Rhode Island rolls out electric vehicle rebates to advance climate goals

Rhode Island will offer rebates to residents who purchase or lease electric vehicles and allocate more than $20 million to expand the state's EV charging network as it pursues aggressive emissions-reduction goals.

The program includes rebates of up to $2,500 for new battery or fuel-cell EVs and up to $1,500 for new plug-in hybrid vehicles, Gov. Dan McKee said June 28. It also offers incentives for used vehicles, fleet vehicles and low-income households.

Rhode Island is targeting net-zero emissions by 2050 and 100% fossil fuel-free electricity by 2033.

"Slashing greenhouse gases is not just the right thing to do for the environment, it is also the right thing to do for our economy," McKee said in a statement.

Initial funding for the rebate program, which takes effect July 7, is pegged at $1.25 million. The state transportation department plans to spend about $3.4 million in 2022 to build EV charging stations. Rhode Island's fiscal year 2023 budget allocates $23 million of federal funding for expanding the charging network.

The state's 2021 Act on Climate requires a 45% reduction in the state's greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2040 on the way to the net-zero goal. Rhode Island's target for fossil fuel-free electricity is the most aggressive standard in the country, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

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