“The goal of the program is to accelerate the number of electric vehicles on California’s roads and highways,” said CARB Vice-Chair Sandy Berg. “The instant point-of-sale price reduction of up to $1,500, along with other programs like Clean Cars 4 All, will help make these ultra-clean cars more affordable, especially for low-income families or those living in disadvantaged communities.”
The California Clean Fuel Reward will help support Governor Newsom’s Executive Order phasing out gasoline-powered cars and requiring 100 percent sales of zero-emission cars in 2035. This will drastically reduce demand for fossil fuels, cut vehicle emissions, protect public health, and propel California toward carbon neutrality in the mid-century.
For consumers, taking advantage of the reward is easy. When making an EV purchase at an enrolled retailer in California, the retailer will simply include the reward in the transaction at the point of sale. There is no need for the customer to do any paperwork after the sale to receive the reward. The CCFR is one of the most straightforward and inclusive rewards in the market, as it is available to everyone in California.
The lists of enrolled retailers and eligible vehicles will be continually updated as the new retailers and EV models are added.
Southern California Edison is administering the program on behalf of, and in collaboration with, all participating utilities. The CCFR is available to all California residents, regardless of utility provider and participation.
“SCE is honored to lead the CCFR program in collaboration with other electric utilities,” said Katie Sloan, SCE director of Electrification and Customer Service Governance. “This is a key initiative in the vision of a clean energy future. Through this program, we can bring electric utility expertise to the sales process and educate both customers and retailers on how to charge EVs, where to charge and how much it costs; making EVs a natural choice in the car buying process.”
The California Clean Fuel Reward can also be combined with existing post-sale federal, state and local incentives, such as the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, Clean Cars 4 All, and the Clean Vehicle Assistance Program, to make EVs even more affordable.
The CCFR is funded by electric utilities participating in CARB’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Program. From its beginning in 2011, the LCFS has helped cleaner fuels displace more than 16 billion gallons of liquid petroleum fuels. The program allows producers of clean fuels, such as electric utilities, to generate credits they can sell to producers with more carbon-intense products. Sales of those credits fund programs such as the California Clean Fuel Reward program.