California offers $3,500 EV rebate for first-time buyers, and Hyundai, Rivian opt in

California offers $3,500 EV rebate for first-time buyers, and Hyundai, Rivian opt in

Hyundai and Rivian are both opting into California's instant rebate of up to $3,500 for people buying their first electric vehicle. As USA Today detailed, the duo's moves offer a measure of help after federal EV tax credits disappeared.  What's happening? California's new MyFirstEV program is for residents purchasing their first EV, as the Governor's office described in a statement. Under the plan, eligible new EV buyers could get $3,500 off, wh…

Are California’s new EV purchase incentives better-designed than the federal tax credits they replace?

As the federal government pursues its quest to take the US auto industry back to the 20th century, California is moving ahead with various pro-electrification policies. Governor Newsom has signed a new law (SB 168) that establishes EV purchase incentives that are in some ways superior to the incentives that the federal government killed last year. California’s MyFirstEV program, which is to begin “later this summer,” provides a discount of $3,50…