The Minnesota state legislature is currently considering two separate bills that could save buyers of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs) thousands of dollars come tax day, reports EVObsession. The bills could offer Minnesota EV buyers a tax rebate of up to $2,500, as the state aims to increase the number of plug-in vehicles on its roads.
The bills, H.F.3513 and H.F.2926, have until the current legislative session ends on May 23 to pass both houses. H.F.3513 would grant buyers of pure EVs a tax rebate of up to $2,500, or $1,500 for qualifying plug-in hybrids such as the Chevrolet Volt. H.F.2926 would offer EV buyers a tax rebate of just $1,000 as part of a bill for rebates on other qualifying energy-efficiency purchases, such as solar hot water heaters.
Currently, the only incentives Minnesota offers plug-in vehicle owners are reduced electrical rates. There are an estimated 3,500 EVs in Minnesota out of approximately 4.6 million registered vehicles.
Several states, including Massachusetts and New York, have recently signed plug-in vehicle tax rebates into law as part of an initiative to see 3.3 million plug-in vehicles on American roads by 2025. U.S. plug-in vehicle sales were down slightly last year, but plug-in car sales are already up 10% through the first quarter of 2016. Globally, plug-in vehicle sales were up 80% in 2015.
