HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2949        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3629

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Thomas A. Golden, Jr.

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to the purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2949        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3629

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

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An Act relative to the purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 21A of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following 2 sections:-

Section 28. The secretary or a designee, in consultation with the secretary of transportation, shall establish a competitive grant program to provide monies and technical assistance to a regional transit authority for the purpose of implementing innovative transportation planning and fleet electrification projects. The monies shall be used to purchase and use electric vehicles and associated electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including public electric vehicle charging stations, as defined in section 16 of chapter 25A. Special consideration shall be given to a regional transit authority to study the feasibility of replacing existing light-duty vehicle and bus fleets with electric vehicles; provided, that the regional transit authority provides service to a municipality that is authorized to receive funds for the purpose of expanding their transportation system by creating an intermodal, interconnected system that connects neighborhoods, college and university campuses, and downtown commercial and cultural districts pursuant to chapter 79 of the acts of 2014.

The secretary or a designee may consider a variety of funding sources to fund and implement the grant program, including, but not limited to: (i) the use of alternative compliance payments established and administered pursuant to section 11F of chapter 25A and (ii) the use of funds from the administration’s capital spending plans.

The secretary shall not prohibit a regional transit authority participating in the program from participating: (i) in electric vehicle infrastructure programs operated by an electric distribution company to defray costs of deploying electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including public electric vehicle charging stations; and (ii) in a partnership with a state university, community college, or private fleet operator for shared utilization of electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including public electric vehicle charging stations, to defray costs of deploying electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including public electric vehicle charging stations, and purchasing and using electric vehicles. The secretary may consider participation in a program described in clause (i) or (ii) by a regional transit authority in awarding a grant.

To be eligible for the program, a regional transit authority shall file an application with the secretary in a manner to be prescribed by the secretary consistent with the goals of the program.

The secretary or a designee shall submit an annual report detailing the results of the program to the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on telecommunications, utilities, and energy and the clerks of the house of representatives and senate.

Section 29. The secretary or a designee, in consultation with the carbon reduction research center, authorized by section 16 of chapter 188 of the acts of 2016, may conduct a study or pilot project, or provide technical or financial assistance for the purpose of facilitating innovative transportation planning, fleet electrification, and emissions reductions.

SECTION 2. Chapter 25A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 11I the following 2 sections:-

Section 11J. The commissioner shall establish an electric vehicle dealership rebate program to provide rebates to a car dealership in the commonwealth that sell or lease an eligible electric vehicle to a consumer. An eligible vehicle shall be one which has a final purchase price of not more than $75,000 and belongs to one of the following classifications: battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, fuel-cell electric vehicles, or zero-emission motorcycles. The rebate shall be $400 for each eligible vehicle sold or leased; provided, that not less than $200 of the rebate shall be provided to the salesperson that sold or leased the eligible vehicle; and provided, further that the commission of the salesperson shall remain unaffected by the receipt of a rebate.

The commissioner may promulgate rules and regulations for the electric vehicle dealership rebate program.

Section 11K. (a) The commissioner shall establish a program providing rebates to consumers who purchase or lease a qualifying electric vehicle. For the purpose of this program, qualifying 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) must be propelled to a significant extent by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery, and (7) belongs to one of the following classifications: battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, fuel-cell electric vehicles, or zero-emission motorcycles.

(b) The rebate for a battery electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or a fuel-cell electric vehicle with a final purchase price of less than $40,000 shall be no less than $5,000.

(c) The commissioner may promulgate rules and regulations necessary to administer the rebate program established in this section; provided that no rules or regulations shall be established that prohibit, or have the effect of prohibiting, the eligibility of all vehicles belonging to one of the following classifications:

(i) Battery Electric Vehicles

(ii) Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

(iii) Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicles

(iv) Zero-Emission Motorcycles

(d) The commissioner shall review the rules and regulations of the program, if any, on a biannual basis. If the commissioner deems it appropriate to make any changes to the program, he or she shall prepare a report to be submitted to the joint committee on telecommunications, utilities, and energy and the joint committee on transportation detailing and providing a rationale for the changes made.

SECTION 3. Section 3 of chapter 448 of the acts of 2016 is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 3 and 5, the word “may” and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following word:- shall.

SECTION 4. Within 180 days after the effective date of this act, each distribution company, as defined in section 1 of chapter 164 of the General Laws, shall file one or more commercial tariffs utilizing alternatives to traditional demand-based rate structures to facilitate faster charging for (i) light-duty, (ii) heavier-duty, and (iii) fleet vehicles. Each tariff shall evaluate the relative costs, benefits, and ancillary related benefits associated with various faster charging rate designs, and do so for multiple scenarios where each predicts a different rate of electric vehicle adoption.

The department of public utilities shall, after notice and opportunity for public comment, approve, modify, or reject the tariffs.

SECTION 5. The department of energy resources shall conduct a study evaluating the costs and benefits of implementing an instant rebate system that approves electric vehicle rebate applications before or at the time of purchase or lease and that provides rebates at the time of purchase or lease. Within 180 days after the effective date of this act, the department shall submit a report on its findings to the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the chairs of the joint committee on telecommunications, utilities, and energy and the chairs of the joint committee on transportation.

SECTION 6.  The department of energy resources shall conduct a study evaluating the costs and benefits of providing additional financial incentives, including, but not limited to, rebates and zero-interest loans, to low-income individuals purchasing or leasing an electric vehicle. Within 180 days after the effective date of this act, the department shall submit a report on its findings to the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the chairs of the joint committee on telecommunications, utilities, and energy and the chairs of the joint committee on transportation.