California Air Resources Board

Project Goals

As perceived and potential repair costs are a significant barrier to entry into EV ownership for lower-income Californians who typically purchase used vehicles, the goals of the Zero-Emission Assurance Project (ZAP) are to increase assurances and reduce the risk of buying a used zero-emission vehicle (ZEV). ZAP also aims to protect low-income and disadvantaged community clients from the predatory practices of service contracts by offering services through trusted and contracted service providers and offering replacement incentives for vehicles with repair costs that exceed the maximum grant amount.

Guiding Legislation and Policy Drivers

The Zero-Emission Assurance Project (ZAP) was established by Assembly Bill (AB) 193 (Cervantes, Chapter 363, Statutes of 2018) to help lower-income Californians reduce the risk of buying a used ZEV by providing a rebate or vehicle service contract for the replacement battery or fuel cell component. In addition to establishing ZAP, AB 193 required that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) submit a report on the status of the program to the Legislature no later than January 1, 2024. This ZAP Report was posted publicly in January 2024.

While legislation established this program in 2019, direct funding for ZAP was not allocated by the Legislature until Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-23, through AB 179 (Ting, Chapter 249, Statutes of 2022). In anticipation of funding for the program, a small study was conducted from January 2022 to June 2023 to provide an estimate for testing and measuring battery health over time for electric vehicles purchased through the local financing assistance pilot, the first Driving Clean Assistance Program (DCAP). A report on the Data Collection Pilot Project for the Zero Emission Assurance Project was provided to summarize the findings. As funding for ZAP wasn’t allocated until FY 2022-23, the project has not yet been fully established and CARB staff is currently developing the project with a goal of launching in late summer 2025. 

Funding History

FY 2022-23: $9.9 million dollars allocated to ZAP

Project Policy Changes

CARB staff are currently developing the policies for this project. Workgroups were held on August 6, 2024, and April 4, 2025. Staff will have at least one more workgroup before program launch. Information related to these work groups can be found on theLow Carbon Transportation Incentives and AQIP Meetings and Workshops page.