Washougal car dealership first in county to offer new statewide EV rebate

Like many other car dealerships across the United States, Westlie Ford has been impacted by the decreased customer demand for electric vehicles in the past several years. Nevertheless, the Washougal-based dealership remains firmly invested in the EV market, cautiously optimistic that consumers will view EVs more favorably as technology improves.

“When they first came out, EVs were a really hot ticket,” said Westlie Ford general manager Ryan Dickerson. “We basically at one point had a waiting list for them. But there was also a lack of production on those cars, and it has flipped the opposite way right now. But I think that the technology is just going to get better over time, and it’s going to become easier and easier (to use) and more mainstream.”

Westlie Ford is one of 122 dealerships (and the only one in east Clark County) participating in the Washington State Department of Commerce’s (DOC) new Electric Vehicle Instant Rebate Program, which provides up to $9,000 off a new EV lease for low-income drivers at point-of-sale, bringing lease payments lower than $200 per month on several popular electric models at current pricing, well below the average gas-powered car payment of more than $700 per month.

“For folks who want to pay zero dollars at the gas pump, electric vehicles make that possible,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said during a kick-off event in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District neighborhood on Aug. 1. “These rebates open up so many affordable new options to thousands of lower-income drivers. This brings down costs for consumers and reduces pollution in our communities.”

Washington is the first state in the United States to prioritize low-cost leases as part of an EV incentive program, according to a news release. Under the program, Washington residents earning up to 300% of the federal poverty level — $45,180 annually for a single person or $93,600 for family of four — are eligible to receive $9,000 for a new EV lease of three years or more, or $5,000 for new EV purchases or two-year leases. Used EVs are also eligible for a $2,500 rebate on both purchases and leases.

“No one should be left behind in the drive toward electric,” DOC Director Mike Fong said. “Transportation is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and harmful air pollution, and the most impacted communities have the fewest alternatives. By creating more options to drive electric, this program will help individuals and the state move toward a healthier future.”

The state has identified 26 car models, including the Chevrolet Bolt, Ford F-150 Lightning, Hyundai Ioniq, Nissan Leaf, and Tesla Model 3, Model S and Model X, as eligible for rebates.

“The benefit to it is that the incentive can be taken as a rebate directly at the time of purchase, so that the customer doesn’t need to file taxes and file for it to come directly back,” Dickerson said, adding that two buyers have purchased an EV with the state rebate at Westlie Ford since the program’s inception. “The eligibility is pretty strict, so that’s the only tough part. We’ve had a lot of interest, but not everybody qualifies.”

Westlie Ford sells five or six EVs per month, according to Dickerson, who added that through the first 11 days of August, the dealership has sold more Lightning EVs than gas-powered F-150s, though he admitted that’s “probably not going to stay that way for the rest of the month.”

Dickerson said Ford is set to introduce a program that “makes it simple and pretty easy for customers to set up home charging.” Westlie Ford recently installed two level-three chargers and multiple level-two chargers that will come online later this month, adding to the growing number of charging stations that have popped up in east Clark County in the past several years.