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By Scott Doggett, Contributing Editor


In California, home to one in 10 Americans and some of the nation's worst air pollution, the cost of buying or leasing a zero-emissions electric vehicle just became up to $20,000 cheaper.


That's in the form of a tax rebate that's in addition to a tax credit of up to $7,500 that the federal government is offering prospective buyers of electric-drive vehicles.


The state rebates became available to Californians who purchased or leased new EVs in the Golden State beginning this past Monday. The rebates will continue until April 30, 2012, or until the $4.1 million appropriated by the state's Air Resources Board runs out, whichever comes first.


The list of eligible models: One Smith and two EVI commercial vans ($20,000 rebate); the Tesla Roadster, Honda FCX Clarity and Nissan Leaf ($5,000); five neighborhood electric vehicles from GEM and two from Miles EV ($1,000-$1,500); and two zero-emission motorcycles from Zero ($1,500).


The rebate announcement thrilled major electric-vehicle advocates, including Jay Friedland, legislative director of Plug In America.


"We applaud the California Air Resources Board for the leadership it is demonstrating with this program," he said. "The state is making a wise investment in our future."


California is broke. $4.1 million could buy a lot of textbooks in a state where some teachers have taken to buying school supplies because otherwise there wouldn't be enough. Is allocating the money to bring the cost of EVs down the wisest investment in the state's future? That's debatable.
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Tags: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, GEM, Miles, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Tax Incentives, Tesla, Zero, California Air Resources Board, GEM, Honda FCX Clarity, Miles EV, Nissan Leaf Pricing, Plug-in Electric Cars, Plug-in Vehicles, Rebate, Tax Credit, Telsa Roadster, Zer

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Calif. Offers Up to $20,000 Rebate to Buy, Lease an EV; Excludes Federal Tax Credit was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.