Ditching gas just got more affordable for low-income EV buyers in California
California has added a new $2,000 incentive for low- and moderate-income EV buyers, bringing the total state incentives to $9,500.
On top of the federal $7,500 EV tax credit and potential local or regional credits, this means some new EV buyers can get $17,000 or more back on the purchase of a new EV.
The new incentive comes in the form of an “EV Charge Card.” The charge card will be loaded with $2,000 worth of funds which can only be used at public charging stations.
One issue for lower-income EV buyers, especially in California, is that housing is quite expensive, which means some may not have access to their own parking spots. While California does have “right to charge” laws, which make it easier for renters to install charging and require new developments to have EV charging, there can still be difficulties for short-term renters and those who live in places that park on the street (e.g., many beach communities).
This means these groups are more likely to rely on public charging, so to meet that need, California’s new program gives $2,000 in free charging to this income group.
The charge card will be mailed out to rebate applicants that qualify for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project’s (CVRP) “increased rebate” for lower-income households. Buyers of battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids will get the charge card, but fuel cell vehicles won’t.
The “increased rebate” is $7,500 for BEVs and $6,500 for PHEVs, and it applies to any household with income less than or equal to 400% of the federal poverty line. In 2023, this means an income of under $58,320 for an individual or $120k for a family of four. But this is household income, not individual income, so dual-income families will need to account for both.
Higher-income EV buyers will still have access to California’s typical $2,000 EV rebate but won’t get the charge card and don’t qualify for the increased rebate.
Between the new charge card, the increased rebate, and the federal EV tax credit, this means that some buyers in a narrow income range could potentially qualify for $17,000 in incentives on the purchase of a new EV.
Better yet, some cities, utilities, and regions have additional incentives available. For example, the San Joaquin Valley Air District offers a $3,000 incentive, Central Coast Community Energy offers $2,000-$4,000, and so on.
CVRP has created a “savings calculator” where you can input information about your household, and it will help you find various incentives available to you.
For buyers who happen to live in the right location and have the right income level, it could be possible to get over $20k worth of incentives on the purchase of a new EV. We recently ran a story on how one person supposedly got a new Tesla Model 3 for under $14k.
And there are even cheaper EVs than that. Electrek’s vehicle of the year, the Chevy Bolt EV – which is already a screaming deal at a base MSRP of $26,500 – could be an even more phenomenal deal for anyone who manages to qualify for California’s increased rebate and the federal tax credit.
And while the Chevy Bolt will go out of production at the end of this year, some other budget EVs will remain, like the Nissan Leaf, which is still under $30k.
However, the federal tax credit isn’t refundable, meaning you need to have enough total federal tax liability to take advantage of it (for a single filer, a tax burden of $7,500 correlates with ~$54k in taxable income). This means lower-income buyers may only be able to take advantage of part of the federal tax credit rather than all of it.
This could change next year when the federal tax credit becomes available upfront at the point of sale. Also, low-income EV buyers can take advantage of the full federal tax credit now by leasing an EV because the credit is then taken by the lessor, which can be passed on via lower lease payments.
In the case of a lease, the CVRP rebate is still available as long as the lease is at least 30 months. You still have to pay the down payment, but you’ll get a check from California a few weeks later. (In the past, we’ve seen lease down payments set such that you would see “zero down payment” after the rebate check comes in.)
For other questions about eligibility, see CVRP’s FAQ here. And have a look at the savings calculator mentioned above to find other potential rebates. And if you’re looking for the best deal in EVs right now, you can use our link to search your local dealers for a Chevy Bolt (or a Nissan Leaf).
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Inflation is back, with prices rising 2.7% compared to last year (and that doesn’t include food, fuel, or rent, which are up even more), which is objectively bad. But it’s not true that everything is getting more expensive. These inflation-busting EVs are heading into 2026 with prices that are lower than they were in 2025!
There’s plenty of reasons for prices to go up or down in a market – everything from tariffs and taxes and increased domestic production to changes in inflation or even just a manufacturerwillingness to take a smaller profit on per-unit sales in order to drive volume. There’s a little bit of all of that happening in the American EV market this year, especially in the face of the expiring Federal EV tax credit that kind of makes most EVs cost $7,500 more than they would have otherwise.
That said, as I was putting this list together, I realized there were plenty of ways for me to present these MY26 price cuts. “Best deals?” Too opinion-based. “Biggest discounts by percentage?” Too much math. In the end, I went with alphabetical order, by make. Enjoy!
Cadillac OPTIQ
Cadillac is the industry’s luxury EV leader these days – and for good reason. Its electric crossovers are good-looking, have long range, great acceleration, and ultra-fast charging. Heck, they can even power your home in a pinch.
Even so, the powers that be at GM are worried about how their EV sales will fare in an American without a $7,500 Federal EV tax credit, so they’re offering a rear-wheel-drive version of the OPTIQ crossover with 300 miles of range for the 2026 model year with a starting price that’s nearly $2,000 lower than the least-expensive 2025.
Chevy Silverado EV
Chevy is crushing it right now. After setting EV range records and surpassing Ford in EV sales this semmer, Chevy is now the fastest-growing domestic EV brand in the US – and they’re seemingly intent on keeping that momentum into 2026 with a more affordable WT trim level that starts at $54,895, compared to $57,095 for the ’25 WT Standard Range.
The financial picture is looking rosier at the top of the Silverado EV model range, too. The range-topping model for 2026 is the $88,695 Trail Boss, while the $97,895 RST Max Range topped the 2025 lineup.
Mercedes-Benz EQS
Despite being objectively capable, technologically-advanced, and supremely luxurious long-range electric vehicles, the Mercedes EQS and EQS SUVs were saddled with a somewhat anonymous, jellybean-like styling language that’s seen the flagship EVs struggle to find a foothold in the ultra-luxury segment they inhabit.
To that end, Mercedes kicked off its 2025 with big discounts on its in-stock EQS and EQS SUVs, and is responding to lower-than-expected market demand by reducing the cars’ MSRPs. In the case of the EQS SUV, by an inflation-busting $15,000 (!).
Toyota bZ
For 2026, Toyota has axed the bZ4X name and added a raft of both functional and cosmetic improvements to its five-passenger electric crossover, including body color fenders, up to 25% more range, and – thanks to a new thermal management system and battery preconditioning – a bigger battery that can charge from 10-80% capacity in about thirty minutes.
Even with those upgrades, the new and improved 2026 Toyota bZ is cheaper than the outgoing bZ4X, starting at $34,900 – or $2,170 less than the outgoing model.
Disclaimer: the prices above were sourced from CarsDirect, Motor1, and a number OEM websites. All offers were current as of 07SEP2025, and all links provided are from trusted affiliates. These prices may not be available in every market, with every discount, or for every buyer (the standard “with approved credit” fine print should be considered implied). Check with your local dealer(s) for more information.
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Sennebogen’s new 824 G Electro Battery material handler is being put through its paces at a recycling site in Munich’s Aubing district. And, thanks to its innovative grid-connected/battery system, it never has to stop to recharge!
With its emphasis on the recycling of stainless steel, ferroalloys, and superalloys, CRONIMET Alpha’s recycling operations are loud, and adding the ceaseless drone of diesel engines straining against the mass of all that metal as it’s sorted and fed into bailing presses. That’s why the company was so excited to test out Sennebogen’s new, all-electric 824 G Electro Battery material handler during an extensive trial at its Munich site.
So far, CRONIMET’s operators have been impressed with the new Sennebogen. “The battery-powered machine drives just like a diesel-powered one,” explains equipment operator Zoran Alexsic. “You don’t notice any difference in power – only that everything runs much more smoothly and quietly … you don’t have to take breaks to escape the noise.”
Quiet, but powerful
The Sennebogen 824 G comes standard with a 98 kWh battery, but operators can install up to four modular packs for a total of 392 kWh and roughly eight hours of runtime. Even with a single pack—good for 1.5 to 3 hours—the machine can keep CRONIMET’s operations running almost nonstop, thanks to its built-in dual power mode.
Sennebogen’s dual power mode enables the 824 G to run on battery while drawing power from the grid at the same time. When connected to grid power, the machine can recharge its batteries as it works, eliminating the downtime other BEVs need for charging and giving operators the freedom to reposition the machine on battery power, then plug back in when convenient.
Beyond flexibility, the electric handler is also cleaner, quieter, and more cost-effective than the diesel models it’s designed to replace. By seamlessly cycling between battery and grid power, it reduces both noise on the job site and energy costs during peak hours.
Electrek’s Take
We’ve seen grid-connected equipment assets like this before, and with good reason. Simply put, it takes many more kilowatts of energy to dig up tons and tons of dirt and rocks than it does to send an aerodynamically smoothed sedan down a road. That’s why you still see a push towards hydrogen and other energy-dense fuels in construction – but permanently grid connected assets, whether wired or inductive, could solve for some of the limitations of batteries on job sites that can support them.
If the 824 G Electro Battery is a commercial success, expect Sennebogen to roll out more grid-connected options in the years to come.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Sennebogen.
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MINI has partnered with lifestyle brand, Deus Ex Machina, to develop this. It’s called the Skeg, and it’s a high-performance, racing-inspired electric concept car that’s sure to lighten the mood – by shedding fully 15% of its mass in the quest for speed.
One of a pair of exclusive, one-off concepts based on MINI’s John Cooper Works cars. The Deus Ex Machina Skeg celebrates MINI’s storied racing history with what the company calls, “a clean, minimal, and quiet rebellion,” that draws on materials, technologies, and philosophies from the world of surfing.
The electric MINI JCW Skeg is stripped to its essentials, with much of the steel and aluminum bits replaced with lightweight fiberglass to maximize acceleration while driving the minimalist aesthetic home. The end result weighs 15% less than the standard car – but makes the same stout 190 kW (258 hp) as the production car.
Surf’s up
The interior is stripped back to the barest essentials, reflecting BMW’s vision of a surf culture that prioritizes function over form. MINI claims the end result resembles a mobile surf shop, with fiberglass trays for wetsuits, specially shaped bins, neoprene seats, and other touches that “bring the surf culture into the interior.”
For their part, the BMW and MINI styling team seems pretty proud of its minimalistic electric endeavor. “In this extraordinary collaboration … every single detail has been crafted with artisanal precision and expertise,” says Holger Hampf, Head of MINI Design. “This has resulted in unique characters that are clearly perceived as belonging together through their distinctive design language and use of graphics.”
The concept retains the production version’s 54.2 kWh li-ion battery pack, up to 250 of WLTP range with the production aero kit, sprints from 0-100 km (62 mph) in just 5.9 seconds. With 15% less mass, though, that should jump to more than 255 miles, with 0-60 times dropping below 5.5 seconds.
I dig it – but I’d skip the surf bits and just appreciate the raw composite, minimalist interior look for what it is. Take a look at the image gallery, below, then let us know what you think of MINI’s Skeg concept in the comments.
MINI Skeg concept | gallery
SOURCE | IMAGES: BMW MINI.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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