. His last was turned down as he tried to ban the sale of gas powered cars by 2040.
The Trump administration announced in March that they wanted to end the federal tax credits that come with electric car buying, claiming it would save $2.5 billion per year.
Electric, zero emission cars and gas-powered cars are both susceptible to get into car accidents. In the inland empire, drivers are stuck in traffic constantly due to many drivers being on the road, and construction zones being prevalent in road worn areas. If you need a reliable, hard working Fontana Car Accident Attorney, Banner Attorneys is the best choice for you. Call (909) 681-1622 to request your free consultation today, and get the justice that you and your loved ones deserve.