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As a single mom with children to provide for and rent skyrocketing, purchasing a new car did not look within reach for Courtny. Receiving the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District’s Clean Cars 4 All award letter (with values as high as $12,000) was a major turning point for Courtny. She immediately took the opportunity to purchase a new car from a participating dealership. Participating dealerships are trained to help Clean Cars 4 All participants find the best plug-in hybrid or all-battery electric vehicle that suits their individual needs.
Like many drivers, Courtny was looking to upgrade to a new vehicle but didn’t know if it made sense to do so right now during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, she had concerns about the ability to afford a new car, especially an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle. Courtny found out about the Sac Metro Air District’s Clean Cars 4 All program through her sister. This program offers participants up to $9,500 to purchase or lease a battery electric vehicle, fuel cell vehicle, or plug-in hybrid when they trade in their car with the model year of 2009 or older.
Clean Cars 4 All perfectly fit what Courtny was looking for—the opportunity to trade in her old 2001 Honda with 300,000 miles on it, in exchange for financial support to buy a new or used clean air vehicle. After learning about the program, Courtny immediately went to the Clean Cars 4 All website. There, she was able to begin the process to safely get rid of her old Honda and upgrade to a newer, cleaner, and more efficient car. Courtny greatly appreciated the help she received from a participating dealership where they prepared five different models to show her. After test driving all five cars, Courtny decided to purchase a 2017 Hyundai plug-in hybrid.
When going through the application process, applicants are asked to provide appropriate documentation for their vehicle, residence, income verification, and pass a vehicle operability inspection. While these may seem like daunting tasks, applicants are assigned case managers who support applicants through the entire application and car purchasing processes. Case managers are applicants’ primary contact in the program and work with applicants to make sure they successfully receive an award letter from the program. Case managers also offer guidance and additional resources during the car purchasing phase. Courtny appreciated not being left “high and dry” and maintained communication over email and phone with her case manager throughout the program.
Going from a car with 300,000 miles to a plug-in-hybrid with barely 16,000 miles gives Courtny peace of mind. When you wake up and get ready for work, nobody wants to worry about whether or not their car is going to start or how much gas their car is going to guzzle during the day. Her new car provides her with that sense of relief. Courtny loves that her car is efficient and reliable—saving her time and money at the gas station and repair shop. Plus, her children absolutely love her new car. Clean Cars 4 All is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities.
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