New York adds electric-car purchase incentives, Minnesota may followNew York adds electric-car purchase incentives, Minnesota may follow

Purchase incentives have proven to be a powerful tool for electric-car adoption in those states that offer them.
And now it seems two more states may be ready to join that group.
New York has just added budget provisions for an electric-car incentive program during the upcoming fiscal year, and Minnesota is close to passing similar measures as well.
DON’T MISS: The Curious Case Of New York’s Missing Electric-Car Purchase Incentive
On Friday, Empire State lawmakers passed a budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year that includes electric-car incentives, the National Resources Defense Council noted in a blog post.
The program will offer rebates to buyers of battery-electric cars, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, with a maximum rebate of $2,000.
New York has promoted electric cars in other ways, such as encouraging the installation of public charging stations, but actual incentives have been MIA until now.
New York City skyline (by Flickr user AngMoKio)
That’s despite New York’s inclusion in an eight-state pledge signed in 2013 to put 3.3 million electric cars on the road by 2025.
New York’s share of that total is approximately 850,000 cars, but the state currently has fewer than 15,000 on its roads.
The Empire State joins a growing number of Northeast states with electric-car incentives, including neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts, and nearby Rhode Island and Delaware.
Minnesota bills pending
Meanwhile in another part of the country, Minnesota is considering electric-car incentives of its own.
One bill, HF 3513, would enact purchase rebates of $2,500 for new battery-electric cars, and $1,500 for new plug-in hybrids.
Minneapolis, by Flickr user Dustin Gaffke (Used under CC License)
Money to fund this rebate program would be drawn from existing solar-energy subsidies.
Rebates would expire in 2021, but the bill would also require utilities to build public charging stations.
A second bill, HF 2926, proposes a tax credit of up to $1,000 for electric-car purchases, as well as other items related to clean energy.
These would include efficiency-related home improvements, and renewable-energy installations like solar gardens and wind turbines.
2016 Nissan Leaf
Both bills will have to make it through both houses of the Minnesota legislature before the current session ends May 23.
While Minnesota doesn’t have any electric-car incentives right now, its drivers do already get one notable perk.
Since 2014, Minnesota has required utilities to offer lower off-peak rates for electric-car charging.
[hat tip: Joel Acker]
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