PG&E Making EV Ownership More Affordable in Underserved Communities

By Mike Gazda

In the year since launching its Pre-Owned Electric Vehicle (EV) Rebate Program, PG&E has helped make EV ownership a reality for thousands of customers in underserved communities. The rebate is just one of the many resources that PG&E offers to help support the equitable acceleration of EV adoption throughout its service area.  

PG&E’s Pre-Owned EV Rebate Program, launched in February 2023, provides income-qualified customers with up to $4,000 when purchasing or leasing a used EV. More than 3,300 rebate payments have been distributed at the one-year mark, and an additional $70 million in funding is still available to help income-qualified customers transition to an EV. The funding is available through 2024, although PG&E has requested to extend the program for additional 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,” said Lydia Krefta, director, Clean Energy Transportation for PG&E. “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’s clean energy transportation initiatives 

There are nearly 600,000 EVs in PG&E’s service area, representing one in seven EVs in the country. PG&E continues expanding its portfolio of programs to provide incentives for EV charging equipment and EV electric rates, aiming to make it easy and affordable for all customers to drive an EV.  

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,” said Krefta.  

 Additional EV resources and programs 

 PG&E offers a variety of tools, rebates and resources in multiple languages to help educate customers and encourage EV adoption. Customers are invited to check out PG&E’s EV Savings Calculator, an online resource to browse vehicles, discover incentives, locate charging stations and more. PG&E also offers an EV Rate Comparison tool to help customers find the best rate plan for them.