While $7.8 million was spent on Clean Car scheme establishment and administration costs to June 30 this year, nearly 20,000 rebates were issued during the past four months.
That’s confirmed by transport minister Michael Wood who is expected to review the ‘feebate’ scheme shortly as millions of dollars more in rebates are being paid than what is being collected in fees, although the full Clean Car Discount is expected to be ready from January 1 next year.
Wood is also reported to have revealed Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency had to apologise last month, after a system maintenance error lost about 160 rebate applications.
“Officials contacted 163 applicants, who were affected by the system error, to apologise and request that they resubmit their applications,” the NZ Herald reported Wood as saying.
The Clean Car policy is designed to encourage people to buy cleaner cars, offering up to $8625 off the price of an electric or low-emissions one.
The discounts are paid for by fees of up to $5175 on less efficient vehicles, the scheme expected to balance out as time goes on.
AutoTalk reported in late July that $14m had been raised by the Clean Car Discount scheme since April.
Wood said in reply to National Party questions that under the expanded Clean Car Discount scheme 19,243 rebate applications had been approved by July, of which 1980 were for battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
