There is finally program to help low-income families with old polluting cars to replace their car with a cleaner running electric vehicle through a ground-breaking program from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).
In an effort to scrap additional older, highly polluting vehicles in the Southland, the SCAQMD has launched a new incentive program to help low- and moderate- income residents purchase newer and cleaner vehicles.
Residents may be eligible to receive between $2,500 and $9,500 to purchase a newer, cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicle depending on their income level, the vehicle model purchased and where they live. Low-income residents living in an environmentally disadvantaged area and purchasing one of the cleanest vehicles available would receive the highest incentive amount.
“Our clean air progress relies on increasing the number of cleaner vehicles,” said William A. Burke, Ed.D., chair of the SCAQMD Board. “We hope these incentives will encourage residents to make the switch to lower-emission vehicles.”
Replace Your Ride, formally known as the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Program pilot program, will offer residents incentives ranging from $2,500 up to $4,500, depending on income level and type of vehicle purchased.
Residents living in disadvantaged communities could be eligible for up to $2,500 for the purchase of a conventional hybrid vehicle or up to an additional $5,000 for the purchase of a plug-in hybrid or zero-emission vehicle that is eight years old or newer when purchased.
Disadvantaged communities are defined by the state Air Resources Board as those most burdened by multiple sources of pollution as well as socio-economic factors such as low-income.
Residents who choose to scrap their vehicle but not replace it may be eligible for $2,500 to $4,500 in public transit passes or car sharing vouchers depending on their income level.
Qualifying participants need to:
- Meet income requirements shown at www.replaceyourride.com;
- Live in the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which includes all of Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino County; and
- Own a vehicle that meets program requirements.
Case managers including those fluent in Spanish will help inform residents about the program and guide them through the process from start to finish. SCAQMD expects to retire between 550 and 1,000 vehicles as part of this program.
The program is funded with $4.23 million from SCAQMD, the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and its AB 118 Enhanced Fleet Modernization Program, as well as the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, established by state law to fund programs to reduce motor vehicle pollution.