Residents of Sonoma County, California, recently had a chance to buy electric cars for a fraction of the regular cost. A subsidy came from an unlikely source – a local electricity provider.

Cordel Stillman is with Sonoma Clean Power, a nonprofit that generates renewable electricity. He says that on behalf of its customers, the agency negotiated discounted electric car prices with dealers. Then, it added its own 2,000 dollar incentive. The promotion ran for three months.

The discounts came on top of existing state and federal tax credits and rebates. So it all added up to surprisingly inexpensive electric cars.

Stillman: “For vehicles such as Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus, we’re talking about in the $12,000-$13,000 range.”

That’s less than half the retail price.

He says supporting the transition to electric vehicles aligns with Sonoma Clean Power’s mission to promote clean energy.

Stillman: “In Sonoma County, more than half of our greenhouse gas emissions are related to transportation. It makes sense to attack greenhouse gas emissions wherever we can.”

Stillman expects there will be a similar promotion next year to make electric vehicles affordable for even more people.

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy/ChavoBart Digital Media.