COLUMBIA, S.C., July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- South Carolina State legislators passed landmark energy legislation in June 2007 that would provide sales tax rebates for alternative fueled and high efficiency vehicles, incentive payments to retailers for sale of biodiesel and ethanol, incentive payments and tax credits for the production of energy from biomass, and among other things a Grants and Low-interest Loan program designed to increase renewable energy use in the state.
"With all the talk from government and industry about 'going green' it's refreshing to see a state like South Carolina taking action on something that can make an impact today," said Steve Schneider, CEO for electric vehicle manufacturer ZAP .
Steven Isom, owner of EVCarolina, a ZAP Electric car dealership -- the only retailer of all electric vehicles in the state -- played a critical role in developing language that would expand an existing sales tax rebate for flex fuel vehicles. Isom worked diligently with state government staff and the South Carolina Biomass Council to include electric vehicles in the Energy Freedom and Rural Development Act.
"I started EVCarolina because it was the right thing to do for the state and promote energy efficiency and energy independence," said Steven Isom CEO of EVCarolina.
"We are very excited that electric vehicles were given an opportunity to shine in South Carolina!" said Erika Hartwig, the Renewable Energy Coordinator for the South Carolina Energy Office. "Electric vehicles are the only zero-emission vehicles available today on South Carolina roads. The South Carolina Energy Office believes state residents will take advantage of the sales tax rebate and use electricity instead of conventional fuels for their transportation needs."
State Senator Nikki G. Setzler commented that he "was glad to be a part of and primary sponsor of the legislation which provided rebates for alternative fueled vehicles and incentives for use of biodiesel and ethanol as well as tax credits for the production of energy from biomass. It is a major step by South Carolina to help reduce the dependence of South Carolina and the nation on foreign oil as well as encouraging clean and efficient alternatives in the future."
The sales tax rebate will also apply to hybrid, plug-in hybrid, flex fuel vehicles (can use either gasoline or E85 ethanol), high fuel economy vehicles which operate at 30mpg or greater in the city, and hydrogen-fueled vehicles. For more information, please visit http://www.evcarolina.com or http://www.energy.sc.gov.
For additional comments contact:
Steve Isom - 803.936.9995'
Erika Hartwig - 803.737.7951
Senator Nikki Setzler - 803.212.6140
Alex Campbell, ZAP - 707.525-8658 x 241
To see the full law, refer to the information below:
Act No.83 -- Section 12-63-20. (A)(1) A sales tax rebate must be applied to a vehicle purchase beginning after June 30, 2008, and ending before July 1, 2013, as follows:
(c) three hundred dollars for an in-state purchase or lease of a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, and a plug-in hybrid vehicle. A hybrid vehicle is defined as a hybrid gasoline-electric vehicle that is partially powered by a large on-board battery. An electric vehicle is defined as having at least three wheels, uses a large on-board battery or electrical storage device, and is rated for more than thirty-five miles per hour and approved for use by the United States Department of Transportation for use on United States highways (excludes neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs). A plug-in hybrid vehicle is a vehicle classified by the United States Department of Energy as a hybrid vehicle capable of being propelled by both a gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine and an electric motor powered by a battery that can be recharged by being plugged into an external source of electricity.
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