A Green Perk Offered for Green Car

From a WSJ reprint A Green Perk Offered for Green Car:

In one of the first examples of a U.S. company offering money to encourage employees to buy environmentally friendly vehicles, a California software firm says it will give its employees $5,000 apiece toward the purchase of such cars.

Hyperion Solutions Corp., based in Santa Clara, Calif., will provide the reimbursement for vehicles that achieve 45 miles per gallon or more in the federal government's highway fuel-economy rating and that meet a strict low-emissions standard. Currently, the only generally available vehicles on sale in the U.S. that qualify on both counts are hybrid gasoline-and-electric-powered cars from Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. Hyperion counts many car companies, including Honda and Toyota, among its customers.

Initially, Hyperion has budgeted $1 million a year for the program, enough to incentivize the purchases of 200 cars annually. All of Hyperion's 2,500 employees globally, including 1,500 in the U.S., are eligible.

Well, $5000 is certainly a hefty incentive. Most people who want to buy these hybrids should be able to get many accesories included in that price!