Federal, State, and Local Incentives

[planet4ever]

There is a set of 57 PDF files on the Nissan website providing information about incentives of various kinds that are available to LEAF owners in specific parts of the United States. I can't seem to find any legitimate way to get to these files through the nissanusa.com website structure, so I have created a "Table of Contents" web page with titles and links. I organized it by state.

You can find my page here:
http://webpages.charter.net/ray_senior/Incentives.html

 

[BrendanDolan]

That is awesome! I know this sounds super spammy, but would you mind if I added that to my blog?

 

[evnow]

Nice. Can you also add this to the reference docs thread ?

 

[sjfotos]

There is a set of 57 PDF files on the Nissan website providing information about incentives of various kinds that are available to LEAF owners in specific parts of the United States. I can't seem to find any legitimate way to get to these files through the nissanusa.com website structure, so I have created a "Table of Contents" web page with titles and links. I organized it by state.

You can find my page here:
http://webpages.charter.net/ray_senior/Incentives.html

Thanks for the great summary! No Pennsylvania incentives, but a super list.

 

[Yanquetino]

Thanks for posting this. The list will prove very useful, but we probably need to read the fine print of the actual incentives that apply to us. For example, I see that Nissan has headed the PDF for my state with this statement:

Short Description: Non-refundable income tax credit of $0 - $2,500 for purchase of a new electric vehicle 
titled in the State of Utah

However, if you read the actual incentive, you'll find that it isn't true:

New The Clean Fuel Tax Credit for Vehicles purchased on or after January 1, 2009

The Utah Legislature revised the State's Clean Air and Efficient Vehicle Tax Incentives during the 2008
legislative session. This revision reduced the tax credit for natural gas Original Equipment Manufacturer
(OEM) vehicle to the lesser of $2500 or 35% of the vehicle's purchase price; other clean fuel vehicles
may be eligible for a credit of up to $750 if they meet air quality and fuel economy standards.

Ergo, only CNG vehicles qualify for the $2,500; EV buyers can only hope for $750.

Bummer! I'm working on it. :evil:

 

[cinmar]

Thanks for posting! What really stinks is the $7500 Fed tax credit is a non-refundable credit. So, if you don't owe $7500 in taxes, you don't benefit from it. On the other hand, the Calif. incentive is a $5k rebate (I think payable within 60 days after purchase) and (for me) the San Joaquin APCD incentive is a $3k rebate (paid within 45 days, or something similar). There's also the tax credit for equipment that is non-refundable.

I just wish the $7500 Fed tax credit was refundable, or at least an instant rebate paid to the dealer upon purchase. That would make the Leaf available to a wider group of consumers. Otherwise, you either have to pay/finance $32k up front, then hope you get the incentives later.

 

[planet4ever]

I trust you do know what "non-refundable" means - that you can't get more back than the total income tax you paid for the year. That includes all federal income tax deductions from your paychecks and any estimated payments you made. (It does not, of course, include your Social Security "contributions".)

And don't forget that there is a way you can get the whole $7500 credit, and get it immediately. That is to take Nissan up on their lease offer. You end up with a considerably lower monthly payment than you would have on a purchase, and an option to purchase after three years if you really want to keep the car. I plan to go the lease route myself.

 

[cinmar]

Yep, I understand that non-refundable tax credits are capped by one’s tax liability. For me, the problem is that I have lots of deductions and other tax credits this year (new baby and such), so I might not benefit much from it as others.

I could lease...it's a thought. What is the benefit of leasing a Leaf vs. purchase? If I purchase I could keep it for a long time, then upgrade the battery down the road. However, what if an amazingly cool car comes out that I like better in 3 years? With a lease, I could just switch cars and not worry about selling the Leaf. Also with a lease, I'd only receive 1/2 of the $3k my local Air Pollution Control District has for EV rebates. However, loosing $1,500 in rebates might be worth receiving the whole $7,500 in Federal tax credits applied to a lease....hmmm....actually -- is the $7,500 applied to the lease (per Nissan) or is it still applied at the time you file your taxes?

 

[cinmar]

I think this answers my question:
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/10/ev-tax-credit/
It doesn't sound like the $7500 tax credit will be picked up by Nissan, so you still don't benefit till you file your taxes in April. So, ultimately, leasing wouldn't help my case.

 

[JasonT]

I think this answers my question:
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/10/ev-tax-credit/
It doesn't sound like the $7500 tax credit will be picked up by Nissan, so you still don't benefit till you file your taxes in April. So, ultimately, leasing wouldn't help my case.

Nissan says they are rolling the price of the credit into their lease. So the lease that is being offered is at the "federal tax credit" price. You can not apply for the federal credit yourself if you lease. You can find some lease discussions here and here

 

[cinmar]

I stand corrected. I also found this:
http://gm-volt.com/2010/04/08/how-nissan-can-lease-the-leaf-ev-for-349-per-month/

 

[cinmar]

Today I contacted the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District to inquire whether funding was still available (up to $3,000), and good news - here's the response. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is made up of eight counties in California’s Central Valley: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and the San Joaquin Valley Air Basin portion of Kern.

Hi there Cynthia,

Yes there is funding available. We receive funding every year for this program so it is ongoing. I've attached the link to our applications and program guidelines. Your project would be under Light Duty/Medium Duty Vehicle component.

http://www.valleyair.org/Grant_Programs/GrantPrograms.htm

If you have any questions, my direct line is 559 230-6142.

Thank you,

Christy Sharp
Air Quality Specialist
Strategy and Incentives Department
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
1990 E. Gettysburg Ave. Fresno, CA 93726-0244
Phone: (559) 230-5870 FAX: 230-6112
[email protected]

edit:
Wanted to post the follow-up e-mail I received:

Hi Cynthia,

Make sure you apply to our program and get approved for the incentive before you put money down on the vehicle. The number one rule we have throughout all our programs is that the applicant must be approved for the funds before they purchase the vehicle. I just wanted to make sure you knew that because I would hate to see you purchase and not get your incentive because of the late timing of applying for our program. I'm here until 5:30 pm Monday thru Thursday and until 5:00 pm on Fridays if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Christy Sharp

 

[LEAFer]

Nice. Now I just need to move a few miles further south. :lol:

• +$ 32,780
  - $ 7,500 (Fed Credit)
  - $ 5,000 (CA Rebate) (except SD/LA might "eat up" all the funds)
  - $ 3,000 (SJVAPCD)
  -------------------
  $ 17,280 !!! :shock: