The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced that financial incentives is being made available toward the purchase or lease of eligible new electric drive vehicles.
Senate Bill 1727, enacted by the 83rd Texas Legislature, revised the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan’s Light-Duty Motor Vehicle Purchase or Lease Incentive Program as a statewide program to provide up to $2,500 per eligible vehicle.
Owners or lessees are eligible for the following incentive amounts:
– Purchase – $2,500
– Lease – $2,500 (4-year lease term); $1,875 (3-year to <4-year lease term); $1,250 (2-year to < 3-year lease term); and $625 (1-year to < 2-year lease term).
The TCEQ has compiled a list of vehicle makes and models that vehicle and conversion system manufacturers report may meet the eligibility criteria and be available for sale or lease in Texas.
Under the key eligibility criteria, the vehicle must:
– have four wheels;
– have been manufactured for use primarily on public streets, roads, and highways;
– have a powertrain that has not been modified from the original manufacturer’s specifications;
– have an unloaded vehicle weight of no more than 8,500;
– have a maximum speed of at least 55 miles per hour;
– be propelled to a significant extent by an electric motor;
– have a battery that has a capacity of at least 4 kilowatt hours and can be recharged from an external source of electricity;
– and be capable of being recharged from an external source of electricity
The application period will run through June 2015, until all funding is depleted or the limits on the maximum number of vehicles are reached. The maximum number of vehicles allowed is 2,000 electric drive vehicles and 2,000 CNG and propane vehicles.
Only vehicles sold through a franchised dealer in Texas, or leased from a leasing company licensed to do business in Texas, may be eligible. Vehicles purchased from the manufacturer or from an out-of-state dealer would not be eligible. For leased vehicles, the vehicle must be purchased by the leasing company from a franchise dealer in Texas as well. Recipients of the grant will be required to title, register, and operate the vehicle in Texas for one year.
Eligible Electric Vehicle List
– 2015 Kia Soul EV
– smart fortwo ED and smart fortwo ED cabriolet
– Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive
– Mitsubishi i-MiEV
– Nissan LEAF (S, SV, & SL)
– Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid Plug-in Hybrid
– BMW i3 Electric and BMW i3 w/range extender
– BMW i8 Plug-in Hybrid
– Cadillac ELR Plug-in Hybrid
– Chevrolet Volt Plug-in Hybrid
– Ford Focus Electric
– Ford Fusion PHEV Plug-in Hybrid
– Ford C-Max PHEV Plug-in Hybrid
