Incentives and Laws

Hybrid Incentives and Rebates - Region by Region

We're doing our best to track hybrid incentives and rebates across the country.

Corporate Incentives for Hybrids and Alternative Cars

Do you think that only environmentalists or eco-conscious legislators want to promote smart transportation choices? Think again. A growing number of business leaders are seeing the connection between employees’ driving habits and the well being of their companies and communities.

Federal Incentives (United States)

Depending on when you bought a hybrid, which model you purchased, and how many deductions you are already taking, you might be entitled to significant tax credit.

California Mandates the Display of 'Global Warming Score' on New Vehicles

California wants you to consider greenhouse gas emissions when you buy your next new car. And to help you do that, they’ve revised their mandatory Environmental Performance label for all 2009 model-year cars. All new vehicles must display the modified sticker by January 1, but some could appear on cars as early as this month.

McCain Lays Out His Energy Policy

In a speech at Fresno State University in California, Republican presidential candidate John McCain outlined a series of new proposals for dealing with the energy and environmental crises that figure to play a bigger role in this year's elections than ever before.

The March Toward Plug-In Hybrids Continues

GE is teaming up with Chrysler to help accelerate the latter's late move into plug-ins. Meanwhile, the U.S. government is finally putting some money into plug-in hybrid development—not a lot mind you—but it looks like industry has already sunk its own change into the program. Plug-Ins are coming. But how long will we have to wait, and will they be affordable?

The Political Push for Plug-in Hybrids

On June 11 and 12, the Brookings Institution and Google.org will host the biggest gathering of national powerbrokers discussing the role of government regarding plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. On the eve of the conference, HybridCars.com spoke with David Sandalow, energy and environment scholar at Brookings, about hybrid technology, oil politics, and government's role in changing how we power our cars.

Big Oil Provides Little Hope About Gas Prices

In the week leading up to Memorial Day—the start of the so-called "summer driving season"—Congress took the opportunity to air America's grievances over high gas prices with executives from Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, and ConocoPhillips. Their visit left little hope that proposed legislation designed to make things easier on consumers will pass, and even more unlikely that any measure would significantly bring down prices.

Colorado Starts Hybrid HOV Access, Arizona Stops

Hybrid drivers in Colorado will soon be able to drive solo in carpool lanes. The state will issue 2,000 special permits through a lottery system. The use of this perk continues to be debated across the country.

CAFE Footprint Formula Explained

Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced its new formula to calculate fuel efficiency standards based on the footprint of vehicle lines—rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Is this a fair approach? We asked John DeCicco, senior fellow for automotive issues at Environmental Defense, to explain what the rules mean for carmakers and car buyers. See the complete interview.