Having established a sizable EV charging infrastructure, Oregon now may provide incentives for purchasing or leasing EVs.

A House bill working its way through the Oregon legislature would provide cash incentives for purchasing a range of alternative vehicles including NEVs. House bill 2092 would provide different levels of incentives for all-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles. The incentives would be applied at the time of sale against the down payment or to reduce the amount financed. The incentive levels are as follows:

• All-electric highway capable vehicle – $3,000
• Hydrogen powered vehicle – $3,000
• Plug-in hybrid – $1,500
• Electric motorcycle – $1,000
• NEV – $750

This is the first time that Oregon is providing incentives for purchasing electric vehicles. In the past they have encouraged the development of charging infrastructure in the state, which is now one of the best in the country. The incentives are deemed necessary if the state is to meet their zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate that requires 15% of the new-vehicle mix in 2025 to be ZEVs. Learn more: Greencarreports.com

Comment:  Historically incentives have provided a boost to NEVs sales, although they typically have been worth more money. At the $750 level this incentive amounts to about 7.5% of the cost of an NEV. It may be enough of an incentive for someone to already considering purchasing a vehicle to choose an NEV over a new or customized golf car, but may not be enough to encourage a new purchase that wasn’t already being considered.