—Overview—
It Pay$ to Plug In provides grants to employers to offset the cost of purchasing and installing electric vehicle charging stations in order to encourage employees to purchase and drive electric cars to work. The availability of workplace charging stations can be an important factor in encouraging the purchase of electric vehicles which have a positive environmental impact by reducing vehicle emissions. Workplace charging also helps alleviate range anxiety and gives employees additional driving flexibility.
—What is the grant amount?—
Upon completion of work in accordance with the eligibility criteria, NJDEP will reimburse each applicant as follows:
Up to $250 per Level 1 charging station; and Up to $5,000 per Level 2 charging station.
— Who is eligible to apply for grant?—
Any employer in New Jersey can apply for the grant to install a charging station in New Jersey. It must be owned by the applicant and not leased. Only Level 1/120 volt and Level 2/240 volt charging stations are eligible and cannot be receiving funds from other entities for the same charging station.
— How many charging stations can a business install?—
There is no limit. The Department does reserve the right to limit the amount of reimbursement per employer based on number and location of charging stations. Fleets are eligible as long as the fleet owner also owns a parking lot and otherwise satisfies the eligibility criteria.
— Do my employees have to drive electric cars?—
There is no requirement for a minimum number of employees to drive electric vehicles to be eligible for a grant. Employers can also make the stations open to the public for use, as long as they can be accessed by employees for workplace charging.
— Who pays for electricity?—
The owner of the charging stations will pay for the electricity, unless another arrangement has been made with their property owner. The charging station owner may impose a reasonable fee for the electricity on users of the equipment.
— How does my business apply?—
Complete instructions and application forms are available at DriveGreen.nj.gov/programs.html
—Additional Information—
For additional information on many of the issues businesses need to consider with regard to workplace charging, see “Plug-In Electric Vehicle Handbook for Workplace Charging Hosts” by the U.S. Department of Energy.
For additional information, please contact NJDEP Bureau of Mobile Sources at DriveGreen@dep.nj.gov or call (609) 292-7953.
This information should not be construed as constituting specific legal advice. It is intended to provide general information about this subject and general compliance strategies. For specific legal advice, NJBIA strongly recommends members consult with their attorney.
Updated: September 5, 2017
