(a) Except as provided in section 490.304 of this part, of the light duty motor vehicles newly acquired by a covered person described in section 490.303 of this part, the following percentages shall be alternative fueled vehicles for the following model years:

(1) 30 percent for model year 1997.

(2) 50 percent for model year 1998.

(3) 70 percent for model year 1999.

(4) 90 percent for model year 2000 and thereafter.

(b) Except as provided in section 490.304 of this part, this acquisition schedule applies to all light duty motor vehicles that a covered person newly acquires for use within the United States.

(c) If, when the mandated acquisition percentage of alternative fuel vehicles is applied to the number of new light duty motor vehicles to be acquired by a covered person subject to this subpart, a number results that requires the acquisition of a partial vehicle, an adjustment will be made to the required acquisition number by rounding down to the next whole number if the fraction is less than one half and by rounding up the number of vehicles to the next whole number if the fraction is equal to or greater than one half.

(d) Only acquisitions satisfying the mandate, as defined by section 490.305, count toward compliance with the acquisition schedule in paragraph (a) of this section.

(e) A covered person that is first subject to the acquisition requirements of this part after model year 1997 shall acquire alternative fueled vehicles in the next model year at the percentage applicable to that model year, according to the schedule in paragraph (a) of this section, unless the covered person is granted an exemption or reduction of the acquisition percentage pursuant to the procedures and criteria in section 490.307.