COLORADO, USA — The idea of an extra $5,500 off an electric vehicle on top of a $5,000 state tax credit made an EV purchase attractive for Adam Griff.
“This is the Hyundai Ionic 6, quite a nice electric car,” Griff said.
Earlier this year, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel for a $264 million Transportation Electrification Plan.
That money, paid by Xcel customers, funds three years’ worth of rebates and discounts for many electrification efforts, from home and public charging stations to school bus electrification to EV rebates for low-income customers.
“The Xcel one definitely, you know, pushed it over the edge in terms of making it more affordable,” Griff said.
Last week, Griff got an email from Xcel essentially saying that the EV rebate he was expecting was not coming.
In all, 103 customers received the message.
“They just said we've terminated the program because we've run out of funds and it's just instantly over, and anyone who had sent in the application and has been approved who doesn't have a check already in the mail being shipped will not be receiving their funds,” Griff said.
The $5.3 million EV rebate fund that was projected to go for three years lasted about six months.
However, there is a provision in the $264 million transportation electrification plan that allows for certain money to be shifted between rebates. Xcel is allowed to use 25% more than it budgeted for the EV rebates. That money will be deducted from other rebates, like home charging stations. Xcel will fund the approximately $500,000 it was short for the 103 customers it notified.
“I've had this for a little over two weeks. This is a Toyota RAV4 Prime,” Brian Eberle said.
Eberle, also an Xcel customer, got his EV expecting the $5,500 rebate.
“The Xcel rebate was definitely part of the reason why I bought it," Eberle said. "The extra discount, which basically made it as affordable as either a hybrid or a gasoline-powered RAV4."
He shared emails with Next with Kyle Clark documenting delays in submitting an application and getting approved.
First, he refused to fill out the application form that Xcel had posted online because it was outdated. Part of the terms and conditions stated that by applying for the Xcel rebate the customer would be forfeiting the state EV tax credit. State law now allows for the rebates to be stacked, meaning customers can apply multiple credits and rebates.
“I was concerned about not wanting to do that," Eberle said. "That was the whole point was to be able to get both of them at the same time."
In August, Eberle received an application form without that provision.
Then, in October, he received an email from Xcel’s third-party vendor, CLEAResult, stating that Xcel did not have an active application on file and that he would need to “apply again” and resubmit his income verification.
“I had to refile it, so again, that was another two-month delay that wasn't my fault,” Eberle said.
There are income restrictions customers must meet to qualify for the rebate. For example, in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver or Douglas Counties, a single person making less than $73,040 would qualify, as well as a family of four earning less than $104,320.
In places like Kiowa, Mesa, Moffat and Pueblo Counties, a single person qualifies with an income less than $52,800, or a family of four earning $75,360.
“I'm totally in limbo," Eberle said. "I haven't received a letter saying I'm not going to get a rebate, and I have not received confirmation that my rebate check is in the mail."