California Sets Goal Of 1M EVs In Ten Years

An ambitious bill in California would steer carbon taxes into the lofty goal of putting one million electric vehicles on the road in the coming decade.

The state’s Legislature sent SB-1275, aka the "Charge Ahead California Initiative," to Governor Jerry Brown. The bill was approved in both chambers and contains a suite of incentives to encourage Californians to swap gas-powered vehicles for hybrids and electric vehicles.

The bill includes rebates worth up to $2,500 and other incentives for low- to moderate-income Californians in a bid to overcome critics who call electric vehicles a toy for the wealthy. There are about 100,000 electric vehicles on the road in California, making it the nation's largest market for EVs. Oregon is a close second on hybrid and electric vehicle adoption, on a per capita basis.

California would fund its EV initiative though the state’s "Low Carbon Transportation" programs, which received $200 million out of the estimated $850 million that will be generated in the state’s cap-and-trade program, which puts a tax on carbon emissions.