Maryland, of all places, just passed two bills into law that are intended to accelerate consumer acceptance of electric vehicles. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley hopes his state will be the first of many to pass laws promoting the use of plug-in electric vehicles. The two laws that were passed:
1) Access for plug-in electric vehicles to high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes regardless of the number of passengers. This legislation will take effect October 1, 2010 and last for three years.
2) A $2,000 excise motor vehicle tax credit for the purchase of a plug-in electric vehicle. Consumer’s will be able to take advantage of this incentive at the point of sale and can combine the $2,000 with an existing $7,500 federal tax credit. The tax credit applies to vehicles titled in Maryland between October 1, 2010 through July 1, 2013.
That’s $9,500 off the tag of the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, Audi e-tron, Tesla Roadster, and Ford Transit Connect for businesses. That’s a pretty big deal. Let’s just hope the auto makers don’t jack up the price in response.
Indeed a move forward, let’s just hope the EV movement keeps momentum.
