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The next round opens up Nov. 1. The first round for fiscal year
2023 that ended June 30 cost taxpayers $19 million. That is
nearly 4,900 purchasers of EVs getting $4,000 rebates for the
previous fiscal year. Of those, only around 10% were low-income
individuals, despite the program prioritizing such applicants.
Among those granted rebates, nearly 300 were luxury models
costing up to $125,000, as The Center Square previously
reported.
The Pritzker administration says the program is “competitive”
and part of the “clean energy revolution.”
“This incentive program was created to encourage Illinois
residents to purchase electric vehicles and has already received
tremendous response from Illinois motorists, with over $19
million in rebates awarded in fiscal year 2023,” said Illinois
Environmental Protection Director John J. Kim said in a
statement.
The program launched by the Clean Energy Jobs Act in 2021 gives
rebates to purchasers of EVs that meet certain conditions like
length of ownership. It was modified to allow a $1,500 rebate
for all-electric motorcycles.
State Sen. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, said legislators should
look at the data.
“We have poor and working-poor people that are subsidizing what
in many cases are very wealthy people to give them the rebates
that they are getting out of the state program,” Chesney told
The Center Square. “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say
that you’re fighting for the working-poor and the working class
but then again have subsidies that go to the more affluent.”
Since taxpayers are paying the bill, Chesney said the program
needs to be scrapped.
“If electric vehicles is a good product then they should be able
to stand on their own two feet and I don’t know why we’re
inserting ourselves into the private sector to change consumer
behavior,” Chesney said. “If this is in fact good for the
consumer, let the consumers buy it but the idea that it needs to
be federally or subsidized on state level, I just simply could
not support that. ”
Of last year’s total, 2,769 Tesla owners were given rebates, 50
Lucid Air Grand Touring and Porsche owners were given rebates
and 101 Audi E-trons were given rebates.
The Center Square reporter Scott
McClallen contributed to this report.
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