SECTION 1. Chapter 25A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 11I the following new section:–

Section 11J. (a) The commissioner is hereby authorized and directed to establish a program providing rebates to consumers who purchase or lease a qualifying plug-in electric vehicle. For the purpose of this , qualified vehicles are those that (1) are made by a manufacturer primarily for use on public streets, roads and highways, (2) have not been modified from the original manufacturer’s specifications, (3) have been acquired for use or lease by the consumer and not for resale, (4) have a shipping weight not exceeding 8,500 pounds, (5) have a speed capability of at least 55 miles per hour, (6) are capable of being recharged from an external source of electricity and (7) must be propelled to a significant extent by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery. The initial rebate for vehicles with a battery capacity of 10 kilowatt-hours or more shall be up to $2,500. The rebate for vehicles with a battery capacity of not less than 4 kilowatt-hours, buy less than 10 kilowatt-hours shall be up to $1,500.

(b) The commissioner is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to administer the rebate program established in this section.