Hyundai has taken a commanding lead in the race to become the highest-volume brand under the federal Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) program for 2022. The company posted another month of strong shipments in November, while eligible deliveries from its closest competitor, Tesla, slowed to a trickle.
Hyundai dominating federal EV rebate race through 11 months
The Hyundai Kona and Ioniq 5 battery-electric crossovers powered Hyundai to 891 qualifying deliveries during November, bringing its total through the first 11 months to 12,166
IZEV PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
The iZEV program provides a $5,000 rebate for BEVs, as well as PHEVs with electric range greater than 49 kilometres. PHEVs with less electric range qualify for $2,500.
The same eligibility criteria applies to both categories. Zero-emission passenger cars starting at less than $55,000, and higher-cost variants up to $65,000 qualify for the incentives. Larger vehicles such as pickups, minivans and SUVs must have a base price of less than $60,000, and higher-cost variants must start at less than $70,000. Higher-cost trim levels are not eligible.
The Kona and Ioniq 5 battery-electric crossovers powered Hyundai to 891 qualifying deliveries during the month, bringing its total through the first 11 months of 2022 to 12,166 vehicles.
Eligible deliveries of the Tesla Model 3, meantime, have nearly dried up. The electric-vehicle maker shipped just 44 qualifying sedans in November, roughly half the 82 it delivered in October, and a fraction of the 1,116 Model 3s handed to customers in September. Tesla has delivered 10,937 eligible Model 3s since the start of 2022. All were ordered prior to Nov. 23, 2021, after which a price increase pushed the Model 3 above the threshold for iZEV eligibility.
General Motors shipped 421 qualifying Chevrolet Bolt EVs, plus 255 of its larger Bolt EUV crossovers in November. The 676 combined deliveries during the month helped the brand maintain third place in the total iZEV tally for 2022. Chevrolet has delivered 5,151 vehicles that fall under the incentive program this year.
Though well short of the leaders, Polestar continues to climb the rankings. It delivered 298 eligible Polestar 2s in November, upping the model’s 2022 total to 1,110. The upstart brand has ramped up quickly, with qualifying shipments of the 2 first climbing into triple digits in July.
Toyota also hit a milestone in late November. The Japanese automaker delivered its first iZEV-eligible battery-electric vehicle. Toyota has qualified only for the hybrid segment of the program previously, but handed over the keys to the first 10 qualifying bZ4X crossovers in November.
Plug-in hybrids from three automakers head into the final month of 2022 in a close race for the category’s year-end top spot.
Jeep delivered 335 eligible models of its Wrangler 4xe in November, boosting its qualifying shipments for the year to 2,401. Toyota added to the Prius Prime’s 2022 tally of 2,473 with 322 eligible deliveries last month. The Ford Escape PHEV, however, has kept its nose ahead. The U.S. automaker shipped 302 qualifying Escape PHEVs in November for a total of 2,710 year-to-date.
The federal government awarded incentives to 5,173 ZEVs in November, up from 4,868 a month earlier.
Provincially, Quebec continued to lead the way with 2,897 deliveries, while Ontario edged into the second position, notching 992 eligible shipments compared to British Columbia’s 892.
