MAINE MORNING STAR • December 16, 2024
The state’s newly updated climate action plan, known as Maine Won’t Wait, set a goal of having 150,000 light-duty electric vehicles on Maine roads by the start of the next decade. However, one of the incentives the state has used in recent years to promote that transition has run dry without any current plan to bring it back. “To further increase the number of EVs on the road, Maine must continue to offer attractive EV rebates and expand the dealer network offering rebates, especially in rural communities,” the climate action plan reads. But those rebates will need more money to continue. Going forward, Efficiency Maine has proposed a three-year strategic plan that gradually increases rebate funding from about $2 million next year to $4 million in fiscal year 2028. The State estimates a low-income EV rebate program would require $11 million to $28.8 million per year through 2032.