Overview:

Summary: Electrifying and reducing the fuel load of vehicles reduces excess urban heat emitted by gasoline-powered vehicles.

Implementation: Promote electric vehicle adoption by offering rebates or tax credits for the purchase or lease of electric or hybrid vehicles.

Considerations for Use: Consider a progressive incentive structure with higher rebates for low- to moderate- income consumers.

• Policy Levers: The mechanism municipalities can use to actualize the intervention. These policy levers will likely be used in combination with each other.
  
  
  IncentiveFinancial and non-financial incentives to encourage stakeholders to implement heat risk reduction and preparedness solutions, including rebates, tax credits, expedited permitting, development/zoning bonuses, and more.
• Trigger Points: Opportunities for municipalities to implement risk reduction and preparedness interventions based on the policy lever, building on the United Nations Environment Programme triggers used in the Beating the Heat handbook (2021).
  
  
  City planning processesIncludes city initiatives such as the development of climate action plan, pathway to zero-energy, master plan, transit plan, energy mapping etc.
  No-regrets actions (low cost/low effort but substantial benefit)Interventions that are relatively low-cost and low effort (in terms of requisite dependencies) but have substantial environmental and/or social benefits.
• Intervention Type:
  Planning/Policy
• Sectors:
  Transportation

Impact:

• Target Beneficiaries:
  Residents
• Phase of Impact:
  Risk reduction and mitigation
• Metrics:
  Number of electric vehicles, Number of residents participating in program

Case Studies:

• San Jose Rebate & Incentives
• NYSERDA Drive Clean Rebate program

Implementation:

• Intervention Scale:
  City, National, State/Province
• Authority and Governance:
  City government, National government, State/provincial government
• Implementation Timeline:
  Short-term (1-2 Years)
• Implementation Stakeholders:
  City government, Industry, Public
• Funding Sources:
  Public investment
• Capacity to Act:
  High, Medium

Benefits:

• Cost-Benefit:
  Low
• Public Good:
  Medium
• GHG Reduction:
  Medium
• Co-benefits (Climate/Environmental):
  Reduce air and water pollution, Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Co-benefits (Social):
  Improve the public realm