Colorado Tax Credit for EV motorcycles is dead. Gone. Eliminated.

[860]

The State of Colorado finally published their revised FYI 67, and it's not good.

"VEHICLES NOT QUALIFIED FOR THE CREDIT
The following vehicles do not qualify for the credit:

Motorcycles and scooters

In order to qualify for the credit, a motor vehicle must meet the criteria applicable to one of the seven
categories listed above. Motorcycles and scooters, including electric motorcycles and scooters, do
not meet the criteria for any of the seven categories. Consequently, they cannot qualify for the credit."

https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/tax/fyi-publications-income-tax


https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/Income67.pdf


Along with the 10% federal tax credit dying, the Empulse 8.0 going away, and the price going way up for the 10.0, this has killed my original financial math I did when I put in a reservation for an Empulse 8.0.  I tried to justify each of the incremental costs going up as they came along, but all together these all add up to way too much for me.  I'm out.

[EmpulseRider]

OH... shit... I missed this.... shit.

[protomech]

Very unfortunate for CO prospective EV-owners. The 10% federal credit, if it makes its way into law, will make up a bit of the difference ..

Granted, EV cars are selling around 20k units/year, EV motorcycles are selling maybe 1k units/year .. but it's a little odd to see a credit on a 5 kWh Prius PHEV and no credit for a 8-10 kWh EV motorcycle.

If the state's goal is to encourage CO2 emission reduction, they get a lot more bang for their $$ by encouraging motorcycle EV adoption (50 mpg bike -> 120 Wh/mile Zero/Brammo) vs car (50 mpg Prius -> 290 Wh/mile Prius PHEV). Nevermind all the other particulate emissions from motorcycles, which are just now starting to get reined in.

If it's a choice of one or the other.. cars are probably it.. simply from a unit sales perspective. Seems like an artificial choice though.

[Richard230]

My understanding is the the "Fiscal Cliff" bungee-cord bill that was passed yesterday by the Senate was also passed by the House without any amendments.  So it looks like the 10% credit will apply for both 2012 and 2013 purchases.     Happy days are here again - at least for Brammo and Zero purchases.   

[860]

I think budget concerns are pushing Colorado to interpret the law as narrowly as possible to reduce the cost of the program as much as possible.  I can't say I blame them, considering that constitutional amendments have completely boxed in the Colorado gov't.  Mandatory increases in school spending, and a ban on increasing revenues to pay for those spending increases (unless tax payers pass new taxes in a popular referendum) have screwed everything up. 

[Brammofan]

Not that it makes a difference to anyone buying an electric motorcycle today and after, but it appears that Colorado amended this law in 2009 to define "light duty passenger vehicle" in a way that specifically excluded 3 and 2 wheel vehicles.  It appears that motorcycles were included in the tax credit by mistake from 2009 until last year.  They will, however, not go back and un-apply the credit to folks who used it.

[flar]

FYI - there is some hope:

http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=2736.msg12219#msg12219

Colorado used to give very generous tax credits for emotos, but dropped them completely starting 2013.

I wrote both my state reps, and several adjacent state reps about a month ago.  7 in total.  Not a peep response.

Until yesterday,  Jonathan Singer (D) Longmont called me back, apologized for the delay, and told me there was hope for reinstatement of some level of credit and he would be willing to work on it.   He asked me for some more information to help him pursue it  (mostly getting him in touch with the local Zero dealer).

Drop him a note of encouragement - especially if you're here in Colorado.
 jonathan.singer.house@state.co.us

[860]

I just sent an email of support, and also forwarded to my own Representative.  I suggested that a reasonable compromise was half the maximum tax incentive for 2-wheeled vehicles compared to 4-wheeled EV's.  Half the tax credit would be much better than no credit at all.

Of course the challenge then becomes to get this credit passed and effective for 2013, while the 10% federal tax credit is still in place, and have Brammo get a dealership in Colorado, and have Brammo build their 860'th Empulse (not an "R").... 

[860]

I've been following Jonathan Singer's House Bill Number HB13-1247 that modifies the current Colorado tax incentive program for EV's.  It passed the House and Senate and is waiting to be signed into law, but it seems to specifically exclude any vehicle with less than 4 wheels.  So this looks like another dead-end for the EV motorcycle tax credit. 

It does help Volt buyers from what I understand, and extends the credit for EV's with 4 wheels for more years.

http://www.coloradocapitolwatch.com/bill/1/HB13-1247/2013/1/