One of Arizona's largest utility companies will give customers in the Valley a $1,000 rebate if they buy or lease a new electric vehicle from a Valley dealership.
The goal is to lower emissions rates in the Valley.
The SRP "Plug-in and Save" rebate pilot program applies to the purchase or lease of new all-electric or plug-in electric hybrid vehicles only. Hybrid vehicles that don’t plugin will not qualify.
"This is part of SRP's overarching goal to have 500,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2035 in our service territory, which is the Phoenix-metro area," said Erica Sturwold, a spokesperson for SRP.
Catherine O'Brien is the Electric Vehicle Lead for SRP. She said currently only about 20,000 of SRP's 1 million customers drive EVs.
"Not only can it reduce air quality emissions from the reduction of tailpipe emissions, it just provides an overall better quality of life for our customers," she said.
Electric vehicles use a battery that has to be charged. Electricity--not gas--fuels the car.
O'Brien says while right now, EVs are pricier, overall, you'd save money. She said it's cheaper to charge the car than pay for gas, and upkeep is minimal.
"There is no oil change that you have to go and do on a regular basis," she said.
According to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, more than half of the ozone created from man-made pollution in the Valley is from driving on our roads. Besides the small amount of emissions produced from charging, an electric vehicle produces zero emissions.
"It's a win-win for everybody," said O'Brien.
SRP offers a series of programs and incentives, including a $250 rebate for anyone purchasing a residential Level 2 smart charger from SRP’s Marketplace, which is a discount of more than 30%.
