Dive Brief:
- Burlington Electric, the municipal provider for the Vermont city, yesterday announced it will offer customers a $1,200 rebate on the purchase of a mid-priced or economy electric vehicle.
- The program will help the city meet its goal of reaching energy neutrality, while also helping the state meet its renewable energy standard.
- Burlington's offer is one of several high-dollar rebates utilities have recently advertised to incentivize electric vehicle adoption. Two utilities in Hawaii and one in Kansas offered rebates up to $10,000.
Dive Insight:
As electric utilities begin to focus on the grid benefits of electric vehicles, some impressive looking rebates are making headlines. And while Burlington's $1,200 offer is generous, a handful of utilities have made five-figure offers. A Kansas City Power & Light offer last year, coupled with federal incentives, would have trimmed the cost of a new Leaf to less than $12,000.
Burlington's rebate will apply to the purchase or lease of a new electric vehicle priced $50,000 or less. In a statement, the utility said the offer would serve as "an important component" of making Burlington a net zero energy city across electric, thermal, and ground transportation sectors.
Gains made by the EV offer would also help Vermont meet its renewable energy standard, which is 55% by 2017, and 75% by 2032.
The program is open to all residential and commercial customers who register newly-purchased EVs in the city. The vehicle can be purchased at any dealership, in or outside of the Green Mountain State. Qualifying vehicles have ranges between 60 and 230 miles.
