Alameda County Offers $17M For Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

NEWARK, CA — The California Energy Commission and East Bay Community Energy are offering $17.3 million in rebates to purchase and install public electric vehicle charging stations in Alameda County, EBCE announced in a news release.

The new incentives are part of the Alameda County Incentive Project, a partnership between the CEC and EBCE. The funds are part of the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP), which addresses regional charging needs and supports state efforts to phase out the sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035. CALeVIP has offered more than $185 million for EV charging installations across 11 regional incentive projects since Dec. 2017, according to the new release.

As of Dec. 1, Alameda County property owners and managers interested in EV chargers can apply for funding online for one or multiple charging rebates for a single location. The new Alameda County Incentive Project is offering $3,500 to $6,000 per connector for commercial-grade Level 2 electric vehicle chargers, and $30,000 to $80,000 for high-powered DC fast chargers. Incentives can also cover up to 75% of EV charging equipment and installation costs, ECBE said.

The Alameda County Incentive Project also says that it will allocate at least 50% of total project funding to disadvantaged and low-income communities. Additionally, half of all fast-charging incentives have been allocated for projects built near dense concentrations of multifamily housing to help renters without access to home charging, EBCE said.

As the cost of EV ownership continues to decline, one remaining barrier for customer adoption is access to charging stations,” EBCE CEO Nick Chaset said in a new release. “This is particularly challenging for people who live in apartments where there is no opportunity to charge your car where you live. This project to install publicly accessible chargers will increase opportunities for EV ownership to people who want access to the benefits that EVs provide.”