APPROVED CHAPTER
MARCH 14, 2024 535
BY GOVERNOR PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FOUR
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S.P. 61 - L.D. 122
An Act to Update the Electric Vehicle Rebate Program and to Establish a
Pilot Program to Support the Uptake of Medium Duty and Heavy Duty Zero-
emission Vehicles
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §10126, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2023, c. 140, §2, is further
amended to read:
3. Rebate Incentive program established; eligibility. In accordance with the
provisions of this section, the trust shall establish and administer a program that provides
rebates incentives for the purchase or lease of electric vehicles. A person may apply for
and, as resources within the fund allow, receive a rebate an incentive for an electric vehicle,
subject to eligibility requirements established by the trust. Eligibility criteria for the vehicle
must include that the vehicle is: a battery electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid electric
vehicle; the vehicle is purchased, or leased for a term of 36 months or more, from its
original equipment manufacturer or an authorized licensee of the original equipment
manufacturer or a licensed automobile dealer for a term of 36 months or more, in the State
or from its original equipment manufacturer, wherever located; and, to the extent required
by Title 29‑A, chapter 5, the vehicle is registered in the State. An automobile, as defined
in Title 29‑A, section 101, subsection 7, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 6,000 pounds
or less is not eligible for the program if it has a manufacturer's suggested retail price greater
than $50,000 $55,000. To the extent funds are available, the trust may extend program
eligibility to medium duty vehicles and heavy duty vehicles that are battery electric vehicles
or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and to electric bicycles. Eligibility requirements for the
recipient of the rebate incentive must include that the recipient attests to a commitment to
retain ownership maintain a registration in this State to the extent required by Title 29-A,
chapter 5, whether through purchase or lease, of the eligible electric vehicle for at least 36
months from the date of purchase or lease. The trust may require a recipient of a rebate an
incentive under this section who does not retain ownership maintain a registration in this
State of the eligible electric vehicle for at least 36 months to repay the trust up to the full
amount of the rebate incentive. If the trust extends program eligibility to electric bicycles,
the trust shall limit the electric bicycle rebates incentives to recipients who are low-income
and moderate-income individuals and to entities that serve those individuals, as determined
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by the trust. For a recipient to receive a rebate an incentive for the purchase of an electric
bicycle under the program, the electric bicycle must serve as the recipient's principal means
of commuting, as determined by the trust.
The trust shall establish the rebate incentive amount for each eligible electric vehicle. The
trust shall establish rebate incentive amounts that it determines most effectively increase
the purchase use of eligible electric vehicles in the State to advance the State's carbon
reduction targets and reduce transportation-related energy costs. For each model of an
eligible electric vehicle, the trust may establish different rebate incentive amounts based
on the size of the vehicle battery. The trust may establish different rebate incentive amounts
for the purpose of providing reasonable opportunity for participation in the program across
different customer groups and geographic areas. The trust may establish reasonable limits
on the number of rebates incentives per vehicle or per person.
Sec. 2. 35-A MRSA §10126, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 258, §1 and
reallocated by RR 2019, c. 1, Pt. A, §54, is amended to read:
4. List of eligible electric vehicles; applications. The trust shall develop, make
available on its publicly accessible website and periodically update a list of eligible electric
vehicles and rebates incentives included in the program. The trust shall develop and make
available at its offices and on its publicly accessible website all forms and other documents
necessary for a person to apply for and receive a direct rebate incentive under this section.
Sec. 3. Medium duty and heavy duty electric vehicle pilot program. For
fiscal years 2023-24 to 2025-26, to the extent that funds within the Electric Vehicle Fund
established by the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 10126, subsection 2 allow,
the Efficiency Maine Trust, referred to in this section as "the trust," shall establish a pilot
program to provide incentives for the purchase or lease of medium duty and heavy duty
vehicles in commercial applications that are electric vehicles. For the purposes of this
section, "electric vehicle" means a battery electric vehicle as defined in Title 35-A, section
10126, subsection 1, paragraph A. The pilot program must be designed to demonstrate the
performance of the electric vehicles that are purchased or leased by pilot program
participants and gather information about the electric vehicles' costs, benefits and other
considerations relevant to their use and adoption in this State. The pilot program
participants must be limited to businesses with 500 or fewer employees, that have their
principal place of business in this State and that may use medium duty and heavy duty
vehicles, excluding school buses, rated Class 2b through Class 8 under the United States
Environmental Protection Agency classification system. In providing incentives for the
purchase or lease of medium duty and heavy duty vehicles under the pilot program, the
trust shall:
1. Ensure that at least 50% of funds used to provide incentives under the pilot program
are provided to businesses with 50 or fewer employees;
2. Give preference to purchases or leases that use supply channels in this State; and
3. Prioritize vehicle types commonly used and commercially available in the State for
which the duty cycle proposed by the business is suitable for the electric vehicle model as
determined by the trust, while giving consideration for the amount and type of daily use
and the potential to improve energy independence and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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 By December 31, 2026, the trust shall submit a report of the activities and findings of
the pilot program to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over
energy matters. The committee may report out a bill related to the trust's report to the 133rd
Legislature in 2027.
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Statutes affected:
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 535: 35-A.10126