Local Laws that promote driving hybrid, electric or ngv

In New Mexico, starting next month, if the car you purchase has an overall EPA rating of higher than 27.5 MPG you will not have to pay any sales tax on that car (a 3% savings).

 

Minnesota is now considering opening HOV lanes up to hybrids:

http://wcco.com/localnews/local_story_197145039.html

Unfortunately...

:|

 

In New Mexico, effective this month, anyone buying a car that is rated at higher than 27.5 mpg does not have to pay tax on it. A nice savings. Wish it had been set up as retroactive to when it was passed by the legislature (in March when I bought my Prius).

 

This past June, I had convinced our facility services dept. where I work to change the carpool parking spaces (12) to a combination carpool/hybrids parking spaces. New signs will be put up at these spaces and is pending final approval from management. They told me that it will be a few months before the signs are ready. As soon as it happens I will take some pics and post it here. As it is the current carpool spaces are only 1/3 full most of the time.

 

In Utah if you are eligible for the clean fuels tax credit you can get a special license plate that allows you to use the HOV lane. The Civic Hybrid is elligible for the credit, but the Prius is not! The tax credit application says something like: if the car comes in both Hybrid and non-hybrid then you can get the credit, but if not then you are SOL. I think the reason is because there is a program that is an incentive to convert your regular car into a "clean fuel" car. This usually means natural gas. So people were getting money for converting their car to ng and the people who bought ng cars to begin with thought they should get the same benefit. Then the logic just extended to the civic. I guess they consider it a "converted" vehicle. There was a bill in the legeslature this year to extend the credit to hybrids, but it did not pass.