{"id":2396925,"date":"2025-01-30T09:46:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T14:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/45-million-ev-rebate-program-exhausted-by-high-income-earners-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-01-30T09:47:51","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T14:47:51","slug":"45-million-ev-rebate-program-exhausted-by-high-income-earners-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/45-million-ev-rebate-program-exhausted-by-high-income-earners-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"$45 million EV rebate program exhausted by high-income earners &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F45-million-ev-rebate-program-exhausted-by-high-income-earners-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2396925&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>washington state&#8217;s $45 million\u200d Electric \u2064Vehicle\u200d (EV) Instant Rebate Program, intended\u200d to assist low- and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/proposed-california-ballot-initiative-seeks-to-restrict-environmental-lawsuits-on-new-homes\/\" title=\"California Ballot Initiative Aims to Limit Lawsuits on New Home Environmental Issues\">middle-income individuals<\/a> in purchasing electric vehicles, has garnered \u200dcriticism for failing \u200bto meet its objectives. According to a policy \u2063brief \u2064from the Washington Policy\u2064 Center, the program\u2064 substantially underperformed, achieving only half of its\u2063 projected EV sales\u200d goal and resulting in negligible reductions in CO2 emissions\u2014just 0.03%. Initially aimed at making EVs more accessible, statistics revealed that the average income of individuals purchasing\u2064 vehicles during the rebate period remained\u200b high, around \u200d$118,000,\u2064 indicating that higher-income\u200d earners reaped most benefits\u200b instead\u2064 of those in need. while the program\u200d did lead to a spike in EV sales,it did not shift\u2063 the demographic of buyers as intended. The state&#8217;s Department of \u2064Ecology defended the program, \u200dnoting that Washington \u200dis a leading state in the transition to clean vehicles, claiming growth in zero-emission vehicles on the road without directly addressing the policy brief&#8217;s critiques. Washington&#8217;s previous \u200cgovernor proposed an additional $82 million for a follow-up program.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">$45 million EV rebate program exhausted by high-income earners<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1962941\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; Washington state&rsquo;s $45 million Electric Vehicle Instant Rebate Program for buying or leasing electric vehicles fell far short of promises to deliver environmental results and help middle-income people buy EVs, concluded a Washington Policy Center&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpolicy.org\/library\/doclib\/Myers-EV-Rebate-Program.pdf\">policy brief<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;released on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>According to the&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commerce.wa.gov\/commerce-opens-ev-rebate-program-2024\/\">Washington State Department of Commerce<\/a><\/strong>, the program provided up to $9,000 off a new EV lease for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/states-weigh-implementing-a-new-kind-of-tax-on-citizens-amid-transition-to-electric-vehicles\/\" title=\"States consider new tax on citizens during shift to electric vehicles.\">low-income drivers<\/a> at the point of sale. The state agency claimed this translates into lease payments under $200 a month, well below the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">average gas-powered automobile payment<\/a> of more than $700 a month.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Now that the data for vehicle registrations are in for the two-and-a-half months that it was working, we wanted to know did it work and did it achieve the goals?&rdquo; queried WPC Vice President for Research Todd Myers during a Wednesday interview with The Center Square. &ldquo;The answer is it fell far short of the promises that were made.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Myers said the rebates were supposed to increase EV or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle sales by about 8,700, but they only accounted for about half of that &ndash; or 4,800 cars.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The CO2 emissions were absolutely minuscule,&rdquo; Myers noted. &ldquo;For $45 million, we reduced emissions by .03%; that&rsquo;s it, so virtually nothing for $45 million in taxpayer money.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The program, announced by then-Gov. Jay Inslee last year on April 22 &ndash; Earth Day &ndash; promised to open the door to EVs for people with modest incomes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We found that&rsquo;s not really true at all,&rdquo; Myers said. &ldquo;Before the subsidies went into effect, in April the average income of ZIP codes where cars were purchased was $122,000.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The rebates began on Aug. 1 and were gone in less than three months<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;During the period the rebates were being offered, that fell to about $118,000,&rdquo; Myers said. &ldquo;So, it&rsquo;s basically much the same people who were buying electric vehicles before the subsidies who were buying them during the rebates &ndash; and they&rsquo;re certainly not poor.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>WPC&rsquo;s policy brief notes through October that &ldquo;EVs and plug-in hybrids accounted for 21.8% of new vehicle sales in Washington, only slightly above the 2023 level of 20.5% and well below the 35% level that will be required in 2026.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Myers explained that those purchasing vehicles during the rebate period could take advantage of large subsidies through the purchase or leasing of vehicles. He gave the example of someone with a 36-month lease.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They got $9,000 from the state and another $7,500 from the federal government, for a total of $16,500 in free taxpayer money,&rdquo; Myers explained.<\/p>\n<p>According to WPC, the&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesla.com\/model3\">Tesla Model 3&nbsp;<\/a><\/strong>was the most popular vehicle purchased during the subsidy program, and sales more than doubled based on 2024 sales prior to the rebates.<\/p>\n<p>The Center Square contacted the Washington Department of Ecology for a response to WPC&rsquo;s sharply critical policy brief.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Washington is a national leader in the transition to clean vehicles, and more than one in five new vehicles sold in our state is now battery-electric or plug-in hybrid,&rdquo; Andrew Wineke, Ecology&rsquo;s deputy communications director, said in an email. &ldquo;There are now more than 200,000 zero-emission vehicles on the road in Washington, a total that grew more than 30% in just the last year. If sales this year match the numbers we saw in 2024, we will easily clear the 2025 targets set in Washington&rsquo;s zero-emission vehicle regulations.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He continued: &ldquo;Vehicle rebates are just one part of a suite of tools we&rsquo;re using to accelerate the shift to clean vehicles, and we expect that progress to continue in the years ahead.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Inslee&rsquo;s outgoing budget request included another $82 million for a follow-up program for the current biennium.<\/p>\n<p>The Center Square emailed Gov. Bob Ferguson&rsquo;s office to find out if he would include a similar request in his budget proposal, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1962941\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1962941\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>$45M EV rebate program mainly benefited high-income earners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2396926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24011033078247-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[33451,49480,49481,17216,32076],"class_list":["post-2396925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-electric-vehicles","tag-ev-rebate","tag-government-program","tag-high-income","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24011033078247-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2396925"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2396929,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396925\/revisions\/2396929"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2396926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2396925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2396925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2396925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}