Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) officially launched California’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) rebate program on Monday, targeting first-time buyers with an instant $3,500 discount on electric vehicles, part of the SB 168 bill in California.
Pushing Back Against Trump’s Anti-EV Stance
According to an official statement released by the California Governor’s office, the MyFirstEV program set to launch this summer would enable a budget of “$135.5 million…to be matched by an equal contribution from participating automakers.” The rebate is a crucial element of the broader $600 million ZEV investment program touted by Newsom.
“California is filling the void left by Trump and the GOP repealing the federal electric vehicle tax credit,” Newsom said in a post on X, adding that California did not intend to “forfeit” to China.
California is filling the void left by Trump and the GOP repealing the federal electric vehicle tax credit.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) July 13, 2026
I've signed legislation creating an instant rebate for Californians going electric — $3,500 off new EVs and $1,750 off used models.
We won't forfeit the future to China. pic.twitter.com/iC2OihRkfl
“Donald Trump is doing everything in his power to pollute our air and surrender the clean car industry to China on a silver platter,” Newsom said in the statement. The program would offer $3,500 off new EVs with an MSRP of up to $50,000, while used EVs would get $1,750 off. The rebate is available to all California residents buying their first ZEV, the statement said.
While the list of automakers has not been announced by the Government, automakers that have a foothold in California, like Rivian Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) and Lucid Group Inc. (NASDAQ:LCID) would be exempt from the price caps. It could also benefit Tesla Inc., (NASDAQ:TSLA) which sells the Model 3 under $50,000.
Tesla, Rivian and Lucid did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comment.
The statement also touted California’s strong EV infrastructure, sharing that over 200,000 public chargers for EVs were available in the state, alongside an estimated 800,000 residential chargers. Newsom also accused the Government of “leaving American workers and families to foot the bill” for “reckless” Middle East conflict and “Big Oil giveaways.”
Newsom Touts California’s EV Push
Newsom had earlier shared that California was leading the charge on clean energy vehicles in the U.S., saying that the state had reached the 2.5 million EV sales milestone since he took office in 2019. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) also criticized the White House for deliberately slowing down EVs through its policies.
The California Governor has also criticized President Donald Trump‘s pro-fossil fuel stance, slamming companies like Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX), accusing the company of profiting from the war in Iran and urging the state’s residents to avoid name brands.
Read Also: Gavin Newsom Says Trump 'Illegally' Revived Offshore Drilling—Then Gas Prices Went Up
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Photo courtesy: Joey Sussman on Shutterstock.com
