I’ve been anxiously awaiting this news so I could share it with you.
Texas’ $2,500 Rebate is officially known as the “Light-Duty Motor Vehicle Purchase or Lease Incentive Program” or LDPLIP. There are only 2,000 of these rebates available, so act fast.
Here’s the deal:
- Go to the program’s webpage.
- The links to some of the documents are broken. If you click on a document link and get a bunch of garbled characters, do this:
- Hit your browser’s back button
- Right-click on the document link
- Select “Download linked file.”
- Locate the downloaded file on your computer. It’s name will end in “.html” and that’s the problem. Remove the last 5 characters of the file name (.html). It is now a PDF file you can open with any PDF viewer (like Preview on a Mac).
- Once you have downloaded all the docs, print them out and take them to your dealer. They have to enter some information on the form before you mail it into the state government.
- Follow the instructions to complete the documents.
- Mail the documents to the TCEQ.
- Wait for a check in the mail. (Mine always seemed to take about 8 weeks.)
This program is for both fully NEW electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV). In the past, direct-to-consumer sold vehicles (like Tesla) did not qualify. THIS TIME AROUND THE DEALER PURCHASE WAS NOT A REQUIREMENT. There are multiple Tesla models that qualify, but no Rivian or Lucid. This leads me to think Rivian and Lucid have not filed a request for grant application with the state. Chevrolet forgot to do this one year, back when I sold their EVs, so the TCEQ called me to see if I could get the ball rolling.
Here’s the biggest news: Although it is not mentioned on the program’s website, the program applies to cars bought or leased on or after September 1, 2023. I called the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to verify this.
IF YOU SELL CARS FOR A LIVING: Do yourself a favor. Call every customer who bought or leased an EV/PHEV from you on or after September 1, 2023 and tell them about the program (or send them the link to this page). They will love you for it. In fact, the last time this program was started, I called everyone and got two new EV sales out of it!
IF YOU ARE A DEALER, consider having your BDC start calling everyone who was interested in a EV or PHEV and let them know about the rebate. It could be what tips a browser into becoming a customer.
IF YOU ARE A TEXAS RESIDENT WHO IS PLANNING TO BUY OR LEASE AN EV OR PHEV from a Texas dealer, print the forms and take them with you. It’ll save you a trip back to the dealership to get all the program requirements fulfilled. You used to be able to reserve a rebate if you had a qualifying vehicle on order, but TCEQ stopped accepting reservations on October 25, 2023.
