(A) For taxable years beginning in 2012 and before 2017, a taxpayer is allowed a tax credit against the income tax imposed pursuant to this chapter for the in-state purchase or lease of a new plug-in hybrid vehicle.

A plug-in hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that:

(1) shares the same benefits as an internal combustion and electric engine with an all-electric range of no less than nine miles;

(2) has four or more wheels;

(3) draws propulsion using a traction battery;

(4) has at least four kilowatt hours of battery capacity; and

(5) uses an external source of energy to recharge the battery.

Qualified plug-in hybrid vehicles also must be manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads, highways, and not be classified as low or medium speed vehicles. Low-speed vehicles are vehicles capable of a speed of at least twenty but not more than twenty-five miles per hour, is used primarily for short trips and recreational purposes, and has safety equipment such as lights, reflectors, mirrors, parking brake, windshield, and safety belts. Medium-speed vehicles are vehicles capable of a speed of at least thirty but not more than forty-six miles per hour and has safety equipment such as lights, reflectors, mirrors, parking brake, windshield, and safety belts.

The credit is equal to six hundred sixty-seven dollars, plus one hundred eleven dollars if the vehicle has at least five kilowatt hours of battery capacity, plus an additional one hundred eleven dollars for each kilowatt hour of battery capacity in excess of five kilowatt hours. The maximum credit allowed by this section is two thousand dollars. The credit allowed by this section is nonrefundable and if the amount of the credit exceeds the taxpayer’s liability for the applicable taxable year, any unused credit may be carried forward for five years.

(B) To claim the credit allowed by this section, the taxpayer must provide the department with a certification from the vehicle manufacturer, or in the case of a foreign vehicle manufacturer, its domestic distributor, stating that the vehicle is a qualified plug-in hybrid as described in subsection (A), and the vehicle’s number of kilowatt hours of battery capacity.

(C) Notwithstanding the credit amount allowed pursuant to this section, for a calendar year all claims made pursuant to this section must not exceed two hundred thousand dollars and must apply to eligible claimants on a first-come, first-served basis as determined by the Department of Revenue in a manner it prescribes until the total allowable credits for that calendar year are exhausted.