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Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘An Act To Increase Electric Vehicles in Maine’
Amend the bill in section 1 in the first line (page 1, line 2 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "§10124 is" and inserting the following: '§§10124 and 10125 are'
Amend the bill in section 1 in §10124 in the first line (page 1, line 3 in L.D.) by striking out the following: " Rebate "
Amend the bill in section 1 in §10124 in subsection 1 by striking out all of paragraph B (page 1, lines 9 to 13 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
 
‘B.  "Eligible electric vehicle" means a battery electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that:
 
(1) Is sold or offered for sale by its original equipment manufacturer or an authorized licensee of the original equipment manufacturer or a licensed automobile dealer;
 
(2) Is listed by the trust in accordance with subsection 4; and
’
 
(3) If the vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of not more than $50,000.
Amend the bill in section 1 in §10124 in subsection 1 in paragraph C in the first line (page 1, line 14 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "Rebate"
Amend the bill in section 1 in §10124 in subsection 1 by inserting after paragraph C the following:
 
‘D. "Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle" means a vehicle that uses an on-board electrical energy storage device that is designed to be recharged using an external energy source to power an electric motor and uses a petroleum-based fuel to power an internal combustion engine.’
Amend the bill in section 1 in §10124 in subsection 1 by relettering the paragraphs to read alphabetically.
Amend the bill in section 1 in §10124 by striking out all of subsections 2 and 3 (page 1, lines 16 to 37 and page 2, lines 1 to 9 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
 
‘2.  Fund established.     The Electric Vehicle Fund is established as a nonlapsing fund administered by the trust to transform markets toward the adoption of electric vehicles and to support the purchase of electric vehicles in the State. Any interest earned on funds in the fund must be credited to the fund, and funds not spent in any fiscal year remain in the fund to be used in accordance with this section. The trust may receive and deposit in the fund funds from the following sources:
 
A.  Federal funds and awards that may be used for the purposes of this section;
 
B.  Any interest earned on investment of fund balances; and
 
C.  Any other funds from public or private sources received in support of the purposes for which the fund is established.
 
The fund may be used for the program and other uses consistent with the purposes for which the fund is established.
 
3.  Rebate program established; eligibility.     In accordance with the provisions of this section, the trust shall establish and administer a program that provides rebates for the purchase or lease of electric vehicles. A person may apply for and, as resources within the fund allow, receive a rebate for an electric vehicle, subject to eligibility requirements established by the trust. Eligibility criteria for the vehicle must include that the vehicle is: an eligible electric vehicle; purchased, or leased for a term of 36 months or more, in the State; and registered in the State. Eligibility requirements for the recipient of the rebate must include that the recipient attests to a commitment to retain ownership, 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 under this section who does not retain ownership of the eligible electric vehicle for at least 36 months to repay the trust up to the full amount of the rebate.
 
The trust shall establish the rebate amount for each eligible electric vehicle. The trust shall establish rebate amounts that it determines most effectively increase the purchase of eligible electric vehicles. For each model of an eligible electric vehicle, the trust may establish different rebate amounts based on the size of the vehicle battery. The trust may establish different rebate 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 per vehicle or per person.’
Amend the bill in section 1 in §10124 in subsection 4 in the 3rd line (page 2, line 12 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "vehicles" the following: 'and rebates'
Amend the bill in section 1 by inserting after §10124 the following:
‘§ 10125. Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Fund
 
1.  Fund established.     The Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Fund is established as a nonlapsing fund administered by the trust to increase the availability and effectiveness of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the State. Any interest earned on funds in the fund must be credited to the fund, and funds not spent in any fiscal year remain in the fund to be used in accordance with this section. The trust may receive and deposit in the fund funds from the following sources:
 
A.  Federal funds and awards that may be used for the purposes of this section;
 
B.  Any interest earned on investment of fund balances; and
 
C. Any other funds from public or private sources received in support of the purposes for which the fund is established.’
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 2.
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
 
SUMMARY
This amendment makes the following changes to the electric vehicle rebate program and the associated fund established in the bill:
1. Adds plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to the definition of eligible electric vehicle;
2. Removes the requirement that an eligible vehicle be a "new" vehicle;
3. Limits the $50,000 cap on the manufacturer's suggested retail price to vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less;
4. Removes the program start date of July 1, 2020;
5. Removes the fixed rebate amount of $2,500 and instead requires the Efficiency Maine Trust to determine the rebate amount, which may vary by the size of the vehicle battery. It also permits the trust to establish different rebate amounts to provide opportunities for participation in the program across different customer groups and geographic areas;
6. Revises the eligibility criteria regarding registration of a vehicle in the State;
7. Adds language to specify that the trust may set limits on the number of rebates per person or per vehicle;
8. Removes the provision of the bill that provides a $500,000 General Fund appropriation to the Electric Vehicle Rebate Fund; and
9. Establishes the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Fund, administered by Efficiency Maine Trust, to increase the availability and effectiveness of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the State.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)