Tesla Drains California's MyFirstEV Rebate Fund in Five Days
Tesla drained California’s MyFirstEV rebate pool in five days after the Aug. 3 launch, with roughly half of the $135.5 million state fund plus automaker matches exhausted by Aug. 8—about $18 million in rebates for Teslas alone. The program offers $3,500 off a new EV under $50,000 or $1,750 off a used one under $25,000, with no income cap and rebates applied at purchase. Tesla’s CA sales leadership—more than half of ZEV registrations through June and 54,327 Model Y registrations in H1—made it likely the brand would exhaust its share quickly, while price-cap waivers for CA-headquartered EV-only brands like Rivian and Lucid could influence who benefits most as the program rolls out.