Energy rebates: Santa Barbara opens applications for $1,000 direct payment for EV rebate

Santa Barbara, California, is encouraging residents to transition to cleaner modes of transportation by offering $1,000 through an electric vehicle rebate program.

The city is offering an EV rebate of $1,000 for city residents who are enrolled as Santa Barbara Clean Energy customers. Those who are enrolled in other income-qualified programs are eligible for a $2,000 rebate.

HOME ECONOMICS: HIGH HOUSING COSTS MAY HAUNT BIDEN ON THE 2024 CAMPAIGN TRAIL

“This new incentive through Santa Barbara Clean Energy will help reduce the costs of purchasing or leasing electric vehicles and move towards the City’s goals of electrification and carbon neutrality,” Alelia Parenteau, the city’s sustainability and resilience director and the director of Santa Barbara Clean Energy, said in a press release.

“By coupling this incentive with the federal tax credit of up to $7,500, getting an EV has become a great deal.”

The rebate only applies to EVs with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price under $80,000. To learn more about applying for the rebate, interested customers can go online to SBCleanEnergy.com or call (805) 538-1810. After submitting an application along with a proof of purchase, customers will see their rebate within 45 days.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Santa Barbara Clean Energy, the city’s locally controlled electricity provider, was launched in 2021 as a carbon-free energy program for local residents. The program helps switch customers to carbon-free electricity in order to reach its energy goals of having 100% renewable electricity in the community by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2035.

California has targets for reducing emissions that get progressively more ambitious for 2030, 2035, and 2040 — the state recently raised its goal for greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. The California Air Resources Board mandated last year that all new cars and light trucks sold in the state must be electric by 2035.