State employees interested in purchasing an electric vehicle will soon have a chance at an exclusive discount.
Gov. Jay Inslee today announced that Nissan is providing a $3,000 rebate to Washington state employees for purchase of a 2018 Nissan Leaf. The Nissan Leaf is an all-electric vehicle with a range of up to 151 miles. The rebate can be combined with other federal incentives to provide state employees as much as $10,500 off the price of a new Leaf. The discount program begins October 1 and ends January 2, 2019.
Electrification of Washington’s transportation system is a high priority for Inslee. There are approximately 35,000 EVs on the road in Washington today, and the governor has set a goal of increasing that number to 50,000 by 2020. Inslee recently announced that 50 percent of all new passenger vehicles in the state fleet will be electric by 2020, and he is working with partners to expand the state’s network of high-speed charging stations.
Carbon emissions from automobiles are the largest source of carbon emissions in Washington. Because Washington’s electricity is relatively affordable and comes primarily from hydropower and other renewable sources, EVs are an especially clean choice for consumers wanting to reduce their carbon footprint as well as their gas bill.