The California Air Resources Board thinks of everything. It not only provides funding for local companies to research EV technology, and requires automakers to produce zero-emission vehicles for sale in the state. Now the agency has launched a pilot program to help low-income people replace old, polluting cars with newer, more efficient vehicles, including EVs.

Under the Plus-Up program, residents of the Greater Los Angeles area and the San Joaquin Valley with incomes below 400 percent of the federal poverty level can receive cash payments for upgrading to more fuel-efficient cars. The cleaner the replacement vehicle, the higher the payment – from $2,500 for the purchase of a more efficient dinosaur burner to as much as $12,000 for an EV.

And that’s not all. Eligible consumers may also qualify for: an additional $1,500 (for a PHEV) or $2,500 (for an EV) from a separate program called the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project; as well as up to $2,000 for installing a charging unit.

“What’s not to like about a program that cuts greenhouse gases, cleans the air and helps low-income families in the most polluted neighborhoods afford the cleanest, most fuel-efficient cars? And, as icing on the cake, it will put money in their wallets by slashing what they spend at the pump,” Air Resources Board Chairman Mary D. Nichols said. “The Plus-Up program is a smart investment in California’s hardest-hit communities, and fulfills the promise that California’s efforts to fight climate change will benefit us all.”

Source: California Air Resources Board