The City offers rebates for electric vehicles

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The Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf, the first all-electric vehicles to hit the market, went on sale this past December. The Mayor and the DWP are invested in helping these cars catch-on. Today they launched Charge Up LA. It's a rebate program that will give electric car owners up to 2 thousand dollars towards the instillation and cost of their in-home charger.

The Mayor boasted that this was another great pilot program to add to LA's greening campaign.
"We're like the only city doing this. When I'm telling you this is something that really sets LA apart. Again, it's not hyperbole. This will be a game changer and we will be the electric vehicle capital."

The cost of the home charger is too expensive for some -- but the city hopes that the rebate combined with increasing gas prices will make the cars more attractive. The average gas price today in LA County is 4 dollars and 21 cents.

But it's not just about savings for the consumer -- it's also about reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and improving air quality. Dr. Joseph Lyou (lew) is the CEO of the state-wide Coalition for Clean Air.

"We are still challenged here in this air district with the worst air quality in the entire nation."

There are other environmental benefits. Most people charge their cars at home at night -- they can go about 90 miles until they need to recharge. Nighttime is also when the DWP is able to use the most renewable energy from wind power. It's windier at night, sending more wind power into the grid.

Ron Nichols, the General Manager of the DWP, calls electric cars an elegant solution.

"That's a double win for the environment."

The DWP plans to subsidize 1,000 chargers that will cost 2 million dollars -- and depending on demand to spend up to 6 million dollars.

In most cases, the 2 thousand dollar rebate will pay for the entire cost of the charger and installation -- in some cases it will be cheaper.

If you're thinking about going electric, act fast -- the rebate option starts on May 1st and is on a first come-first serve basis.