The province has announced lower rebates from those purchasing clean energy vehicles starting Saturday.
The CEV for B.C. program used to offer up to $5,000 for EV’s with an MSRP under $77,000.
The rebate is now down to $3,000 for for battery, fuel-cell and longer-range plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. For shorter-range plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, $1,500 will be made available.
Both will only be available for cars with an MSRP up to $55,000.
The province says the federal government’s $5,000 rebate put in place back in May has resulted in unprecedented EV sales across B.C.
They say the changes are to meet ongoing demand, and to ensure the program supports the most affordable vehicles.
“With federal and provincial rebates now in place, switching to an electric vehicle is more affordable than ever,” said Michelle Mungall, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources in a statement.
“The changes we are making today will ensure it remains accessible and supports even more British Columbians in getting their first clean energy vehicle.”
Vehicles that were purchased or reserved prior to Saturday will be covered by the prior program incentives and rules.
The program was allocated $42.5 million in the 2019 budget. So far $15 million has been released.
The changes came as the province released another $26.5 million for the initiative.
At the start of the month, the reserve for the program was dropping by more than $150,000 every day.
More details on the program can be found here
B.C.’s Scrapit program still offers up to $6,000 for scrapping an older vehicle for a brand new EV — along with other options.
With files from the CBC
CHEK News
