Has anyone looked into California’s new Clean Fuel Reward? You can get up to $1,500 off a BEV, in addition to any other government incentives. I’m assuming the ID.4 will be added to the list of eligible vehicles soon. The list of participating dealers is quite sparse, but you can request dealer additions. California Clean Fuel Reward | EV Rebates and Incentives
California Clean Fuel Reward
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My ID.4 dealer (Boardwalk VW in Redwood CIty, CA) was not listed, so I contacted them about it. My ID.4 representative told me that he and Boardwalk were aware of the program and will be added before my ID.4 arrives, so I could expect to recieve the point-of-sale rebate when I make my purchase.
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Actually, it seems you can submit the car registration papers up to 60 days after the deadline. That still won't work for the ID.4 though.
No, that is incorrect. The OP explicitly referred to the NEW Clean Fuel Reward rebate that is applied at the point of sale, not the existing / old program that was administered through electrical utilities.
@Kitt is correct in that there is overlap between the new and the old programs until the end of the year. However, as the OP noted, there are not many dealers in the new program yet.
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Thanks @TPG They sure did a great job making the program as confusing as possible. So if I understand it correctly there's nothing the consumer has to do besides buying a listed EV at one of the participating dealers and the grant is automatically applied at time of purchase? That's honestly how all the EV incentives should work.
So for Californian buyers the list of potential incentives is:
That's already up to $16,000 in incentives (though not many people will probably qualify for the max amount possible), plus local county or utility incentives.
So for Californian buyers the list of potential incentives is:
- Federal Tax Credit $7,500
- Clean Vehicle Rebate $2,000
- Clean Fuel reward $1,500
- Clean Vehicle Assist $5,000
That's already up to $16,000 in incentives (though not many people will probably qualify for the max amount possible), plus local county or utility incentives.
I had no idea about the Clean Vehicle Assist and see that I just barely qualify for it. It also doesn't stack with the $3,000 from the local air board rebate and the utility incentives are being phased out for the Clean Fuel Reward.
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I was playing with the California savings calculator and a new $5,500 to $9,500 grant popped up that I'm pretty sure previously only showed up when you scrapped an old car. The calculator seems to suggest that Bay Area residents in certain zip codes will qualify for the 2021 Bay Area Clean Cars for All grant without scrapping their existing old car (which was required in 2020).
Unfortunately the 2021 terms haven't been posted yet ("the 2021 Terms and Conditions will be updated in the coming weeks"), so it could just be an error in the savings calculator.
Unfortunately the 2021 terms haven't been posted yet ("the 2021 Terms and Conditions will be updated in the coming weeks"), so it could just be an error in the savings calculator.
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The list of participating dealers in the Bay Area Clean Cars for All program is quite limited. Only two VW dealers are listed, so Bay Area buyers whose dealer isn't on the list might want to notify their sales person (or switch dealers).
Thanks for the info! Was not aware of this! ID.4 is on the approved vehicle list now and so is my dealership!
No, you are correct. For the Clean Vehicle Rebate ($2,000), the ID.4 is not on the list yet. Perhaps you should contact them to make sure it is being added. I don't quality for the rebate since I've receive 2 in the past.
🚗ID.4 1st Edition (2nd Offering), Mythos Black Metallic ~ 🔜 Step 4/7 ~ 📅🕐1/13/2021 8:45AM PDT ~ 📑VW Santa Monica, CA, USA
https://www.vwidtalk.com/profile-posts/value-to-follow
A quick update for anyone interested in CA incentives:
My assigned dealer (Kearny Mesa VW) is not yet registered for the Clean Fuel Rebate, nor for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. They say they will be for the former in time for delivery.
Not wanting to place large bets, I called VW Customer Care to be moved to a dealer who is in these programs. I am at stage 4/7, and the vehicle is already locked into the dealer per CC, so no move anymore.
Upshot: Make sure you choose a dealer that has their ducks in a row, and wish me luck.
My assigned dealer (Kearny Mesa VW) is not yet registered for the Clean Fuel Rebate, nor for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. They say they will be for the former in time for delivery.
Not wanting to place large bets, I called VW Customer Care to be moved to a dealer who is in these programs. I am at stage 4/7, and the vehicle is already locked into the dealer per CC, so no move anymore.
Upshot: Make sure you choose a dealer that has their ducks in a row, and wish me luck.
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I wish I had known about the reluctance of some dealerships to enroll in all EV programs states and regions offer. For those in the Bay Area, only Capitol VW in San Jose and VW Broadwalk in Redwood City are participating in all programs. If you chose a different dealership you may (depending on your situation) miss out on up to $9,500 in grants.
I also asked VoA to change dealership, but like you @ChristophW, they couldn't/wouldn't. I honestly don't understand why we still need dealerships. I hope we can buy from manufactures directly in the future, just like Tesla and the new Chinese EV brands. The dealership model just doesn't make sense for the consumer.
I also asked VoA to change dealership, but like you @ChristophW, they couldn't/wouldn't. I honestly don't understand why we still need dealerships. I hope we can buy from manufactures directly in the future, just like Tesla and the new Chinese EV brands. The dealership model just doesn't make sense for the consumer.
Living in a state where Tesla has been prevented from doing proper direct sales by the dealership lobby, I won't hold my breath on dealerships going away. Between the potential/perception of lost dealership jobs, the financial games with who owns inventory, and the service departments, I think dealerships are here to stay, at least until all ICE cars are off the road.
I agree that the model doesn't make sense for the consumer in a lot of ways, but unfortunately we're not the ones spending millions of dollars lobbying state representatives.
Tesla & some of these new brands don't have that baggage, and therefore don't have any risk of souring a needed (for now) relationship with dealers. All the legacy OEMs are in a tighter spot, though.
Hi Kitt, how did you find out about the dealerships in the Bay Area offering the grants? By calling the dealership? I am registered with WinVW in Fremont and they have not responded to my requests and they did not even know about them when I asked. I'm still at stage 2 and thinking I may still have time to change and thinking Capital VW in San Jose. Thx
I had called them yesterday as well and they said they 'hope' to get certified for the CFR program by the time the car arrives. For the CVRP, we can still apply after purchasing the car. I am in step 5/7 and they said the car should arrive by the first week of April.
Guess I am lucky with my dealer. When I called them about the car a few months ago, they never sold any e-Golfs, and didn't know about Maine's rebate for EV's. Two days later they sent me a note saying they had applied to be a dealer who was qualified to handle Maine's rebate program. 
I think that is a $2k savings for me.
I think that is a $2k savings for me.Dealerships that participate in the California grant program are listed at this website: Clean Vehicle Assistance Program
As far as I can tell, dealers don't need to do anything for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. However, the specific model must be approved for the program, and currently the ID.4 is not.
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