AURORA | For the remainder of the month, Colorado residents can purchase an electric car in Aurora at a steep discount.
It’s part of a program the state is offering in partnership with Aurora Tynan’s Nissan and Xcel Energy. Residents are eligible for the 52 percent discount on Nissan Leaf electric cars until Nov. 30.
The Electric Vehicle Group Buy program allows Colorado residents to buy a new Nissan LEAF SV with discounts and tax credits, adding up to $17,600: a $2,100 reduction from Tynan’s dealership, a $3,000 Nissan-Xcel Energy “fleetail” customer cash rebate, a $5,000 Colorado Tax Credit and a Federal Income Tax Credit of up to $7,500 for those who qualify.
Those discounts equate to a final price of about $16,360 for a 2018 Leaf, 52 percent less than the retail price.
Cars must be purchased at the Aurora dealership.
Kerstin Claspell, a senior financial analyst with the city, said the program has generated a lot of interest in the past two years it’s been available. Last year, 85 buyers took advantage of the deal and in 2016 74 Leafs were sold through the program.
The program comes at no cost to taxpayers or the city, Claspell said. But the city has been taking advantage of electric cars itself in recent years. She said the city began looking at ways to save money during the 2008 recession and found that the city would save $1 for every 25 miles with an electric car.
“For the city it made sense from an environmental and fiscal point of view to include more electric,” Claspell said.
Now there are 21 electric cars in Aurora’s fleet and plans to add more, but Claspell said some cars are easier to trade out than others. Police vehicles, for example, are hard to replace with electric versions.
Driving an electric car is getting easier in Aurora, too.
“Residents may want to know the city currently has 32 charging stations and there are 8 more in the works in the Central Recreational Center construction,” Claspell said.
For more details on the program, contact Tynan’s Nissan at 303-341-7330.
— KARA MASON, Staff Writer