Modest Increase in March Rebates
The CHEAPR rebate count was up modestly to 96 rebates, 64 of them PHEVs. The big gorilla was the Toyota RAV4 Prime, continuing its run as by far and away the rebate leader. It is quite amazing to see how much the RAV4 has cannibalized the Prius Prime, which was down to only 9 rebates. The Kia Niro placed a distant second with 12 rebates, and the first rebate for the new Kia EV6 appeared. Below is the disposition of all the rebates by model.
Legislation
The major news is that SB-4, the big environmental omnibus bill which includes significant changes to CHEAPR has passed the Senate. The vote was largely along party lines with only one Republican voting in favor. It now goes before the House. Momentum seems to be with it. Since this is a short session, we’ll know in less than a week. We will give a more detailed summary of the changes for CHEAPR if it passes, but the headlines are an increase in the MSRP cap to $50,000, loosening the requirements for the income-limited incentives, and extending eligibility to businesses, fleets, municipalities, and tribal entities.