For Buyers, EV Incentives Are a Godsend — and a Head Scratcher

Zac Estrada

Zac Estrada is a reporter covering transportation, technology and policy. A former reporter for The Verge and Jalopnik, his work has also appeared in Automobile Magazine, Autoweek, Pacific Standard, Boston.com and BLAC Detroit. A native of Southern California, he is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston. You can find him on Twitter at @zacestrada.

For Buyers, EV Incentives Are a Godsend — and a Head Scratcher
Image by Ian Hurley

Los Angeles provides one of the best models for creating incentives to encourage people to buy electric cars — even if those various programs and qualifications can be confusing to navigate.


Nationally, the electric vehicle (EV) sector is growing at a rapid clip. President Biden continues his efforts to add electric vehicle chargers across the country and speed up EV adoption, and a number of new electric vehicles are coming to market in the near future, with established automakers like General Motors, Honda and Volvo setting deadlines to go all-electric. Meanwhile, startups like Fisker, Lucid and Rivian are slated to start delivering vehicles to reservation holders over the next year, and Tesla continues to report sales gains every quarter.

The push for EV is especially strong in California, where Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order last year banning the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines by 2035.

Among the most significant barriers to EV is price; even Elon Musk admits the vehicles have to come down in price before they'll see widespread adoption. Yet while electric cars have considerably higher price tags than comparable gasoline-powered models, a slew of manufacturer incentives and government subsidies have helped offset the cost.

"Some states have a more welcoming approach, while others only complicate the matter and make it harder for consumers to make the switch," said Robby DeGraff, an auto industry analyst for automotive marketing research firm AutoPacific. "There's a lot of work that needs to be done by the Biden administration and thankfully there's ambition for change to happen."

electric vehicles Photo by Michael Fousert on Unsplash

Southern California residents — especially those living in L.A. — are best positioned to take advantage of existing rebates and incentives. In addition to the maximum $1,500 California Clean Fuel Reward and $7,500 maximum federal EV tax credit, L.A. residents can get a $500 rebate toward the purchase of a Level 2 EV home charger through the the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), which replenishes a battery pack far more quickly than a standard 120-volt household outlet. LADWP also kicks in an additional $250 if EV owners install a separate meter for the vehicle charger — an offer that takes advantage of a discounted electricity rate of 2.5 cents per kilowatt hour on base period charging. That period runs on weekends and between 8 PM and 10 AM on weekdays.

"There are a number of barriers to adopting electric vehicle technology, including affordability," said Kianiwai Jones, LADWP's assistant supervisor of electric transportation programs. "More incentives at every level will be key to adoption."

As far as Jones can see, people seem to be latching onto the incentive programs. She says she fields fewer questions from customers concerned about the cost of a home charger than in years past.

But the learning curve around charging still exists, Jones says, particularly when it comes to managing power usage during peak hours. "You charge based on what you need, and not as fast and as quick as possible," Jones said. "If you're going to charge overnight and you have 8 to 10 hours, it's going to impact your bill differently. If you increase your electric usage, you're going to increase your bill. But that's offset by the fact that you're not using gasoline."

LADWP offers a $1,500 rebate towards the purchase of an EV between 2 and 8 years old. (Some used EVs can be a bargain on their own: A five-year-old Nissan Leaf, for example, can cost under $10,000.) Applicants don't have to have utility bills in their name, but must prove they live in the utility's coverage area and use the service.

"We're very focused on equity, not only to increase (EV) adoption in general, but so that low-income and disadvantaged residents have access," Jones said. "The used EV market is the more affordable market and we want to promote that further."

LADWP customers have taken notice of the used EV rebate program, with 1,106 participants in 2020 versus just 634 in 2019.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power building

Used EVs have some limitations, the first of which being that these older EVs were originally designed to go around 100 miles on a full charge, not the 200-plus that's rapidly becoming the perceived minimum. And the batteries aren't new, either.

"Battery degradation has been and will continue to be somewhat of a concern for used EVs, but then again not everyone needs 200-300 miles of range, especially if you have a home charger," DeGraff said. Electric cars have historically counted for barely 1% of all vehicles in the U.S., so the pool of used examples is vastly smaller than that of conventionally powered cars.

But there's a potential downside to EV buyers' wide range of subsidy options: With all of the different agencies offering different programs, customers may find themselves in a maze of qualifications.

Electric cars from General Motors and Tesla no longer qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit because those automakers have reached the 200,000-unit cap for that incentive. Nissan, which will add the electric-only Ariya SUV to its lineup next year, is likely to hit that ceiling next.

The GREEN Act, introduced in Congress in February by California Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) would lower the tax credit to a $7,000 maximum but raise the cap to 600,000 cars. But there hasn't been movement on the bill since it was introduced. President Biden also wants to give direct rebates to EV customers, but that's also stuck as part of his $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan.

In California, the incentive of up to $2,000 under the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project has been exhausted as of April 23 and a waitlist has opened up until the state Legislature decides what to do with it. It's effectively been replaced by the California Clean Fuel Reward, with a rebate of up to $1,500 for any new plug-in vehicle. (The California Clean Fuel Reward grants a rebate at the point of purchase and allows the buyer to apply the rebate upfront, rather than issuing the rebate weeks later—as most programs do.)

The LADWP home charger program was set to expire this month and the used EV incentive next year, but Jones says both programs are expected to be renewed. LADWP's board of water and power commissioners has given the go-ahead to the agency to fund the programs until 2028 or until they're no longer deemed necessary.

The utility company programs are also funded with assistance from the California Air Resources Board and its low-carbon fuel standard and cap-and-trade programs. CARB currently runs the Clean Cars 4 All program that offers low-to-middle income residents in various counties including Los Angeles County up to $9,500 to scrap their qualifying gasoline vehicle and replace it with an EV. The Clean Vehicle Assistance Program offers those customers grants of as much as $5,000 and lower finance rates towards the purchase of a plug-in vehicle. But CARB anticipates those programs will run out of funding by July without indication they will be renewed.

Jones says LADWP has worked with Plug In America, a nonprofit group advocating electric vehicles, to help consumers and dealers navigate the qualifications for the various incentives before any sale of a vehicle is completed. Dealers around LADWP's service area can become certified as EV experts to better inform customers looking to purchase a plug-in vehicle.

"Understanding your specific situation and your behavior is going to be important," Jones said. "We do have people who are ready and willing to help the customers. It's just a smart way to reduce the impact."

Lead illustratio by Ian Hurley.

LA Tech Week 2025: Sunday’s Event Lineup

Here's the Sunday, October 19th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

ARTS DISTRICT

3:00 PM

BEL AIR

3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

BURBANK

6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

CULVER CITY

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

4:30 PM – 7:30 PM

INGLEWOOD

10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

  • Spinovation: The Future Is Femme, The Future is Frequency: See Details Here
    Sonder Impact, Black Women Spin, Sip & Sonder

KOREATOWN

12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

MARINA DEL REY

12:00 PM

  • Sunday Tech Brunch
    Sawubona

MID CITY

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

  • Women in Cleantech Hike and Network: See Details Here
    Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

SANTA MONICA

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

3:45 PM

4:00 PM – 7:30 PM

  • OFF THE HOOK Santa Monica Seafood Festival: See Details Here
    Spin PR Group, City of Santa Monica, Tech St.

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

  • Pritam: A Musical Legend - Live in Concert: See Details Here
    American South Asian Network

7:00 PM

  • Building AI workflow editor in React with Workflow Builder SDK: See Details Here
    Workflow Builder

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

  • Unlock Apple's Corporate Advantage for your Startup!: See Details Here
    iStore by St. Moritz

TOPANGA CANYON

3:00 PM

  • Dreamore Hike and Picnic: LA Tech Week: *Invite Only*
    Dreamore

VENICE

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

  • Coffee, Walk, and Schmooze: See Details Here
    JFE (Jews For Entrepreneurship) Network

VIRTUAL (LA)

10:00 AM

  • Level Up with LinkedIn: A Student’s Guide to Networking & Opportunities (Virtual Event): See Details Here
    FIMAC

10:00 AM

WEST ADAMS

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

Download the dot.LA App


LA Tech Week 2025: Saturday’s Event Lineup

Here's the Saturday, October 18th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

BEVERLY HILLS

2:00 PM

CENTURY CITY

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

CULVER CITY

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

1:00 PM

DTLA

7:00 PM

  • {MiniMax x Nakid x SkyPortalx}: TECH/MOTION/MUSIC/ART: See Details Here
    MiniMax (Hailuo AI)

10:00 PM – 2:00 AM

EL SEGUNDO

10:00 AM

  • Venture on the Green: *Invite Only*
    BLCK VC

4:00 PM

INGLEWOOD

7:00 PM

  • Valar Atomics, Durin and Discipulus Ventures - Night With A Nuclear Reactor: See Details Here
    Valar Atomics, Durin, Discipulus Ventures

MARINA DEL REY

8:30 AM

12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

5:00 PM

  • LOST iN Sunset Sail: Navigating the Tides of the Creator Economy & Media: See Details Here
    LOST iN

PASADENA

9:00 AM

PLAYA VISTA

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

SANTA MONICA

7:00 AM

9:00 AM

  • Pedal & Network: Tech Cyclists @ LA Tech Week 🚵: See Details Here
    Instafill.ai

9:30 AM

  • Getty Center Guided Tour & (Optional) Photography Scavenger Hunt: See Details Here
    NEW MOON Impact Productions

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

11:00 AM – 2:15 PM

12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

1:30 PM

  • Self-Defense in Court and the Streets: See Details Here
    Santa Monica Striking, Luri Inc.

2:00 PM

  • SMARTUP 500: THE FIRST AT TECH WEEK LA - Launching the world’s first Startup Ranking: See Details Here
    Smart Times

2:00 PM

  • NLPs (No Lame Panels) The Creator X Founder Rooftop Party: See Details Here
    Startup Village, Sanctuary

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

4:00 PM – 6:30 PM

  • Just Do It?: Helping Founders Perform Like Olympians: See Details Here
    Elite Psychology Group

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

6:00 PM

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

  • The Future of Hospitality: Poetry, Provenance & Passports: See Details Here
    Villa Kitchen, Airble, We Speak Dance, Techstars San Francisco

7:00 PM

  • 🚀 Investor x Founder Open Mic Pitches: See Details Here
    Feathr, Los Angeles Fun Events

7:00 PM

  • Life is a Pitch - LA Edition: *Invite Only*
    DeepMyst

TOPANGA CANYON

5:00 PM – 8:30 PM

  • Walk&Jam: Use AI to make art while hiking Topanga Canyon: See Details Here
    Formhaus llc, Wonderland Immersive Design

TORRANCE

1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

  • Crunches & Conversations Presented by The Differentials and KIS Training Studios: See Details Here
    The Differentials, KIS Training Studios

VENICE

1:00 PM – 4:30 PM

  • Beyond the Language Barrier: Exploring AI's Next Frontier: See Details Here
    Medusa AI

VENICE BEACH

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

  • SŨRFED Club @ Venice Beach: Founders, Creators, Investors share the waves: See Details Here
    SŨRFED Club, Go Vitamins

WEST ADAMS

9:30 AM – 10:45 AM

  • Funders Shaping Democracy, AI & Media: See Details Here
    New Media Ventures, New Rising Ventures

WEST HOLLYWOOD

4:00 PM

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

9:30 PM

  • Vibe Check Comedy Show, Tech Week Edition! @ Hollywood Improv: See Details Here
    Vibe Check Comedy

For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

Download the dot.LA App


LA Tech Week 2025: Friday’s Event Lineup

Here's the Friday, October 17th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

ARTS DISTRICT

8:30 AM – 12:00 PM

  • Power Day: Ideas, Pitches, Connections: See Details Here
    Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)

6:00 PM

  • WEB3 GAMING IS DEAD - Happy Hour: See Details Here
    Plassa Capital, Yee-Haw Monster Trucks

BEVERLY HILLS

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

4:00 PM

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

  • So you went viral, Now what? (pt II): See Details Here
    Verci, Study Fetch, TechSpace

8:00 PM

  • Private Pool: GP x LP x FO: *Invite Only*
    Visionlist Commons , Bay Area Innovest

BRENTWOOD

8:00 AM

  • Founders & Investors Hike: See Details Here
    Salehpour Legal, Technology Founders of America

CARSON

11:45 AM

  • Lightspeed x SVB Porsche Experience: *Invite Only*
    Lightspeed Venture Partners, SVB

CULVER CITY

8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

11:00 AM

1:00 PM

  • Surf Parks & Wave Pools: From Doja Cat to Mark Zuckerberg: See Details Here
    Surflytics

8:00 PM – 12:00 AM

EL SEGUNDO

11:30 AM – 2:00 PM

5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

HOLLYWOOD

10:00 AM

  • AI, Revenue, and Reality: How Fortune 500s Work With Startups That Ship: See Details Here
    Sunrise AI, OpenTable

12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

  • Unplugged: LA Tech Week Recharge Experience with TAY × Checked Out: See Details Here
    TAY Fitness, Checked Out

9:00 PM

INGLEWOOD

8:00 AM

  • TCSI Presents: Caffeine & Connections: See Details Here
    The Cyber Security Intellects Nonprofit

LONG BEACH

7:00 AM

MALIBU

10:00 AM

  • Great Leaders Podcast & Profiles: See Details Here
    NEW MOON Impact Productions, Origin Studios

12:30 PM

MARINA DEL REY

9:00 AM

  • Keeping Your Freedom as a Founder: Real Talk on Funding: See Details Here
    Lighter Capital

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

  • D-Wave Research Day & Hackathon!: See Details Here
    USC Information Sciences Institute, D-Wave

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

  • The Sky is Not the Limit: All About Aerospace: See Details Here
    Sunstone Management, USC Viterbi Startup Garage

PASADENA

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

  • Deep Tech Entrepreneurship Pillars of Pasadena Tech: See Details Here
    Innovate Pasadena, Pasadena SBDC, City of Pasadena

PLAYA VISTA

9:00 AM

12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

  • Vision to Venture - AI Media Showcase powered by Google AI: See Details Here
    Google

SANTA MONICA

7:00 AM – 8:30 AM

  • Signal Run : RTC x Wildwood VC: See Details Here
    Run Tech Club, Wildwood Ventures

7:30 AM

8:45 AM – 10:45 AM

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

  • Slash Burn Rates & Scale Your Startup: See Details Here
    Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA)

9:00 AM

  • Driving a Digital Ecology Relay: What is at Stake: See Details Here
    The PORT GLOBAL, GLOBAL PORTAL INSTITUTE

9:30 AM – 11:30 AM

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

  • The Enduring Value of Inclusive Capital: See Details Here
    Founders Registry. Nervana

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

10:30 AM

11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

  • Advisors to Investors Lunch: Venture Capital for enterprise leaders: See Details Here
    Collinear Capital, Worlds

12:00 PM

  • Powerhouse Capital & a16z speedrun Investor Lunch Mixer: See Details Here
    Powerhouse Capital, a16z, speedrun

2:00 PM

  • Where Robotics Meets Heart - Embedding Family Values in a Future with AI: See Details Here
    Trove, Puerto Rico Blockchain Association, MindfulBytes

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

3:00 PM

3:00 PM

  • Workshop: Create An Enterprise Chatbot and Unlock the 70% of Data Data You’re Not Using: See Details Here
    Aparavi

4:00 PM

5:00 PM – 10:00 PM

5:30 PM

5:30 PM – 9:30 PM

6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

  • USC Alumni Founders & Investors: See Details Here
    USC Alumni Entrepreneurship Network, Techstars

6:00 PM

  • Social Currency Series/Greenlit presents PitchPop: See Details Here
    Social Currency Series, Greenlit

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

6:30 PM

6:30 PM – 10:00 PM

6:30 PM

  • Lets get the LA Bioeconomy brewing: See Details Here
    Founders, Friends & Fermentation, Saku Biosciences

7:00 PM – 11:30 PM

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

7:00 PM

7:00 PM

  • Liquid Equity 2: The Premiere Gathering for Founders, Creator
    Coeus Collective

7:00 PM

7:00 PM

  • For the Love of Tech | Speed Dating for Tech Professionals: See Details Here
    Feathr, Los Angeles Fun Events

7:00 PM

SOUTH LA

3:00 PM

TORRANCE

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

  • The Future of Space & Security Panel: See Details Here
    Northwood Space, Anduril Industries, Impulse Space, Astranis

VENICE

9:00 AM – 10:45 AM

9:00 AM – 11:30 AM

11:00 AM

11:30 AM – 2:30 PM

12:30 PM

  • Creative Partners: Human + AI Storytelling: See Details Here
    Othelia, Primordial Soup

2:00 PM – 3:45 PM

5:00 PM

  • EarthHouse: Critical Minerals, Mobility & Modern Power: See Details Here
    The Strategye Group, Alpha Sierra One

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

6:00 PM

  • Pizza+Soda: *Invite Only*
    Schmoozd , The KINN

7:00 PM

VENICE BEACH

2:00 PM – 6:30 PM

5:00 PM

8:30 PM – 2:00 AM

VIRTUAL (LA)

2:30 PM – 4:00 PM

3:00 PM

  • Government of Alberta: ProcurementAsCode // Done in 60 Seconds: See Details Here
    Government of Alberta

4:00 PM

  • Stop Hitting Yourself 🥊: See Details Here
    Stop Hitting Yourself, HOWDY, Company Policy, Snowbird Global

WEST HOLLYWOOD

3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

6:00 PM

WESTSIDE

5:00 PM

5:30 PM – 8:30 PM


For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

Download the dot.LA App


RELATEDEDITOR'S PICKS
Trending