img

Washington state’s EV rebate program a 'failure': study

“For every $1 of subsidy provided in Washington state’s EV rebate program, the people of Washington receive just over one penny’s worth of environmental benefit."

ADVERTISEMENT

“For every $1 of subsidy provided in Washington state’s EV rebate program, the people of Washington receive just over one penny’s worth of environmental benefit."

Image
Ari Hoffman Seattle WA
ADVERTISEMENT
Washington state’s Electric Vehicle (EV) rebate program has been demonstrated to be a “failure,” falling far short of promises to deliver environmental results and help middle-income people buy EVs.

The Washington Policy Center, which published the “Results of Washington’s EV Instant Rebate” study, said in a press release, “For every $1 of subsidy provided in Washington state’s Electric Vehicle (EV) rebate program, the people of Washington receive just over one penny’s worth of environmental benefit.”

Todd Myers, Vice President for Research at Washington Policy Center and the study’s author, wrote, “The more concerned we are about climate change, the more we should oppose wasteful policies like the EV subsidies, which do virtually nothing for the planet. Data from this program paints a clear picture of failure across the board. State leadership has a chance to use this data to learn and move on to programs that actually work.”

On Earth Day of 2024, then-Governor Jay Inslee (D) unveiled the $45 million program, which was designed to provide incentives for middle-income families to buy EVs and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), promising that the program would be “opening the door to EVs for people of modest incomes.” The state’s Department of Commerce said at the time that the program could “lead to a reduction of up to 24,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions in the transportation sector.”

However, the study found the program achieved just over half of the promised sales and that the average income of the zip codes where vehicles were purchased was virtually identical to sales before the rebate. The average household income of the zip codes where rebate-eligible EVs were sold was $118,816, only a slight decline from the average household income of $122,601 in the months before the rebate was available.

Additionally, potential CO2 reductions were much smaller than expected, equivalent to about 0.03 percent of Washington’s transportation-related emissions for one year, at a cost nearly 86 times greater than the state’s current CO2 price.

Myers told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, “The EV subsidy is so poor at cutting CO2 emissions, it is like paying $2,072 for a latte.”

The rebates increased new EV sales by an estimated 3,477, used sales by about 1,163, and electric trucks by about 187, for a total of 4,788, far below the Department of Commerce’s initial projection of up to 8,767 additional vehicles. Sales of new PHEVs dropped by an estimated 344 vehicles but used PHEV sales increased by 305 vehicles.

Due to the lower sales, the CO2 reductions were also much smaller than expected, reducing lifetime emissions by only 13,030 metric tons – equivalent to about 0.03 percent of Washington’s annual transportation-related emissions.

Additionally, the cost of the program to reduce emissions was “astronomical,” $3,453.57 to reduce one metric ton of CO2, nearly 86 times as much as the state’s current CO2 price, meaning that for every $1 of subsidy, Washingtonians received just over a penny’s worth of environmental benefit.
 
The most popular vehicle among those who used the rebate was the Tesla Model 3, which saw sales double, selling 1,191 more vehicles than expected based on sales in 2024 prior to the rebates. However, through October 2024, EVs and plug-in hybrids accounted for 21.8 percent of new vehicle sales in the Evergreen State, only slightly above the 2023 level of 20.5 percent and well below the 35 percent level that will be required in 2026.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign in to comment

Comments

Powered by The Post Millennial CMS™ Comments

Join and support independent free thinkers!

We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.

Support The Post Millennial

Remind me next month

To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2025 The Post Millennial, Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell My Personal Information