California Center for Sustainable Energy

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Feb 3, 2011) - The California Air Resources Board has renewed its contract with the California Center for Sustainable Energy ( CCSE) in San Diego to continue administering the statewide Clean Vehicle Rebate Project ( CVRP) for 2011. The board pledged $4.7 million in second-year funding for consumer rebates for plug-in electric and zero emission vehicles.

According to CCSE's David Almeida, CVRP manager, this year's funds will be added to approximately $2.3 million left over from 2010 funding. He said that $1.4 million in rebates were distributed in 2010 during the first year of the project for 213 electric vehicles ranging from motorcycles to commercial trucks.

In a separate development, the California Energy Commission announced in January that it will put an additional $2 million into CVRP funding this year.

According to Almeida, the commission is restricting their funds for rebates for highway-approved vehicles capable of carrying four passengers, such as the Nissan LEAF, Honda Clarity (fuel cell) and other zero emission cars due to come onto the market in 2011. The money from the Energy Commission provides enough for 400 more rebates for four-passenger zero emission vehicles, Almeida said.

Almeida gave the breakdown of 2011 rebates by vehicle type as 108 zero emission cars, 38 commercial zero emission trucks, 37 zero emission motorcycles and 30 low-speed neighborhood electric vehicles.

For a complete list of vehicles eligible for a Clean Vehicle Rebate Project incentive and rebate amounts, visit the CVRP website at www.cvrp.energycenter.org.