The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has selected CSE to administer electric vehicle (EV) rebates for state residents as part of the Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program.
The program offers a standard rebate of $1,500 or $2,500 for the purchase or lease of new battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, depending on the vehicle’s battery capacity. It also has a rebate for low- and moderate-income households, providing an additional $2,500 for a new EV or a flat $2,500 for a used one. Program applicants who acquire new cars can receive their rebates at the dealership, while rebates for used cars require an application form.
“The Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program has already issued more than $9 million in standard rebates since launching in December 2018,” said Ali Mirzakhalili, DEQ’s air quality division administrator. “With CSE’s extensive and secure infrastructure, rebates will now go out more quickly. We hope these rebates will encourage more Oregonians than ever to purchase zero emission vehicles and partner with us to improve air quality while saving money.”
CSE will manage the EV rebates, providing security standards required to protect financial data, and develop consumer marketing strategies and a user-friendly digital dashboard to display program statistics and updates.
"We are proud to assist Oregon DEQ in their efforts to extend electric vehicle rebates to low- and moderate-income residents who are often the most impacted by transportation emissions and the least able to purchase a cleaner car," said Lawrence Goldenhersh, CSE president. "The added value of these rebates, in particular the rebate for used EVs, will help greater numbers of Oregonians to make more sustainable personal transportation choices while supporting state and local goals for cleaner air and reduced fossil-fuel emissions."
CSE administers four other statewide electric vehicle rebate programs, including California’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, Massachusetts’ MOR-EV, Connecticut’s CHEAPR and New York’s Drive Clean Rebate and has issued more than 400,000 rebates totaling more than $895 million.
Last August, DEQ and other state agencies announced that Oregon had registered more than 26,000 electric vehicles, marking more than halfway to Governor Kate Brown’s goal of having 50,000 electric vehicles registered in the state by the end of 2020.
“Currently, transportation accounts for nearly 40 percent of Oregon’s greenhouse gases,” said Gov. Brown. “In order to help lower our emissions to our targets, it’s vital to make sure that we are doing all we can to provide viable and affordable alternatives for sustainable transportation, including participating in the Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program.”
Since 2018, DEQ has received $12 million a year for the Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program through funding generated from a tax imposed on car dealers. The program and annual subsidy is set to end on Jan. 2, 2024.
