IRS Annouces Tax Credits For Plug In Hybrids Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and PHEV Coversions

I knew that the IRS was going to authorize tax credits for PHEVs but I had no idea that they were going to authorize tax credits for PHEV conversions. Here's the IRS guidelines:

Plug-in Electric Drive Vehicle Credit (Section 1141): The new law modifies the credit for qualified plug-in electric drive vehicles purchased after Dec. 31, 2009. To qualify, vehicles must be newly purchased, have four or more wheels, have a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 14,000 pounds, and draw propulsion using a battery with at least four kilowatt hours that can be recharged from an external source of electricity. The minimum amount of the credit for qualified plug-in electric drive vehicles is $2,500 and the credit tops out at $7,500, depending on the battery capacity. The full amount of the credit will be reduced with respect to a manufacturer's vehicles after the manufacturer has sold at least 200,000 vehicles.


Plug-In Electric Vehicle Credit (Section 1142): The new law also creates a special tax credit for two types of plug-in vehicles — certain low-speed electric vehicles and two- or three-wheeled vehicles. The amount of the credit is 10 percent of the cost of the vehicle, up to a maximum credit of $2,500 for purchases made after Feb. 17, 2009, and before Jan. 1, 2012. To qualify, a vehicle must be either a low speed vehicle propelled by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery with a capacity of 4 kilowatt hours or more or be a two- or three-wheeled vehicle propelled by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery with the capacity of 2.5 kilowatt hours. A taxpayer may not claim this credit if the plug-in electric drive vehicle credit is allowable.

Conversion Kits (Section 1143): The new law also provided a tax credit for plug-in electric drive conversion kits. The credit is equal to 10 percent of the cost of converting a vehicle to a qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle and placed in service after Feb. 17, 2009. The maximum amount of the credit is $4,000. The credit does not apply to conversions made after Dec. 31, 2011. A taxpayer may claim this credit even if the taxpayer claimed a hybrid vehicle credit for the same vehicle in an earlier year (IRS source).

To learn more about the first PHEV direct from Detroit (Chevy Volt) click here. According to the WSJ, the Volt will be priced at about $40k before any incentives (WSJ article). As for me, I wouldn't be interested in a Volt unless it had excellent crash ratings, qualified for the full $7500 tax credit and about $3k in additional GM incentives. Instead, give me a large vehicle hybrid (Toyota Highlander or Camry, both with excellent crash ratings) with a PHEV conversion cost below $7500 and I might be sold on the idea.

Go to California Cars Initiative (CalCars.org) if you want to learn more about PHEV conversions. The site also provides a map of North America marked by YouTube videos associated with PHEV conversion businesses.