The Government of British Columbia has introduced several changes to the CleanBC Go Electric Passenger Vehicle Rebate program, significantly impacting Tesla buyers as no models qualify for the rebate under the new rules.
According to a memo sent to dealers on Monday, a copy of which was obtained by Drive Tesla, the government is making two important changes to the program.
The first is updating the vehicle classifications used in the provincial rebate program, with SUVs and station-wagons being moved from ‘larger vehicles’ to ‘cars’ category. The other important change is the price cap for ‘cars’ is being reduced from $55,000 to $50,000.
Based on our interpretation of the changes, this means is that no Tesla vehicles will be eligible for up to $4,000 in provincial rebates in BC.
The lowest priced Model 3 is the Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) variant, but it is priced at $50,990, just above the threshold. Currently, only the Model 3 RWD is eligible for the rebate.
Currently all three variants of the Model Y, the RWD, Long Range (LR) and Performance variants, are eligible for the rebate. However, with SUVs being moved to the ‘cars’ category, which has the $50,000 price cap, no Model Y variant qualifies for the rebate.
According to the memo, the changes are effective at 11:59pm PST on June 18, 2024. However, a grandfathering period of 30 days is being introduced. This means you can still receive the rebate if you take delivery by July 17, and meet one of the following criteria:
*pre-ordered a ZEV but the ZEV has not yet been delivered, or
*started but did not complete the ZEV sale (e.g., buyers who tried to buy a ZEV currently in inventory on a dealer’s sales lot).
If a car that becomes ineligible due to these changes is delivered after July 17, no rebate will be available, regardless of whether you meet one of the above criteria.
The government explained the rationale behind these changes, saying it is being done to ensure the rebates go to middle-income families.
“With EV sales increasing and currently at record levels, [we are] making these changes given available program funding and to ensure rebates are targeted to vehicles for middle-income families,” James Donald, Executive Director, Clean Transportation said.
Given that the Model 3 RWD is priced only $990 above the threshold, it would not be surprising to see Tesla lower the price by $1,000 to $49,990 to make it eligible for the rebate under the new requirements. However, this is not guaranteed so if you are on the fence about buying, and are eligible for all, or part, of the $4,000 rebate, we suggest placing your order before midnight tomorrow.
UPDATE 9:16pm PT: As we suspected, Tesla has lowered the price of the Model 3 RWD to $49,990. More information here.
Although not impossible, it is unlikely that Tesla will lower the price of the Model Y RWD from $53,990 to under the $50,000 threshold, as this would put it at the same price as the Model 3 RWD.
We will update this article if any new information is released by the government. Stay tuned.
Let us know in the comments below if this change impacts you.
