California EV Rebate Program Impacts and Consumer Characteristics through 2022

Who used CVRP electric vehicle (EV) rebates in California and what role did rebates play in 2022? 

As part of a series of annual data briefs examining the California Air Resources Board’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP), the Center for Sustainable Energy analyzed: 1) the types of consumers who claimed CVRP rebates statewide, 2) how influential rebates were to consumers, 3) how influential the federal tax credit was to consumers and 4) characteristics of vehicles replaced by rebated EVs. 

Click the links to dig deeper into the impacts of CVRP EV rebates:  

Consumer Characteristics 

Characterizes EV adopters rebated for 2022 purchases/leases across several demographic metrics and strategic EV market segments 

Illustrative findings: CVRP progressed further toward the mainstream in terms of gender and educational attainment and was beyond the mainstream in terms of income and some metrics of race/ethnicity.

Rebate Influence and MSRP Considerations

Characterizes the influence of state rebates on California EV consumers and addresses considerations related to the MSRP of rebated vehicles 

Illustrative findings: 88% of program participants said the rebate was important in enabling their EV purchase (up from 82% in 2020). The percentage of participants who said they would not have acquired their EV without the rebate ranged from 32% for PHEVs (down from 38% in 2021) to 50% for recipients of the Increased Rebate for lower-income consumers. Rebate influence decreases as MSRP increases, but evidence is still weak for program MSRP caps below $60,000 for Increased Rebates.

Federal Tax Credit Influence 

Characterizes the influence of the federal tax credit on rebated California EV consumers 

Illustrative findings: An all-time high of 57% of respondents rated the federal tax credit as “extremely important” in making it possible to acquire an EV.

Vehicle Replacement 

Characterizes replacement rates and details the age and types of vehicles replaced by rebated EVs purchased/leased through 2022 

Illustrative findings: 83% of rebated EVs replaced another household vehicle, >1/4 of which were 12+ years old and 5/6 of which were gasoline-fueled. Non-hybrid gasoline replacement increased to a high of 76%, not seen since the 2013–15 survey data.