Toyota aims to help its customers reduce carbon footprints and save money with its new Clean Assist program, according to a May 20 press release.

Clean Assist allows eligible owners of the Prius Prime or RAV4 Prime in California to offset their vehicle charging with 100% renewable energy no matter where the vehicles are plugged in. The program is free to Toyota owners.

Here’s how it works:

1. Owners of eligible Prius Prime or RAV4 Prime opt into the program through the Toyota App

2. The Toyota App tracks the amount of electricity used during charging.

3. Toyota then generates, or buys, an equivalent amount of California-sourced Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), an EPA-recognized program that records the generation and usage of green energy. It then sends evidence of the matching amounts to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), thereby ensuring that all Toyota PHEV charging activity is matched with zero-carbon electricity.

Whether owners charge up their vehicles at home, the office or on the road, the energy will be matched with 100% renewable power. How much renewable power is easily tracked through the Toyota App where owners see the amount of CO2 they have avoided through the Clean Assist program. Owners can opt out of the program at any time and for any reason through the app.

Toyota is choosing to voluntarily participate in the CARB Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). This program seeks to reduce California transportation GHG emissions, including through the use of renewable electricity to charge EVs. Charging vehicles with renewable electricity can generate LCFS credits which can then be sold, with the revenues used to further promote transportation electrification and the purchase of more RECs, a virtuous cycle that helps make the program self sustaining.