Nonprofit offers thousands of dollars off electric vehicles

Electric vehicles are commonly seen on the road in the Bay Area, but we may start seeing more on the Central Coast.

“I think I was always hesitant with the price difference, but with these rebates it seems possible,” said Monterey resident, Shira Diallo.

Monterey Bay Community Power and Monterey Bay Air Resources District launced the Monterey Bay Electric Vehicle Incentive Program, or E-VIP, Wednesday. Thousands of dollars off electric vehicles has already caught the attention of drivers. ” It was very nice. I don’t have a new car, so it was quite a change from what I’m used to driving,” said Monterey resident, Tom Paolucci.

Monterey Bay Community Power is giving customers, who meet income qualifications, up to $4,500 off a variety of electric vehicles. Some of the brands inlude Nissan, Volkswagen, and Chevy. Regardless of income, all customers get a $1,000 discount. “The lease options are getting down to maybe $100, $200 a month. When purchasing the vehicle, it’s coming down dramatically,” said Monterey Bay Community Power Director of Communications. JR Killigrew.

According to Monterey Bay Community Power, less than 2% of vehicles in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties are electric. With the help of E-VIP, they hope to get that number up. “We just want to make it accessible. We want people from all walks of life to say, ‘I want an electric vehicle, because I can get into it.’ Not, ‘Can I? I don’t have enough money,'” said Killigrew.

By 2030, Monterey Bay Community Power hopes to increase the use of electric vehicles by 15%. They said their goal will result in less pollution, and overall, cleaner air in the Monterey Bay.

“It’s definitely going to be better for our environment and our carbon footprint,” said Diallo.

“It’s new technology and I think that’s the way things are going to go in the future,” said Paolucci.