Oregon Legislature Approves Electric Vehicle Rebate

Oregon Legislature Approves Electric Vehicle Rebate

July 11, 2017

By: Jeanette Shaw, Director of Government Relations

Three years of hard work by Forth and our allies has paid off. The Oregon House and Senate have voted to approve a $5.3 billion transportation funding package that includes point of purchase rebates for electric vehicles in Oregon.

Governor Kate Brown, who has been a leader in advocating for transportation funding and a strong supporter of the rebate program, is expected to sign the legislation within the next few days.

House Bill 2017

The bill generates $12 million each year for six years to fund rebates for the purchase or lease of a new electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid vehicle with a base MSRP of $50,000 or less. Rebates will be $2,500 for vehicles with a battery capacity of 10 kWh or more and $1,500 for vehicles with a battery capacity of less than 10 kWh. The rebate program is expected to go into effect in a few months. Starting in 2019, rebates are also authorized for electric motorcycles and neighborhood electric vehicles.

The legislation also creates a dedicated “Charge Ahead” fund that will offer additional rebates of up to $2,500 for low- and moderate-income drivers who scrap a car that is at least 20 years old and replace it with a new or used electric vehicle. These “Charge Ahead” rebates can be combined with the standard rebates to offer up to $5,000 towards the price of a new electric vehicle.

HB 2017 also includes additional registration and title fees of approximately $110 for electric vehicles, but we were successful in having these fees delayed until 2020 and phased in as electric vehicles become more prevalent. The overall package also includes over $100 million per year in additional statewide transit funding, significant commitments to pedestrian and cycling projects, and stronger support for congestion pricing.

Forth would like to thank all of our partners who have worked to advocate for this important new incentive. We look forward to continuing to work to support this program as it is implemented to ensure it effectively accelerates electric vehicle sales.

Webinar: Oregon's Electric Vehicle Rebate

Forth is hosting a webinar to walk through the specifics of the purchase rebates on Friday, July 28, at 10:00am. Learn more and RSVP here!

Please contact Jeanette Shaw, Director of Government Relations, if you have any specific questions regarding the legislation.

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Oregon Legislature Approves Electric Vehicle Rebate

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Three years of hard work by Forth and our allies has paid off. The Oregon House and Senate have voted to approve a $5.3 billion transportation funding packa...