Hybrid Car Review

Texas may have a new tax break for plug-in hybrid owners. In order to "sidestep fresh mandates from Washington," Governor Rick Perry is proposing a $5,000 incentive towards a purchase of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle for those in the non-attainment areas of Texas.

He made his proposal during his state of the state address last week.

Unfortunately, our strength in petrochemical production and refining makes us a big target on the radar of an increasingly activist EPA, whose one-size-fits-all approaches could severely harm our energy sector; an agency whose potential to harm our state with punitive actions will only increase in the months and years to come.


Rather than wait for more mandates and punishments for environmental non-attainment, let’s continue encouraging innovation.

Add in the federal tax credit of up to $7,500, and Texans with bad air quality could be looking at a $12,500 discount on their purchase (if they qualify for the tax credits). If you assume plug-ins like the Volt will be in the $40K range, that's over 25% of the cost to consumers.

Non-attainment areas are locations where "levels of the selected pollutant exceed EPA standards."