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Op-Ed: CA Should Focus EV Incentives On Low-Income Drivers

Source: Capitol Weekly

New research shows that California’s existing electric vehicle (EV) tax credits mostly benefit high-income individuals, while largely failing to reach other Californians. This is a problem for both our climate and people’s pocketbooks. Targeting EVs to low-income, high-mileage households would not only save low-to-middle-income Californians hundreds of dollars a year on fuel costs but also help cut emissions faster and more efficiently.

... The findings emphasize the need to tweak our state’s approach to EV incentives. Assemblymember Phil Ting proposed new legislation (AB 2401) to modernize the state’s existing Clean Cars 4 All (CC4A) program by directing higher EV rebates to lower-income, high-mileage drivers with older (pre-2004), high-polluting vehicles and focusing program outreach on these drivers. This approach not only accelerates emissions reduction but also addresses economic disparities in access to clean transportation.