Tesla has already expended its portion of a new electric vehicle rebate that California launched last week, California’s top air quality regulator said Tuesday.
What happened: California Resources Board Chair Lauren Sanchez said during a panel discussion at POLITICO’s The California Agenda: Sacramento Summit that one automaker has run out of its portion of a $135 million rebate program that Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and lawmakers included in the state’s June budget.
CARB spokesperson Lindsay Buckley confirmed that the car company referenced is Tesla. The EV giant told state officials that its week-over-week sales soared after the rebate was launched, Buckley said.
“We’ve already seen one automaker run out of funding. Sales jumped 40 percent,” Sanchez said. “Californians want to get in cleaner vehicles, and we’re going to help them do it.”
