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The Driving Clean Assistance Program has launched in the areas covered by the following air districts: Imperial, Mojave Desert, Eastern Kern, Antelope Valley, Great Basin Unified, Mariposa County, Tuolumne County, Calaveras County, Amador County, El Dorado County, Placer County, and Feather River. It will continue to rollout through the remaining parts of the state through the first quarter of 2025 in accordance with this schedule.

What does it fund?

​The new Driving Clean Assistance Program (DCAP) provides incentives for eligible low-income consumers to purchase or lease of a new or used clean vehicle – up to $12,000 when scrapping an older vehicle and living in a disadvantaged community or up to $7,500 when not scrapping an older vehicle. The program also provides access to low-interest rate loans capped at 8%, opportunities for mobility options such as transit passes or e-bikes, as well as up to an additional $2,000 in incentives to offset the cost of charging. DCAP marks CARB’s efforts streamline programs and expand access to the Clean Cars 4 All program (CC4A) to areas of the state that currently do not have a pre-existing, district operated CC4A program.

What are the possible incentive amounts?

The following table summarizes incentive amounts. Consumers needing an affordable loan will have access to low-interest rate loans, capped at 8% Annual Percentage Rate (APR).

*Approved participants will have the option to receive either a $2,000 prepaid card to use for public charging or up to $2,000 towards the installation of charging infrastructure in their home.

Who is eligible for funds?

Eligible participants must:

• Be a resident of California,
• Apply for the program before purchasing a vehicle,
• Be a low income-consumer at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (which is currently at $93,600 for a family of four and will be updated annually), and
• Have not previously participated in any CARB light duty vehicle purchase incentive program, including the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, the statewide or regional Financing Assistance Pilots, or the CC4A Program.

Participants are not required to have a vehicle to scrap to be eligible. Also, consumers may only apply for one incentive per household for the lifetime of the program.

How do I access funds?

Once the program has launched in your area, people interested in participating should visit the Driving Clean Assistance Program webpage, which is maintained by the program administrator, Community Housing Development Corporation (CHDC).

Potential participants should be aware that there is no cost to apply for the Driving Clean Assistance Program and that CHDC is the sole administrator of the DCAP program.

How does this program provide benefits to priority populations*?

A tiered incentive structure provides maximum incentives to the lowest income participants purchasing or leasing the cleanest technology vehicles that reside within and near priority populations. This reduces health risks and transportation costs, and provides greater, more reliable mobility and increased access to clean transportation to priority populations.

*Priority populations include residents of: (1) census tracts identified as disadvantaged by California Environmental Protection Agency per Senate Bill 535; (2) census tracts identified as low-income per Assembly Bill (AB) 1550; or (3) a low-income household per AB 1550.

Are there any recent policy changes?

There are no recent policy changes.

What are the funding sources?

• General Fund
• Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund