California is investing\u00a0roughly $600 million\u00a0to make\u00a0clean\u00a0transportation more affordable,\u00a0practical\u00a0and accessible through instant EV rebates, charging infrastructure and\u00a0programs that help more Californians drive electric.\u00a0The new\u00a0MyFirstEV\u00a0program gives eligible first-time buyers up to $3,500 off a new EV or $1,750 off a used EV at the dealership, with 13 major automakers matching state funding to double the impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
California just\u00a0took another major step<\/a>\u00a0toward cleaner air, healthier\u00a0communities\u00a0and more affordable transportation.\u00a0Governor Newsom recently\u00a0signed a state budget<\/a>\u00a0that invests\u00a0roughly $600\u00a0million\u00a0in\u00a0cleaning up local air\u00a0pollution\u00a0\u2013 especially\u00a0from\u00a0transportation.\u00a0The package includes a first-of-its-kind instant rebate program for first-time electric vehicle buyers, continued investments in charging infrastructure and funding that will help keep California\u2019s transition to pollution-free transportation moving forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n At a time when federal vehicle climate protections have been rolled back and California\u2019s clean air authority faces ongoing\u00a0unlawful\u00a0attacks, this budget\u00a0shows\u00a0that states can continue leading the way by\u00a0partnering\u00a0with\u00a0automakers\u00a0to deliver practical\u00a0solutions\u00a0that\u00a0save families money, reduce pollution and strengthen the economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n What\u2019s\u00a0in\u00a0the budget?\u00a0<\/p>\n The biggest win is\u00a0MyFirstEV<\/a>, a new instant rebate program that makes buying an electric vehicle easier and more affordable. Eligible\u00a0first-time\u00a0buyers\u00a0can receive $3,500 off a new electric vehicle or $1,750 off a used electric vehicle right at the dealership. Instead of waiting months for a tax credit, buyers receive the discount\u00a0immediately\u00a0when they\u00a0purchase\u00a0or lease an eligible vehicle.\u00a0<\/p>\n The program also makes public dollars go further. Participating automakers will match the state\u2019s investment dollar for\u00a0dollar, effectively doubling available rebate funding. Thirteen major automakers have already committed to\u00a0participating\u00a0\u2013 including Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lucid, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Rivian, Subaru, Tesla,\u00a0Toyota\u00a0and Volvo \u2013 demonstrating\u00a0broad support for helping more Californians drive electric.\u00a0Earlier this year, EDF joined automakers, public health\u00a0organizations\u00a0and clean transportation advocates in\u00a0urging lawmakers<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0establish\u00a0this innovative public-private partnership.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The budget also\u00a0continues investing in<\/a>\u00a0charging infrastructure and advancing other clean transportation priorities that make owning an electric vehicle practical and convenient. Together, these actions help address two of the biggest barriers to EV adoption: affordability and access to reliable charging.\u00a0While this budget marks\u00a0significant progress, EDF will continue\u00a0advocating for\u00a0sustained investments in light-duty vehicles, heavy-duty trucks, charging\u00a0infrastructure\u00a0and programs that expand access to cleaner transportation for lower-income Californians.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Why these investments matter\u00a0<\/p>\n Transportation is California\u2019s\u00a0largest source<\/a>\u00a0of climate pollution and one of the biggest contributors to unhealthy air. Replacing gasoline-powered vehicles with electric vehicles reduces the tailpipe pollution that contributes to asthma, heart\u00a0disease\u00a0and other serious health problems, especially in communities\u00a0located\u00a0near ports,\u00a0warehouses\u00a0and major truck routes where exposure is highest.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n These investments also help families save money. California EV owners can save\u00a0up to $1,500 every year<\/a>\u00a0on fuel and maintenance compared to gasoline-powered vehicles. Instant rebates make those long-term savings available to more households by reducing the upfront cost of buying an EV.\u00a0As more vehicles become electric and charging becomes smarter,\u00a0reliance on\u00a0the\u00a0volatile\u00a0cost\u00a0of\u00a0fossil fuels\u00a0declines.\u00a0Growing\u00a0EV\u00a0adoption\u00a0can also\u00a0improve grid efficiency\u00a0and\u00a0help lower electricity system costs\u00a0<\/a>over time.\u00a0<\/p>\n California\u2019s clean transportation leadership is also creating economic\u00a0opportunity. The state\u2019s policies have already attracted\u00a0more than\u00a0$10 billion<\/a>\u00a0in private investment while supporting\u00a0more than 250,000\u00a0jobs<\/a>\u00a0across manufacturing, construction,\u00a0utilities\u00a0and technology. Continued investment gives businesses the confidence to keep building,\u00a0hiring\u00a0and innovating in California.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Looking ahead\u00a0<\/p>\n This\u00a0new EV incentive program\u00a0demonstrates\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0possible when elected leaders invest in practical solutions that lower costs, reduce\u00a0pollution\u00a0and improve people\u2019s lives. Now\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0time to build on that momentum.\u00a0EDF will continue advancing policies that make\u00a0the\u00a0electric\u00a0grid\u00a0more affordable,\u00a0reliable\u00a0and resilient, including\u00a0fully funding\u00a0the\u00a0California\u00a0Energy Commission\u2019s Demand Side Grid Support<\/a>\u00a0program\u00a0that pays Californians to help stabilize the grid during periods of high demand while reducing costs and reliance on highly polluting fossil fuel peaker plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California is investing\u00a0roughly $600 million\u00a0to make\u00a0clean\u00a0transportation more affordable,\u00a0practical\u00a0and accessible through instant EV rebates, charging infrastructure and\u00a0programs that help…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406774,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":["post-406773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/406774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}