Area residents take advantage of PG&E EV rebate program
Feb. 27—Pacific Gas and Electric Company officials said several residents in Yuba and Sutter counties have already taken advantage of the Pre-Owned Electric Vehicle Rebate Program first offered by the utility provider last year.
"In the year since launching its Pre-Owned Electric Vehicle (EV) Rebate Program, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has helped make EV ownership a reality for thousands of customers in underserved communities," the company said Tuesday.
Since its launch in February 2023, 11 people in Yuba County have benefited from the program with rebates totaling $20,000, officials said. In Sutter County, 9 rebates have been given for a total of $12,000.
According to the company, the EV rebate program provides "income-qualified customers with up to $4,000 when purchasing or leasing a used EV." To date, more than 3,300 rebate payments have been distributed and an additional $70 million in funding is still available to help income-qualified customers transition to an EV. Officials said the funding is available through the rest of 2024 and PG&E already has requested to extend the program for an additional amount of years.
"We serve a diverse population and want to ensure all of our customers have the resources they need to make EV ownership an attainable goal," Lydia Krefta, director of Clean Energy Transportation for PG&E, said in a statement. "The Pre-Owned EV Rebate Program is a great resource that has already helped many of our underserved customers transition to electric vehicles, and there is still substantial funding available to enable our customers to adopt affordable EVs."
PG&E said there are about 600,000 EVs in its service area, which represents about one in seven EVs in the entire country. Other PG&E programs that provide incentives for EV charging equipment and EV electric rates that aim to make it easier and more affordable for all customers to drive an EV include the following: — In November 2023, PG&E launched a new Residential Charging Solutions pilot that provides income-qualified customers with a $700 post-purchase rebate on approved Level 2 residential charging equipment that can utilize existing 240-volt outlets and eliminate the need for costly electrical upgrades. The pilot is funded by California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard. — The Empower EV program offers income-eligible customers up to $2,500 in incentives to help cover the cost of installing EV-charging equipment at their single-family residences. PG&E provides a free Level 2 charger, valued at $500, to customers who meet eligibility requirements and covers up to $2,000 per eligible household for panel upgrades completed by the program's approved electrician. Eligible customers are encouraged to enroll in the program before it closes at the end of 2024. — The Multifamily Housing and Small Business EV Charger Program installs Level 1 and Level 2 EV chargers at multifamily housing units, nonprofit organizations and small businesses in select communities. For qualified customers, the charging units are installed at no cost to property owners and the program covers two years of networking and software fees. Priority communities include low-income, rural, tribal and other priority populations defined by the California Public Utilities Commission and California Air Resources Board.
"At PG&E, we're proud of the work we are doing to help make EV ownership more affordable. Income-eligible customers can save thousands of dollars by enrolling in the California Alternate Rates for Energy and Pre-Owned EV Rebate programs, and they can receive a free EV charger and save even more on their energy costs," Krefta said.
