WA State Says Half of EV Rebate ‘Incentive’ Funds Have Been Utilized

After about 60 days of the program launching, the WA State Department of Commerce and other officials say the latest EV rebate incentive program has been utilized by about 3,300 people. This is the third such EV-related rebate program from the state.

   Officials say the funds, at this rate, will probably be used up by the end of October.

The Electric Vehicle Instant Rebate Program allows drivers to get up to $9,000 towards the lease or $5,000 towards the purchase of a qualified EV.

Drivers have to contact a dealership, find a qualified model, determine rtheir eligiblity to proceed.

According to the Department of Commerce information release:

"As of Sept. 24, the program has provided 3,351 rebates, with 64% – 2,145 – for leases. Fifty-five percent of the program’s nearly $45 million budget has been spent, Hershkowitz said. The average rebate so far is $7,292. At the current pace, he expects the state to issue about 6,000 rebates."

That's 6,000 vehicles, out of an estimated 5,8 million licensed drivers in WA, based on 2021 WDL data. According to WDL, there are an estimated 2,9 million registered vehicles in the state, as of 2021.

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WDL data as of 2023, claims there's just over 168,000 EV vehicles registered in the state. So far, just over $17 million has been spent on this program, to affect 3,000 vehicles out of a state with just under 3 million on the road.

This program does not apply to hybrids.