The California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved Electric Vehicles International's (EVI) fully electric return-to-base Medium and Heavy-Duty trucks. CARB approval recognizes that EVI's Freightliner Custom Chassis model EVI-WI and Daimler Freightliner M2 Model EVI-MD are clean, California-certified zero emission vehicles.

These US Department of Transportation (DOT) approved, road-ready vehicles are optimized for delivery and other return-to-base applications, offering a sustainable solution for California's fleet operators.

"Having both the CARB and DOT approval, along with our state-of-the-art vertically integrated zero emission powertrain, truly sets EVI apart from the competition in the fully electric return-to-base application," says Steve Riley, Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

"With this approval, our customers will be eligible for various state and federal rebates and incentives," continues Riley. "We decided to move our headquarters from Mexico to Stockton, CA to take advantage of these incentive opportunities that benefit our customers and get EVI trucks on the road as soon as possible."

To help meet the goals of California policies-such as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's landmark greenhouse gas law AB 32 and the Governor's Low Carbon Fuel Standard Initiative- the California Air Resources Board will be offering rebates of $20,000 per vehicle beginning mid-March 2010 through its Clean Vehicle Rebate Program.

These rebates, which can be combined with other incentives and will be available on a first-come basis, lower the upfront cost and accelerate the payback period for fleet operators and other customers.

By investing in an EVI zero-emission vehicle, customers will further benefit from substantial ongoing fuel savings and reduced maintenance costs compared to conventional dirty diesel trucks.

"Programs like CARB's Clean Vehicle Rebate Program bring innovative, clean technologies such as ours to the market," says Ricky Hanna, CEO of EVI-USA. "Encouraging adoption of green technology will not only grow our customer base, but also generate green jobs and improve air quality."

EVI is a pioneer in zero emission electric vehicle development, manufacturing and deployment, with over 20 years of success optimizing zero emission, all-electric Powertrains.

Strategic partnerships with Light Engineering, Valence Technology, and Daimler and Freightliner provide the most efficient electric motors and the safest, longest-lasting batteries, seamlessly integrated into tough American-built chassis relied upon by fleet operators throughout the nation and the world.