September 5, 2024

California Residents: Save on EVs and EV Charging with PG&E EV Incentives

5 Min. Read

As electric vehicle (EV) adoption rates skyrocket across California, utility companies are stepping up with enticing incentives to encourage the shift to electric driving.

One of the leading utilities on the West Coast, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), is at the forefront of this movement, offering programs that can help residential customers save up to $4,700 as they transition to electrification technologies and a more sustainable lifestyle.

If you reside in Northern or Central California, you are likely among the 16 million PG&E customers who can benefit from these valuable rebates.

In this article, we’ll dive into the exclusive EV incentives available to PG&E customers, exploring how these incentives can dramatically reduce the costs associated with purchasing an electric vehicle (EV) or plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV), installing a home EV charger, and even the ongoing expenses of charging your EV.

Beyond saving on your electric vehicle and at-home EV charger, the utility offers rebates on solar, battery storage, and clean appliances to support your entire electrification journey.

Let’s take a closer look at the PGE EV incentives available.

The Top PG&E EV Incentives in 2024

Save $1,000 with PG&E Pre-Owned Electric Vehicle Rebate for PG&E Electric Customers

By purchasing a used EV, you not only reduce your environmental impact but also qualify for numerous financial benefits, including a 30% federal used clean vehicle tax credit, additional California EV rebates and incentives, and, for PG&E residential customers, a preowned EV rebate that can be stacked with other state and federal tax credits.

This PG&E EV incentives program applies to pre-owned battery EVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles featured on the California Air Resources Board’s list of vehicles approved for HOV exemptions.

To qualify for this program, you must have an active residential account with PG&E and register your vehicle at the same address where you receive electric service from the utility. It’s important to also note that you won’t qualify for the rebate if you’re only a PG&E customer for gas services.

As long as you meet these requirements, you’ll qualify for a $1,000 rebate. You can easily claim this rebate by completing an online application within 180 days of buying or leasing your used EV.

Save $4,000 with PG&E Pre-Owned Electric Vehicle Rebate for PG&E Rebate Plus Electric Customers

The PG&E Rebate Plus program can help you save even more by offering a $4,000 rebate on the purchase or lease of a pre-owned EV or PHEV.

The utility uses income limits to determine who qualifies for this enhanced rebate. You’ll qualify automatically if you’re enrolled in a public assistance program, such as CalFresh, WIC, income-qualified Medi-Cal, Medi-Cal for families, Supplemental Security Income, Tribal TANF, or the Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance.

If you’re not enrolled in any of these programs, you can still qualify for the PG&E $4,000 pre-owned EV rebate based on your income. Your household’s gross income must be below a specific threshold unique to each zip code. You can find out if you qualify by scrolling down on this page and entering your zip code and household income.

Keep in mind that if you’re listed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return, you won’t qualify for the Rebate Plus program. However, households are allowed up to three rebates per year, enabling you to maximize your savings on multiple used EV purchases with these enticing PG&E incentives.

$700 PG&E EV Charger Rebate

After saving on your used EV or PHEV purchase or lease, you can also save on at-home charging with an EV charger rebate from PG&E.

The utility offers a $700 rebate on qualifying chargers from three different manufacturers. However, the PG&E Rebate Plus program rebate is income-based, which means you can only claim this rebate if you meet the same requirements listed above for saving $4,000 with PG&E’s Pre-Owned Electric Vehicle Rebate.

PG&E launched this program on November 17, 2023, so as long as you purchased a qualifying EV charger after this date, you can claim your $700.

Unlock The Lowest Charging Rates with PG&E Time-Of-Use Programs

Although not everyone qualifies for the PG&E EV incentives mentioned above, anyone who drives electric can enroll in one of the utility’s time-of-use (TOU) programs to benefit from a discounted rate for off-peak EV charging.

With the PG&E EV2-A program, you will pay $0.31 per kWh for all your off-peak electricity usage between midnight and 3 p.m. Mid-peak and on-peak rates vary from season to season.

You can also enroll in the PG&E EV-B rate, which offers off-peak rates as low as $0.30 per kWh in the winter. For this program, you will need to install a second meter to track your EV charging separately from other energy usage.

In addition to discounted TOU residential rates, PG&E also offers EV charging rates for commercial customers, including multifamily EV charging, workplace charging, fleets, and other use cases.

Understand Your PG&E EV Incentives With Qmerit

As a PG&E residential customer, you can save up to $4,700 if you qualify for the utility’s Rebate Plus program and charger rebate. If you don’t meet the income requirements for these PG&E EV incentives, you can still receive a $1,000 rebate toward a used EV or PHEV and enroll in one of the PG&E time-of-use programs to save on off-peak charging.

An important part of taking advantage of these PG&E EV incentives and rebates is making sure you have a licensed California electrician to install your EV charger to qualify for the PG&E rebate.

Even if you don’t plan on taking advantage of this program, having an experienced installer connect your EV charger ensures that the equipment will work as intended and meet all safety requirements for an optimal at-home charging experience.

Beyond qualifying for any eligible federal, state, municipal, or utility rebates and incentives, a licensed EV charger installer will pull the proper permits, use the right materials, and correctly install your EV charging station to provide you with safe, efficient, and seamless at-home EV charging.

As the most trusted and recommended EV charger installer in North America, Qmerit can help you find a qualified professional in your area and plan a successful electrification journey.

All Qmerit electricians are fully licensed, trained in EV charger installations and other energy transition services, background-checked, and vetted—saving you the time and stress of finding a reputable installer with the necessary training and experience. Get started today by taking our online EV charging assessment!