State officials are offering new incentives to low-income drivers in Washington who want to go electric. For people with qualifying incomes, instant rebates of up to $9,000 dollars are now available for leasing fully electric vehicles. Up to $5,000 can go towards purchasing new ones. The state’s program is being administered by participating dealerships.
Washington Commerce Director Mike Fong helped launch the program in a parking lot near Lumen Field in Seattle. He said the state’s push for more EVs is one of many aggressive strategies to address climate change. And their research shows that the interest in EVs is very similar between higher-income and lower-income families and individuals.
“But the number one cited barrier is cost,” Fong said. “And we believe we, with this first in the nation, leaning-in model, focusing on leasing — low income, affordable leasing of electric vehicles — is our way of really leveling the playing field and really enabling EV adoption to really go across the whole state.”