New York’s Drive Clean Rebate gives residents of the state up to a $2,000 break when purchasing a new electric car or plug-in hybrid from a participating car dealership. It went into effect on March 21, 2017, and since then, from April to June, EV and plug-in hybrid car sales are up 74 percent over the same time period last year according to InsideEVs.
New York’s favorite green car since the new incentive went into effect is the Toyota Prius Prime with more than 40 percent of the rebates processed for that car. The Chevy Bolt claimed 12 percent while the Chevy Volt and Ford Fusion Energi counted for 10 percent each. The most receptive part of New York to the Drive Clean Rebate is Long Island, with 33 percent of applicants hailing from that region.
The Drive Clean Rebate is part of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New York by 40 percent by 2030. The state government is also contributing to this goal with a plan to almost double the number of public charging stations in New York from 1,700 to 3,000 in 2018. Those extra charging stations planned will be good for the many New Yorkers who are quickly adopting plug-in vehicles.
This successful incentive is further evidence that high costs are one of the biggest factors in the slow adoption of electrified cars. Electric and plug-in hybrids are the fastest-selling cars on the used market with drivers more willing to buy them after they’ve taken a depreciation hit. If you’re wondering when alternative-fuel cars will really take off, wait until the costs before incentives come down to truly be equal or lower than conventional internal-combustion engine counterparts.