The number of discounts given to electric vehicle buyers in Maine has skyrocketed in recent years, according to Efficiency Maine, the agency responsible for lowering consumers’ energy costs and reducing greenhouse gases.

In September 2019, the agency granted 29 discounts. In September 2021, he distributed 149 of them.

“As of March 2021, we’ve been processing over 100 rebates every month, sometimes over 200, despite the (car) inventory shortage,” said Amalia Siegel, Efficiency Maine program manager. “People are interested. “

The dollar value of the rebates increased by over 700% for all-electric vehicles and over 1,200% for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles during those two years.

The agency granted a total of $ 267,000 in rebates for electric vehicles in 2019 and $ 1,956,000 in 2021; the agency gave $ 58,000 in rebates for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in 2019 and $ 711,500 in 2021. And those numbers are only valid until September 2021, in three months.

All rebate funds come from federal regulations with Volkswagen.

The rebates are part of the state government’s efforts to encourage residents to convert to all-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The initial cost of electric vehicles is generally higher than that of gasoline vehicles, although the cost of long-term ownership is generally lower.

The federal government also offers a tax credit for the purchase of an electric vehicle.

Efficiency Maine has a website that shows which vehicles qualify for state rebates and federal tax credits. In general, all-electric vehicles benefit from greater incentives than plug-in hybrids. New vehicles must cost less than $ 50,000 to receive discounts.

For example, the Efficiency Maine website shows that an all-electric Volkswagen ID4, with a range of 250 miles, costs $ 39,995 (base price) and is eligible for an Efficiency Maine rebate of $ 2,000 and a federal tax credit of $ 7,500, which final cost to $ 30,495 before taxes and fees.

A Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, with an electric range of 25 miles and a base price of $ 28,220, receives a state rebate of $ 1,000 and a federal tax credit of $ 4,502.

For more information, visit https://www.efficiencymaine.com/ev/.