New Voucher Incentive Program Report Launches

As governments and industry work to accelerate the replacement of diesel engines with zero-emission technology at the pace required by science-based climate targets, the voucher incentive program (VIP) has proven to be a powerful tool to establish viability of zero-emission trucks and buses. CALSTART’s latest report Voucher Incentive Programs: A Tool for Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicle Deployment offers a deep dive into the VIP model and how it ensures faster adoption of zero-emission trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles through direct and upfront reductions in purchase price.

HVIP is the earliest model in the United States to demonstrate the flexibility and effectiveness of point of sale incentives, and this paper outlines the basic steps in an effective VIP as well as success stories across the country that exhibit the core strengths of the VIP model: design simplicity, transparency and certainty of outcome, and flexibility/adaptability. It also highlights lessons learned and recommendations from the jurisdictions where the VIP model has been implemented, providing insights on how to make vehicle acquisition easier and more affordable and how to seamlessly integrate funding requirements to produce a simple, stable, and successful program.