Last month we wrote about a rebate program being offered by Pasadena Water & Power for both the purchase of an Electric Vehicle (new or used) as well as the installation of EV chargers. Which got us to thinking, don’t the other local utilities have something similar? Well guess what, they do! Read on to see what might be available from a utility near you!
SCE offers rebates for both purchasing an EV as well as installing a level 2 (i.e., 240 VAC) charger.
The SCE rebate for purchasing an EV is $450. Here are the requirements:
To apply for the SCE EV rebate, go here.
SCE also offers a rebate of $500 to install a Level 2 charger at your home. Here are the requirements:
To apply for the SCE EV charger rebate, go here.
LADWP does not appear to offer a rebate for the purchase of a new EV, but they do offer a rebate for purchasing a used EV, as well as installing an EV charger. Their overall EV page is here.
LADWP is offering a pilot program for the first 2,000 approved applicants who purchase an EV two or more years old (i.e., model year 2016 or older). The rebate is $450 and opened on April 1, 2018.
Here are the requirements:
LADWP offers a $500 rebate for installing a Level 2 EV charger (i.e., 240 VAC). Program requirements are:
Interestingly, LADWP does not specifically require the installation to be permitted and inspected.
BWP offers a rebate of $500 for residential EV charger installations. (You can access the rebate application here.) They do not appear to offer a rebate for purchasing EVs.
Program requirements for the EV charger rebate are:
As is often the case, GWP’s programs mirror those of BWP. GWP offers a $500 rebate for residential EV charger installations, but nothing toward the purchase of the EV itself. Here’s a link to their overall EV page. One interesting wrinkle, GWP issues the rebate in the form of a credit on your GWP bill - none of the other rebate programs said that.
Here are the requirements for the EV charger rebate:
Access the GWP EV charger rebate application form here.
We just learned that Pasadena Water and Power is offering a series of rebates for electric vehicles and for their chargers - how cool is that? Here’s the scoop…
New or used EVs, whether purchased or leased, qualify for rebates. The rebate is $250, but that doubles if you get your EV from a Pasadena dealership. (And if you participate in PWP’s income-qualifying programs, the rebate can be as much as $750!)
To qualify, you must have an active PWP electric account, be the legal owner of the EV and permanently reside at the address shown on the PWP account.
The rebate is limited (if you can call this a limitation!) to two EVs every three years!
Now that you have an EV, you need a charger and PWP is offering rebates on those as well! A standard Level 2 (240 VAC) charger qualifies for a $200 rebate, but a Wi-Fi enabled Level 2 charger qualifies for a $600 rebate!
You must complete the online rebate application within 180 days of purchase. To get started, check out PWP’s EV rebate page here.
page on our website devoted to the synergy between solar and EVs, and we drive a Volt as our main company car.
Here at Run on Sun we are big fans of Electric Vehicles (EVs) - we started writing about them years ago as a natural marriage, if you will, with solar power. We have long had aBut one thing we hear from skeptics is that EVs will never replace gasoline cars - they are too expensive or they are too limited in range (that latter point being why we drive a Volt and not a Leaf). But an interesting analysis from Bloomberg Business suggests that this will change, and far faster than most might think! Check out their very thought provoking video (h/t climatecrocks.com):
Quite the range of opinions on EV penetration - from 1% of new car sales in 2040 (according to Exxon) to 50% in this video. Frankly we are betting with Bloomberg. People who drive EVs have no desire to revert to an internal combustion engine. When you combine that EV with solar power to charge it, you are really getting to a game changer.
So what if, as the video suggests, instead of having to regulate away fossil fuels, we just stopped buying them? That future can’t get here fast enough!
There’s a good chance if you’re reading this blog you either have hopes of someday owning an electric vehicle (EV) or you are one of the proud individuals already enjoying cruising silently by gas stations…such as Run on Sun’s Jim Jenal in our new Volt pictured on the right! In either case your ears likely perk up at any breaking news regarding EVs.
Over the last few days I’ve noticed alarming headlines coming from multiple sources. While the key word in headlines such as “Study Finds Electric Cars May Not Be Very Green at All” is “may“, many of the articles state definitively that electric cars are not as green as gasoline cars. I decided to investigate.
On December 15th a new study by the University of Minnesota was released to the press. The study calculated the air quality impacts of manufacturing and refueling vehicles with various forms of power. Below is the study’s abstract verbatim:
We evaluate the air quality-related human health impacts of 10…options, including the use of liquid biofuels, diesel, and compressed natural gas (CNG) in internal combustion engines; the use of electricity from a range of conventional and renewable sources to power electric vehicles (EVs); and the use of hybrid EV technology.
…We find that powering vehicles with corn ethanol or with coal-based or “grid average” electricity increases monetized environmental health impacts by 80% or more relative to using conventional gasoline. Conversely, EVs powered by low-emitting electricity from natural gas, wind, water, or solar power reduce environmental health impacts by 50% or more. Consideration of potential climate change impacts alongside the human health outcomes described here further reinforces the environmental preferability of EVs powered by low-emitting electricity relative to gasoline vehicles.
Did you catch that last part? Electric vehicles, charged by low-emitting electricity (anything but coal) are preferable environmentally alongside human health impacts…to gasoline vehicles. A far cry from the grossly misinterpreted ‘electric cars aren’t green’. Which is simply not what the study says.
The straightforward lessons from the study include three main points:
In summary, don’t get an electric vehicle if you’re planning on charging it off of a coal-powered grid. Do get an electric vehicle if your grid is sufficiently green… or better yet, use a solar power system designed specifically with charging your EV in mind – see Run on Sun’s website for info! And remember that facts are frequently misinterpreted by the press. When in doubt, read the actual study, not just the headlines.
Readers of this blog know that the only thing we like better than Electric Vehicles are Electric Vehicles that Run on Sun. So when we came across this clever ad from Nissan, we just had to share (and it is perfect for a Friday!).
Check this out:
Frankly, we had that same self-satisfied smile on our face when we got to test drive a Tesla Model S a few weeks ago. Part of the test drive was a short stint on a local freeway. As luck would have it, the light turned red as we reached the on-ramp to the freeway. As luck would further have it, a 5-series BMW pulled up alongside of us - both of us first to go at the light. Somewhat distracted by the many bells and whistles inside the Model S (and the patter of the salesperson), we weren’t focused on the light, and the BMW jumped ahead as the light changed.
Poor little BMW, he didn’t have a chance.
Grin.
Happy Friday, everyone - but remember, use your torque wisely!