SANTA MONICA, Calif. -
To clear the air and quash any confusion, Edmunds.com explained Thursday that electric vehicles aren’t the only vehicles that are eligible under the New Qualified Plug-In Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit program.
In fact, the site noted that consumers who buy vehicles with at least 4 kilowatt-hour batteries can receive the federal tax credit. The credit starts at $2,500 and goes as high as $7,500. The larger the vehicle’s battery, the greater the tax credit, the company shared.
As long as there is an electric drive system in the vehicle, models with gas engines (or other energy sources), can qualify, provided they have the aforementioned minimum kWh in the battery, according to Edmunds.com
Officials said Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf are likely to get buyers the full $7,500 credit.
“Stating that the Chevy Volt qualifies for the tax credit does not mean that the feds have declared it to be an EV,” noted John O’Dell, senior editor at Edmunds’ GreenCarAdvisor.com.
“It is expected that the Toyota Prius PHEV also will qualify for a credit from the same fund as the Volt, but Toyota does not now and never has classified the Prius PHEV as an ‘EV.’ It is a hybrid electric vehicle, ‘hybrid’ for short,” he continued.