Oregon is kicking off an initiative that aims to reduce air pollution and support the adoption of electric fleets across the state.
As Oregon Public Broadcasting reported, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has launched a program that provides cash rebates to businesses, nonprofits, and government entities for purchasing or leasing medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles.
The program is backed by $17 million in state of Oregon funding, as well as the Climate Equity and Resilience Through Action grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. Organizations can receive rebates of $2,500 to $120,000, depending on the size and weight of the vehicles.
The rebate incentives are an effort to replace aging diesel trucks with cleaner alternatives within the state. Officials note that wider adoption of electric vehicles will help meet state climate goals.
"We are really excited to introduce this program and get more electric vehicles on the road, especially in this section of weight classes, and help improve air quality," DEQ's medium- and heavy-duty rebate coordinator Dalton Sheppard said.
According to Sheppard, the program appears to be a welcome sight for businesses across Oregon. For many, being able to save some significant cash on new vehicles opened the door to also helping out the environment.
"They have been showing us a lot of excitement, and they're anticipating buying vehicles, and they have been waiting until the rebate program opens to make those vehicles more appropriate for their business needs," Sheppard added.
In 2023, the Oregon Climate Action Commission published its "Roadmap to 2030," a series of actions the state aimed to achieve to reduce pollution and improve the quality of life. This included proposed implementations of climate programs and regulations, such as the zero-emission vehicle rebate program.
"We've priced the rebates to bring those prices of the new zero-emission vehicles closer to a price point that their gas or diesel counterpart might be at, and we really start to see that price difference between the gas or diesel version or the zero-emission version increase as the class of vehicle goes up," Sheppard said.
OPB reports that nine applicants have been approved by the state's rebate program so far.
The program will continue until all $17 million in funding has been claimed.
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