Bay Area residents can trade old cars for $9,500 EV spending: 'We have to include low-income communities'

A California program is offering cash incentives to turn in a vehicle from 2005 or earlier and then put the money toward the purchase of an electric car.

Clean Cars for All is a program initiated by The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) for customers who live in specific zip codes and meet certain income requirements. You can find out if you're eligible by visiting BAAQMD's website.

"Not only is transportation the largest source of air pollution in the Bay Area, it accounts for 40% of our greenhouse-gas emissions," Cindy Chavez, a Santa Clara County supervisor and chair of the air district board, said, according to Autoweek. "If we are going to be able to address this issue, we have to include low-income communities."

The program began in 2019, but it ran out of money. So after receiving $8.3 million, the incentives are once again being put in place with grants between $5,500 and $9,500, depending on criteria.

A maximum household income of $51,520 for single-person households, $69,680 for two-person households and $106,000 for a family of four are some of the requirements to qualify for the program, Autoweek reported.

Clean Cars for All receives funding from the cap-and-trade program, which takes money from polluting industries and uses those funds, in this case, to help low-income families purchase an electric vehicle.