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MyFirstEV rebate signed
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation creating the MyFirstEV program, offering $3,500 rebates to first-time buyers of new electric vehicles priced at $50,000 or less and $1,750 rebates for first-time buyers of used electric vehicles with an MSRP of up to $25,000.
“offers $3,500 for first-time buyers of EVs that cost $50,000 or less”
The program is set to launch “later this summer,” and the California Air Resources Board will administer it while expecting to announce next month which car companies will take part.
Newsom signed Senate Bill 168, which earmarks $135.5 million for the rebate program and is matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by automakers who choose to participate, meaning MyFirstEV could deliver $270 million in total.
The new state initiative arrives after federal incentives were eliminated, including provisions that eliminated the federal tax credit of up to $7,500 on the purchase or lease of a new EV and $4,000 for a used one.
The Union-Tribune reported that the one-time funding is tied to the state’s 2026-27 budget and that CARB told the paper the dollars allocated to the new program will “be available until funds are exhausted.”
Trump fight and White House
Newsom framed the new rebates as a response to federal changes, saying in a statement, “Donald Trump is doing everything in his power to pollute our air and surrender the clean car industry to China on a silver platter.”
In the same coverage, the Union-Tribune reported that when asked for a reaction, a White House spokeswoman fired back, calling the governor “Newscum.”
The New York Post said the rebates are expected to launch later this summer and described the $270 million program as replacing federal incentives that had offered tax credits of up to $7,500 for new EV purchases and up to $4,000 for used models before those incentives were repealed under legislation signed by President Donald Trump.
The Reuters account in SRN News said the state did not immediately disclose which automakers are participating and that the California Air Resources Board said it hoped to be able to disclose the participating automakers next month.
SRN News also tied the timing to slowing sales, noting that Newsom signed the legislation “as U.S. sales have slowed,” and that the federal $7,500 EV tax credit and $4,000 used EV credit were killed by legislation signed by President Donald Trump.
Who benefits, who doesn’t
The legislation includes a California-headquarters rule that waives the $50,000 price cap for incentives under the rebate program for California-headquartered zero-emission vehicle companies, and the Union-Tribune said this means all vehicles from Rivian and Lucid qualify for the $3,500 rebates.
“incentives under the (rebate) program shall be provided to California-headquartered zero-emission vehicle companies”
The Union-Tribune reported that Rivian is based in Irvine and Lucid is headquartered in the Bay Area city of Newark, while Tesla moved its production headquarters from California to Texas in December 2021 and therefore will not receive the MSRP exemption.
The Guardian said European fashion retailers are facing fresh questions over supply chain oversight after a fire at a factory that supplied them killed at least 33 garment workers in Bangladesh, but in the same Guardian piece it also quoted Clean Clothes Campaign spokesperson Ineke Zeldenrust saying the audit system was “fundamentally broken.”
In contrast, the Reuters coverage in SRN News focused on the rebate mechanics and said the program applies to new vehicles with a suggested retail price of up to $50,000 and includes a separate $1,750 rebate for used EVs costing up to $25,000.
The Union-Tribune added that CARB expects to announce next month which car companies will take part and provide more details on how the initiative will work, while also quoting a CARB spokesperson saying, “We expect strong demand.”
