Washington motorists will gain access this summer to new state rebates – up to $9,000 in some cases – to help cover the cost of leasing or purchasing electric vehicles.
Gov. Jay Inslee and state Department of Commerce Director Mike Fong provided details Tuesday about the program, which will be available at auto dealerships beginning in August. Swapping gasoline-powered vehicles for electric ones is a key priority with the state’s Democratic-led efforts to transition away from fossil fuels and slow climate change.
While the number of EVs in the state has nearly doubled over the past two years, many are fancier models and the cars tend to be heavily concentrated in the Seattle area. Inslee said the new program is meant to help “democratize” the emerging automotive technology.
Single Washington residents earning up to $45,180 annually or a family of four with income up to $93,600, will be eligible for a rebate of up to $9,000 for a new electric vehicle lease of three years or more. They’d also qualify for up to $5,000 for a new EV purchase or two-year lease. Used electric vehicles are eligible for a $2,500 rebate on purchases and leases.
“What we’re trying to do is to make these vehicles accessible to as many people as humanly possible,” Inslee said. “You can wake up every morning and say, ‘I’m not gonna have to buy a gallon of gasoline,’ that makes people really, really happy.”
Fong described the program as a “first-in-the-nation model.” His agency said in a press release that the state rebates, combined with federal and automaker incentives, could make monthly lease payments on at least four EV models less than $100 for qualifying consumers.
In March, there were about 181,400 electric vehicles registered in Washington, including plug-in hybrids, according to Department of Licensing data. That’s up from around 94,000 in March 2022. Despite the growth, EVs remain a small share of the roughly 8 million vehicles registered in Washington.
State figures also show just over half of the EVs registered are in King County and around 40% are Teslas. Tesla prices its least expensive car, the Model 3, at about $39,000.
EV prices have been coming down. But estimates updated in January from Cox Automotive and Kelley Blue Book still pegged the average cost for a new electric vehicle at around $55,353, whereas the overall average price for new cars at that time was around $47,401.
Local listings in western Washington show new Chevy Bolts available for around $27,000 or to lease for $400 to $500 a month. Nissan Leafs sell in the $30,000 price range. The starting price for a new, gasoline-powered Toyota Carolla is around $22,000.
The federal government already provides tax credits up to $7,500 for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. But these incentives are only available for vehicles that meet certain requirements for where they were built and where the materials in their batteries came from. There are also income eligibility guidelines with the federal program.
Funding for the Washington initiative is from the state’s general fund. It is not coming out of revenue from carbon auctions under the Climate Commitment Act.
Commerce announced about $85 million of spending in February for nearly 5,000 new electric vehicle charging stations. Gaps between charging sites remain a concern for EV drivers, especially in more rural and outlying areas. Some EV owners have also struggled with their vehicles in colder weather, which can sap batteries.
by Bill Lucia, Washington State Standard
Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com. Follow Washington State Standard on Facebook and Twitter.
This is really precious. WA State’s scam-artist chief, as always, using other people’s money to fund his self-serving agendas.
If the current federal and state administrations are so “concerned” about EVs’ accessibility, why not opening the market to low cost options that will not cost trillions to the taxpayers? Because their cut would be smaller? Just imagine how much is being pocketed when the government issues “rebates”. After all, it’s not that most of the parts used in the “American” EVs aren’t made in China or other foreign countries.
https://www.vox.com/climate/2024/3/4/24087919/biden-tariff-chinese-ev-byd-battery-detroit
It’s also intriguing that they are pushing for electricity consumption increase while the High-Tech & IT industry is indicating that there isn’t enough power for everything. (there are many more articles like this)
https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/metas-mark-zuckerberg-says-energy-constraints-are-holding-back-ai-data-center-buildout/
And let’s not forget that the electricity production by WA’s hydro plants have been decreasing (as pointed out in a previous article in MEN). Are we going to build new charcoal plants, like Germany has been doing?
As a cherry on the cake, let’s add an alert about the EV craze, published by a former CIA officer who specializes on the topic.
https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/technology/evs-climate-agenda-are-a-national-security-threat-used-to-weaken-us-and-ultimately-destroy-us-expert-warns/ar-AA1nz7bC
It’s very interesting that the crowds pushing for EVs are the same also pushing for “high-density plans”, bicycle lanes, etc.
The purchase price, qualifying rebates and resulting payments quoted in this article are misleading at best. An individual with the qualifying income levels generally is not spending $30,000 on a new vehicle acquisition and would not qualify with lenders for a lease. This program definitely makes nice headlines and creates empty bragging rights. If you disagree just do the math.
Maybe someone can help me understand why those who purchase an EV get a rebate and/or tax break, in addition to not paying the road tax that comes with buying gasoline.
Great questions!
For starters, they do pay a road tax. Tab renewals for electric vehicles include $225 in additional annual transportation taxes: https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.17.323, and https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.17.324.
As to why Washington State, other states, the Federal Government, the United Nations, the European Economic Union, China, India, Japan, and others are investing in getting more people to buy electric vehicles: the answer is 1) burning gasoline releases carbon dioxide, 2) humans burning gasoline, “natural” gas, and coal have released almost as much carbon dioxide into the air as was there already in 1800, 3) carbon dioxide reflects escaping infrared heat radiation back to Earth and back to our air, so that 4) average temperatures around the world are now about 2 degrees higher than they were in 1900. Locally, you may have noticed the heatwave in June 2021, the extra-long summer that resulted in September wildfire smoke in 2022, and how people are now swimming in the Sound.
There is a fish biologist who has shared in My Edmonds News comments about the effects of the rising temperatures on Puget Sound salmon. Maybe he will chime in again.
For more about carbon dioxide: https://myedmondsnews.com/2023/09/avoid-furnace-regrets/
Hi Nick, always interesting to follow your comments. I often learn new things. Could you help with the understanding of the $225 fee. How does that fee compare with with a gas car pays in gas tax over the course of the year. At 10,000 miles that’s about $.022/mile. At 15mpg a gas car would use 666 gallons a year. To pay the same $225 fee the gas tax would have to be around $.33/gal. Are these numbers about right? And what is the gas tax per gallon now? These numbers may not be correct but if they are close than it look like the $225 should be much higher??
Lori,
That’s because the minions have to help each other.
Take Ford as an example, where the automaker loses $60,000 per EV car it sells (https://www.carscoops.com/2023/05/ford-is-losing-almost-60000-for-every-ev-it-sells/).
Therefore, that used-car-lot sales guy in Olympia is doing what he can (with other people’s money) to help push the EVs’ sales. Of course, anyone with good-enough critical thinking will not fall for that. I just bought a new car and opted for a full-gasoline Honda Pilot. No EVs or hybrids for me at least until the technology and its sourcing gets decent enough.
The only problem of my decision is that I end up paying for monstrosities like that “bicycle lane” in 9th Ave and 100th Ave in the name of “saving the planet”.
Congratulations, the Honda Pilot is a great car. I have its sister vehicle an Acura MDX, which is 20 years old, 200K, runs like a top. The EV’s so far, are a gimmick promoted by grifters, which is why their sales are collapsing. If there was real demand for the EV’s they wouldn’t be having to subsidize them with other people’s money.
Thanks Brian! I really like it and I’m sure your MDX is also a great vehicle. I was tempted by it when shopping for the new car. Both Honda and Toyota make very reliable and long-lasting cars. My Camry is over 25 years old and has over 250,000 miles and the Odyssey is approx. 20 years old and also in the 200,000 miles range.
The Pilot’s new technology allows it to drive very long ranges. I’ve been to Canada and back with less than one tank. Also went to Idaho and East WA to check some universities with my son and only spent 1.5 tanks. EVs would not get that range, let alone the several hours it takes to recharge one. That technology still has a lot to evolve before being reliable.
Re Mr. Rossi’s “No EVs or hybrids for me at least until the technology and its sourcing gets decent enough.” Just for the record, Toyota has been building hybrid cars since 1997, and their technology and its sourcing are well proven. We bought our first Prius in 2007, and it was problem-free~ and delivered 45 miles per gallon. Our Priuses have been far more than “decent enough.”
Hi Roger, hybrids are better option than EVs but still have some way to go. They are a fairly decent option for someone who will primarily drive on heavy urban traffic but not highways, where the ICE vehicles are still a better option.
Don’t forget that the hybrids’ electric motors only work up to a certain speed (15-20mph?). On the typical highways’ 60-80mph the hybrids’ ICE takes over and now has to handle a heavier car than its pure-gas counterpart. Since my Pilot is primarily for weekend road trips, there isn’t yet a viable substitute for it.
I don’t deny Toyota makes the best hybrids. Also, its CEO also mentioned the company isn’t sold on EVs either (https://www.pcmag.com/news/toyota-president-says-silent-majority-not-convinced-on-ev-only-future). I also recall some manufacturers telling its customers to park and charge their cars outside because of the fire issues that have been happening. Therefore, still some ways to go in this technology.
As far as your hybrid, keep an eye on your battery if it’s still the original, since they have a life span much shorter than the car (https://www.caranddriver.com/research/a31875141/electric-car-battery-life/). It’s physics. However, it seems that there are some good news ahead, even though without a timeline yet (https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a42749016/why-lithium-metal-batteries-fail/).
Mario, we’ve put 300K miles on Priuses over the years. The electric motor works in tandem with the ICE, even at highway speeds. On a downslope the ICE cuts out entirely, and we maintain speed with the electric motor. We get 42-46mpg, city driving and highway, makes no difference.
We’ve replaced two traction batteries at 180K miles or more. Last one, the guy took two hours working in our driveway. Cost $1500, same as two sets of tires.
I’ll never buy another ICE-only vehicle. If I needed a new car now, I’d get the new Prius plug-in hybrid. A beautiful car, and would undoubtedly outlast me!
Hello Roger. I’m glad your Prius has been meeting your expectations. However, I am still confused by your last information about how it works. I recall reading several articles and talking with the folks at Toyota dealerships and all mentioned that the electric motor and batteries work mostly in low speeds to help with the stop-and-go city traffic. They are too small for the typical highway long ranges. They might kick-in to help with overtaking. This post on Toyota’s website also seems to confirm that (https://support.toyota.com/s/article/What-is-the-EV-Mode-r-10281?language=en_US).
If we think about the thermodynamic laws, what they told me makes sense, since the ICE engine would have to generate power not only to move the car but also to recharge the battery powering the electric motor, since it has such short range. And considering the processes’ intrinsic losses, the overall highway hybrid performance would terrible. My sister in law has a brand new hybrid Toyota RAV4 that she drives from Vancouver BC to Edmonds and gets close to 40 mpg, but because the traffic going out and into Vancouver is usually much worse than Seattle’s rush hour, so the hybrid shines there.
You mentioned changing the battery on your driveway. Who does that and where is the old battery taken? Do you get some kind of recycling certificate?
Mario, yes the Prius electric motor works “mostly” at low speeds, but it doesn’t become dead weight at highway speeds as you have suggested. I’m not an automotive engineer; I can only describe our experiences with Toyota hybrid technology, over a great many miles, and they have all been great, far beyond your “decent enough” standard.
Recharging the hybrid battery comes from braking and coasting (foot off the gas pedal); ICE is only one source and not a major burden~ we wouldn’t be getting 42+ mpg if the ICE had to strain to keep the battery charged!
I didn’t quiz the tech on what he did with the old battery, non-lithium.
I think we have exhausted this topic, but Teresa can give you my contact information if you wish to continue.
I’m dismayed our governor, et al favors child labor, slavery, destruction of sensitive environments and theft of hard working Americans. Since the affects of this fiasco are largely felt offshore they can be hidden and denied and the virtuous, self centered people will keep them in power. Meanwhile, the search for alternative solutions to energy are not being vigourously pursued and all discussion of nuclear power is verboten. Shameful!
That’s because he and his likes cannot care less about it as long as he lines his pockets. Don’t forget he works lockstep with Gavin Newson, who just went to China to lick Xi Jinping’s boots (https://apnews.com/article/china-visit-gavin-newsom-wang-yi-us-7f2bcb44d9279296f853f1042b298877). They are the same ilk.
About the interesting issue from Darrol Haug:
You are correct for the idea of a 15 MPG vehicle traveling 10,000 miles. Such a vehicle pays $452 in gasoline taxes out of the $3,000 they pay for gas (at $4.50/gallon).
In the United States, the average car that is less than 10 years old gets about 25 MPG. If you drive a typical car 10,000 miles a year, you will pay $271 in gas taxes. And save $1,270 in gas altogether compared to the 15-MPG car.
A 10 year old Toyota Prius C gets 50 MPG. (The 2024 Prius gets 57.) If you get 50 MPG for 10,000 miles, you pay $136 in gas taxes, and save $2,100 in gas compared to the 15-MPG car.
Someone switching from a Prius-C to a Chevy Bolt gets hit with $90 more in road taxes, and at the same time, they more than make it up by switching from gas to electricity.
On the other hand the guy in the Chevy Bolt has to worry about getting a good recharge after about 250 miles or so and even less if it is either really really hot out or really really cold out. The guy in the Prius-C, on the other hand has no range anxiety and the car handles extremes of weather with no sweat or any real downside. Toyota now has a couple all EV’s in their inventory but the company as a whole is leaning heavily toward the idea that hybrid cars and small trucks (especially plug-ins for all electric town driving) will be the real wave of the future. I suspect they are right and I suspect Honda will follow their lead on that approach to a great extent. All electric cars and trucks on all roads all over the world is still a long ways off, no matter how much that isn’t P.C.
Additionally, I just learned that Toyota is pretty high on the idea that Hydrogen fueled internal combustion transportation will be a large part of their multi pronged approach to solving fossil fuel pollution of our air. The exhaust from these engines is basically water vapor. These engines exist now and are being tested but the production and distribution of large amounts of contained H/2 are problematic and will be for some time for them to be practical in large numbers. The good news is the potential supply of H/2 is virtually unlimited as it’s just there, like oxygen.
Hydrogen still has some long ways to go in terms of being a viable large-adoption fuel (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03693-6). I also have my doubts about the long-term safety/consequences of producing and burning very large amounts of Hydrogen. Has this been studied yet?
When thinking about energy sources we must keep Nature into consideration. Physics does not tolerate bs and it will throw the thermodynamic laws into any scam or snake oil that con artists try to sell. In a nutshell, energy cannot be created or destroyed. Those “zero emissions” stickers are blatant lies.
Governments are now caught in their own conundrum of demanding lower fuel consumption and being caught in the lower fuel tax revenues that causes. Even the “electric revolution” is also exposed with the utilities increasing the kWh rates more than predicted because the higher consumption is forcing them to upgrade their power grid, and this is just a fraction of what would be needed if everything is replaced by “electric stuff”.
As someone very wisely already said, “one can cheat all for sometime but one cannot cheat everyone all the time”.
Nick, Your analysis should also consider sales tax. The EV cars are exempt from sales tax. A new gas car purchase includes 10+% sales tax.
Our transit agencies and our city government all rely partially on sales tax revenue, which will be reduced by more EV sales. There are a lot of moving parts on the tax exemptions for EVs.
I don’t know about the most current models, but older Prius car batteries were generally renewed by replacing individual cells as needed, not the whole battery unit every time there is an issue. My in-laws have had two used ones both of which are going strong after 100,000 and 200,000 miles plus on each. Their son took over the first one when they wanted a nicer up grade model.