EV Program Likely to Leave Some Flood-Stricken Vermonters Behind 

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• Rachel Hellman ©️ Seven Days
• Flooded cars at the Richmond park and ride

Last week, Gov. Phil Scott announced new incentives to encourage Vermonters with flood-damaged cars to purchase electric vehicles. But high prices for EVs mean the program would not be accessible to those who need it most.

“As we continue responding to this summer’s weather events, we remain focused on transitioning to an electric future, including in the transportation sector,” Scott said.

Those who for qualify for the EV program can receive cash incentives through three different programs: One allows Vermonters with flood-affected cars to receive an additional $1,000 on top of a $5,000 incentive toward a new electric vehicle. Qualifying Vermonters can also receive a $5,000 incentive to purchase a high-efficiency used vehicle. Additionally, Vermonters with flood-damaged vehicles can now receive up to $5,000 for swapping out their gas- or diesel-powered vehicle for “cleaner transportation options.”

Vermonters can stack these programs to receive up to $11,000 off the price of a new plug-in EV and up to $10,000 off the price of a used one.

Wanda Robar, program manager at Good News Garage, a nonprofit in Burlington that accepts cars for families in need, said the program is still inaccessible for low-income Vermonters. Affordable energy-efficient vehicles are hard to come by right now. And without a home charging port, electric cars take hours — if not days — to charge. Convincing a landlord to install a port is unlikely, which means renters are disadvantaged.

“The majority of people who would get vehicles from Good News Garage can’t add [a charging port] because they don't own property,” Robar said.

Robbie Simmons, whose car was destroyed in the July 10 flood, doesn’t see how he could make use of the program. Simmons makes $19 an hour working with homeless youths, electric and energy-efficient vehicles are well out of his price range.

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VTrans is aware of the program's shortcomings. “It’s definitely a concern,” said Andrea Wright, the agency's environmental policy manager. “It can help a lot, but it doesn’t necessarily get them into a vehicle right off.”

According to Wright, the Replace Your Ride program — which provides a stipend for swapping a vehicle for a cleaner transportation option — is one of the least used in the agency’s portfolio. Since September 2022, about 32 incentives have been issued.

Wright said the agency plans on “looking at our statutory language, to figure out if there's ways that we can be flexible in these types of situations moving forward."

The incentive comes on the heels of an announcement from the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles warning people to be on the look out for flood-damaged cars when purchasing used vehicles. The DMV recommends Vermonters use the National Insurance Crime Bureau's free VINCheck to determine whether a vehicle has ever been flooded or stolen.