BMW CCA and State incentives

[LivingBetterThurEV]

As the story is told, we are encouraged to go to EV, the way of the future, go green, and our local area electric use is 100% renewable, great. Even looking at the cost of adding PV panels on a south facing garage - Being totally green.
So, I'm in the process of ordering a i3 and digging through all the facts, comments and stories.
We have owned several hybrids, happy with them, along with a current Prius getting 48 mpg and urea injected low emission clean BMW diesel getting great mileage. To make the pure EV plunge has been difficult due to selections and poor NY state incentives along with a number of confusing items.

For example:

#1. BMW CCA, (BMW Car Club of America) after being a member for 5 plus years, offers NO incentives for the i3, as they do with many other BMW vehicles. Our salesman stated they do - I called and sent a letter, no response but their website www.bmwcca.org says no. If this is the way of future, get in line, help people move toward green.

#2. BMW Financial - no incentives. BMW dealerships several times a year (at least in the fall ) offer a sign and drive or a "test drive a new BMW" and receive a voucher worth $1000 toward a BMW purchase or lease. Big push on the new series 4. Local dealer event is August 21st 2014, another close dealer is August 19th, 2014. Problem - CANNOT USE the VOUCHER TOWARD a i3.

#3. Over 32 plus states in the US offer some form of incentive on top of Federal tax credit. For example - West Virginia is $7500 state tax credit, New Jersey is no Sales Tax up to $4000, Colorado $6000, California $2500, Illinois $5000, etc. NOTHING in NY - yet the Governor states they are one of the CARB states, along with all the big things they are doing. NOT Really.
So I wrote a letter to the Governor and the State Representative. After 5 weeks, I called the Governors office, person who answered stated "Yes we have you letter, no one is doing anything with it." I asked what should I do? "She stated - sent another letter".
I wrote the State Representative and got a state of Agriculture letter back - so I resent another letter with the Title again stating NY State Tax Credit on Electric Vehicles. Still waiting to hear for someone, anyone...

#4. For a local "City" car, my wife wants some expected basics, but they are bundled into more expensive packages. For example the local dealer does not want to order a vehicle with Navigation since as he stated "look this is a local city car - why do you need navigation". All the vehicles we brought in are without Navigation, Mega models.
Oh come on just a minute. She wants a few common things offered in cars today like comfort access (keyless entry, keyless start) which you need at least the Giga world, rear view camera ( not thinking it is bundled into a Parking assist package), and a safety item like adaptive cruise (bundled in the Navigation Pro package). This forces us to special order since the dealer does not want to stock.
She was ok in the US with no sunroof, but would have liked a sunroof.

#5. If we lease, the residual is 43% which makes the monthly price very high (like $751). The dealer has stated several times to not buy the car, only lease it.

What are your thoughts?
Who at BMW financial or regional dealer group can make this process easier?

 

[user 1096]

As the story is told, we are encouraged to go to EV, the way of the future, go green, and our local area electric use is 100% renewable, great. Even looking at the cost of adding PV panels on a south facing garage - Being totally green.
So, I'm in the process of ordering a i3 and digging through all the facts, comments and stories.
We have owned several hybrids, happy with them, along with a current Prius getting 48 mpg and urea injected low emission clean BMW diesel getting great mileage. To make the pure EV plunge has been difficult due to selections and poor NY state incentives along with a number of confusing items.

For example:

#1. BMW CCA, (BMW Car Club of America) after being a member for 5 plus years, offers NO incentives for the i3, as they do with many other BMW vehicles. Our salesman stated they do - I called and sent a letter, no response but their website http://www.bmwcca.org says no. If this is the way of future, get in line, help people move toward green.

#2. BMW Financial - no incentives. BMW dealerships several times a year (at least in the fall ) offer a sign and drive or a "test drive a new BMW" and receive a voucher worth $1000 toward a BMW purchase or lease. Big push on the new series 4. Local dealer event is August 21st 2014, another close dealer is August 19th, 2014. Problem - CANNOT USE the VOUCHER TOWARD a i3.

#3. Over 32 plus states in the US offer some form of incentive on top of Federal tax credit. For example - West Virginia is $7500 state tax credit, New Jersey is no Sales Tax up to $4000, Colorado $6000, California $2500, Illinois $5000, etc. NOTHING in NY - yet the Governor states they are one of the CARB states, along with all the big things they are doing. NOT Really.
So I wrote a letter to the Governor and the State Representative. After 5 weeks, I called the Governors office, person who answered stated "Yes we have you letter, no one is doing anything with it." I asked what should I do? "She stated - sent another letter".
I wrote the State Representative and got a state of Agriculture letter back - so I resent another letter with the Title again stating NY State Tax Credit on Electric Vehicles. Still waiting to hear for someone, anyone...

#4. For a local "City" car, my wife wants some expected basics, but they are bundled into more expensive packages. For example the local dealer does not want to order a vehicle with Navigation since as he stated "look this is a local city car - why do you need navigation". All the vehicles we brought in are without Navigation, Mega models.
Oh come on just a minute. She wants a few common things offered in cars today like comfort access (keyless entry, keyless start) which you need at least the Giga world, rear view camera ( not thinking it is bundled into a Parking assist package), and a safety item like adaptive cruise (bundled in the Navigation Pro package). This forces us to special order since the dealer does not want to stock.
She was ok in the US with no sunroof, but would have liked a sunroof.

#5. If we lease, the residual is 43% which makes the monthly price very high (like $751). The dealer has stated several times to not buy the car, only lease it.

What are your thoughts?
Who at BMW financial or regional dealer group can make this process easier?

Unless it has fallen away recently (couple of months), NYS offers a state income tax credit of up to $2500 for installation of home charging facilities. However, if you are a state pensioner, (as many are here in the Albany area) you pay no state income tax and therefore are ineligible for any extended (refundable) claim on minor tax liabilities. This was the reading by my tax attorney in June.

You may want to check the NYSERDA.ny.gov web site or Tax and Finance Dept. Separately, there are incentives for home solar installations but those are complex and often bundled (and retained) by installers offering low-ball pricing.

Also, my insurance carrier, Liberty Mutual, offers a BMW-owner discount and extra for green cars, as does my credit union for financing.

As for BMW, I suspect they are loosing a bundle on each one of these and have priced them cheap in their introductory year (German marketing tradition). But, if you find a demonstrator, BMW does offer an added 6-months warranty for its purchase (any model).

 

[LivingBetterThurEV]

Thanks for feedback.
Only way to get NY State to get a charging station credit is:
As per NYState Depart of Taxation and Finance - Eligibility
The following taxpayers are eligible to claim the credit:
• transportation and transmission corporations taxable under Article 9, sections 183 and 184,
• cooperative agricultural corporations taxable under Article 9, section 185, and
• general business corporations taxable under Article 9-A.

So the answer is No, I cannot file a CT-637 form since I do not own a related business.

I'm was not on the NY state payroll. I worked in engineering at a major corporation which transferred out our jobs to India. I faithful Upstate New Yorker.

Trying to focus on EV incentives which appear out of the question for the general NY consumer. Upstate NY is not ideal for solar panel return on investment - but would consider after I work the EV issue out.

My State Farm Insurance - wants about $100 more for insurance - so I may want to look elsewhere.

BMW is geared up to make thousands of these vehicles and has state incentives to do so - they will get their money back.

 

[Greatwhite]

I have the full package Rex and the nav for me is worth it as I commute 60 miles each way and the real time traffic is a blessing, letting me know where issues are, what they are and how much time it will add to my journey. Also it shows where charging stations are and if they are in use, or use an app on your phone to save some dollars.

Incentives vary and I was fortunate to get $1250 off from my dealer and at the expense of another dealer who I originally dealt with and had no inventory of the model I wanted, I even offered to stay and wait if they price matched the competitor dealer and they passed oh well. My county also has clean air bill in California and that netted me a further $3k plus the state $2500. Check your utility provider as some are offering specific rates and rebates for chargers.

Stuart

 

[Boatguy]

You can use the 4 series test drive voucher on an i3, at least in California.

Lease residuals have been raised to 53% across all of BMW USA.

The best way to tell your local dealer he's bought the wrong configurations is to buy a car from someone else. Is there a local broker who will find you a car?

 

[i3Alan]

Lease residuals have been raised to 53% across all of BMW USA.

Lease and OC and OC/F residuals are dependent on the length of the lease/OC and the annual mileage. BMW recently told dealers that all lease/OC residuals on 36 month terms were increased 7%. However, having picked up my i3 two days ago, I can verify that BMW told my dealer the 7% increase is good for 24 to 36 month terms. In my case, an OC for 30 months with 10K miles/year, my residual is 58%. Also, if at least 15% is put down, the interest rate (or equivalent lease value) drops 0.25%.

 

[TJP75]

Lease residuals have been raised to 53% across all of BMW USA.

Lease and OC and OC/F residuals are dependent on the length of the lease/OC and the annual mileage. BMW recently told dealers that all lease/OC residuals on 36 month terms were increased 7%. However, having picked up my i3 two days ago, I can verify that BMW told my dealer the 7% increase is good for 24 to 36 month terms. In my case, an OC for 30 months with 10K miles/year, my residual is 58%. Also, if at least 15% is put down, the interest rate (or equivalent lease value) drops 0.25%.

Are the residuals a stated number/value from BMW? For a 36 month OC, I've been quoted residuals of 48% and 50% from two different local dealers. If you had done a 36 month OC, do you have any idea what the residual would have been? Thanks.

 

[BMW4Me]

I'm pissed! I just found this:
https://www.bmwcca.org/news/2014-bmw-i3-bev-added-bmw-cca-membership-reward-program

Essentially, all the early adopters of the i3 in the US are excluded from the reward rebate, which I've ALWAYS received on by previous, count 'em, 7 BMWs.

I think we should all complain. There's no reason why they should set an arbitrary start date of September 26, when in fact very few i3s were sold before that. Why not make it retroactive to when they first started selling?

I mean, really now, we early adopters have done more to market these cars by stopping to answer questions by curious passers-by than any BMW dealer staff.

Anybody know anyone personally at BMW NA or BMW CCA, who could help with this? They are quite strict about this program, as explained on their FAQs and here: https://www.bmwcca.org/vehicle_rebate

 

[Pentacat]

Well this really sucks, my i3 BEV purchase date was 8/29 and I've been a CCA member for years now. I'm sure that CCA has to deal with BMW NA to set these rebate eligibility "windows" so I'd be more inclined to blame BMW NA rather than CCA for the restrictions. I know there were a lot of unhappy CCA members with the delay in adding the 2 series to the eligibility list a few months back as well.


Time to write some complaint letters to CCA and BMW NA.

By buying the i3 on 8/29 instead of 9/29 I'm out $3000 between the CCA discount and the "innovation" credit. Early adopter tax, FTW.

 

[LivingBetterThurEV]

This is exactly what is was talking about. I called CCA rebate program manager - who stated this program is really BMW NA - and the i3 would not be available for rebate until BMW NA re-evaluates (usually done in beginning of the year) in 2015.
I'm upset that called, sent emails, have been a loyal premium member for 5 years now.
The rebate must be retro-active for CCA mmbers in good faith.

Please forward BMW NA your complaints. Not happy. An I want to know immediately when they are going to fix their slow charging issue, being that we heard the parts are coming available.

Also from the New York state letters that I have received from representatives, NYSERDA, Governor's office - there is no plans for NY state vehicle purchase incentives - zero (a CARB carrying member).

 

[BMW4Me]

Can you tell me whom you spoke to at CCA? I just called and left a message for a lady on the rebate extension, but I don't know if she's the manager. If you can tell us all whom you've called, we can all do the same so that they get the picture. Ditto for anyone at BMW NA

 

[i3atl]

Can you tell me whom you spoke to at CCA? I just called and left a message for a lady on the rebate extension, but I don't know if she's the manager. If you can tell us all whom you've called, we can all do the same so that they get the picture. Ditto for anyone at BMW NA

I've discussed this extensively with them, and it isn't going to do any good for you guys to fill up the mailbox of the CCA/Rewards staff - BMWNA chooses which cars are eligible, the amounts, and under which terms (dates/etc). Contact BMWNA directly if you would like to complain or suggest changes to the program.

 

[LivingBetterThurEV]

First - as I said BMW NA makes the decision on rebate offers. I remember Tricia Jones at BMW CCA as the rebate administrator. Maybe Frank 864-250-0022 x226 exective director can answer.