Replacing your gas guzzler with an Electric Vehicle (EV) will save you money and help fight climate change.
More than 60% of San José’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. SJCE is committed to getting more San Joseans in EVs to help reduce air pollution and preserve our planet for future generations.
For an easy way to see which incentives you qualify for and whether the incentives can be stacked, check out the Shop & Compare tool below.
California Clean Fuel Reward
Point of sale incentive
Available for Used EVs? ✘
Available for Leases? ✔
Pro tip: Available to all CA residents. Reward amount is based on vehicle’s battery capacity, not income.
Clean Vehicle Rebate Project
Post-purchase rebate
Available for Used EVs? ✘
Available for Leases? ✔
Pro tip: Rebate provided after purchase. Increased rebates are available for low-income households.
Federal Tax Credit
Post-purchase credit
Available for Used EVs? ✘
Available for Leases? ✘
Pro tip: Credit amount varies depending on vehicle model/make, battery capacity, and tax liability.
Clean Cars for All
Point of sale incentive
Available for Used EVs? ✔
Available for Leases? ✔
Pro tip: CC4A is only open to income-qualified Bay Area residents that live in zip codes impacted by higher air pollution. See their Eligibility page for a list of qualifying zip codes.
Clean Vehicle Assistance Program
Point of sale incentive
Available for Used EVs? ✔
Available for Leases? ✔
Pro tip: Reservation List is at full capacity as of 4/14/21. Additional funds not expected until 2022.
Drive Clean Assistance Program
Point of sale incentive
Available for Used EVs? ✔
Available for Leases? ✔
Pro tip: Offers grants for at-home charging and portable EV chargers.
CVAP Beneficial State Foundation
Available for Used EVs? ✔
Max Loan Amount: None
Pro tip: Must contribute at least $1,000 to vehicle purchase through down payment or loan payment.
Driving Clean Assistance Program
Available for Used EVs? ✔
Max Loan Amount: $20,000
Pro tip: Program counsels customers from initial application through purchase of the car.
EV drivers can get special electricity rates that incentivize charging during off-peak hours, like at night when you are sleeping, until 3:00 p.m.
SJCE offers the same EV rate options as PG&E, but with more renewable energy. So with SJCE, you’ll drive on cleaner electricity and support local clean energy programs.
Customers enroll for an EV rate through PG&E, and PG&E transmits that information to SJCE.
EV rate plans are time-of-use rate plans, meaning the price of electricity depends on the time of day. Residential customers have two options for EV rate plans: EV-2A and EV-B. The main difference is that customers eligible for EV-B use a separate meter for EV charging. These customers are responsible for installing their second meter. Most EV customers are on the EV-2A rate plan, meaning their EV charging and household usage is tracked by the same meter.
The peak, off-peak, and partial-peak hours are the same for EV-2A and EV-B.
Ready to compare vehicles and find your incentives and cost savings? Our friends at Silicon Valley Clean Energy have developed an EV Assistant tool – check it out!
With the tool, you’ll be able to identify cost savings for fuel, maintenance, and lifetime ownership. You’ll also be able to find personal incentives based off your information and find out which incentives are stackable.
San José leads the nation in public charging stations per capita. Find your nearest charging station at PlugShare.
This Air District program provides grant funding to offset the cost of purchasing and installing new publicly accessible (multi-unit dwelling located projects are not subject to public accessibility requirements) chargers for light-duty electric vehicles (EVs) at workplaces, destinations, transit parking locations, along transportation corridors, and at multi-unit dwelling facilities.
A total $7 million in grant funding will be available for organizations, including governments, businesses, and nonprofits. Charge! will be a competitive solicitation and all complete applications will be scored and ranked. The Air District will prioritize projects that install EV charging at multi-unit dwellings and projects located in Bay Area Environmental Justice communities.
On the program website you can find: program guidance; details on eligibility and the application process; questions and answers; the online application portal; and more.
Applications will be accepted until March 1, 2022, 5:00 p.m. PT. Questions are accepted via email (until February 15, 2022) and answers will be posted online.
SJCE partnered with the California Energy Commission to invest $14 million in new EV chargers for San Jose businesses, apartments and condos, and public places. This investment will result in approximately 1,400 Level 2 charging ports and 100 DC Fast Charging ports being installed over the next few years, doubling the current level of charging infrastructure. SJCE’s goal is to have at least 25% of the chargers installed in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
Customers applied for this rebate program in December 2020. All of the funding was reserved within 6 minutes.
Charge Time: 3-5 miles per hour
Installation: none required; use a standard, properly grounded 3-prong outlet
Voltage: 120V 1-Phase AC
Charging Loads: 1.4 to 1.9 kW
Charge Time: 10-40 miles per hour
Installation: hire an electrician to install; same type of plug that your dryer uses
Voltage: 208V or 240V 1-Phase AC
Charging Loads: 2.5 to 19.2 kW (typically 7 kW)
Charge Time: 80% charge in 20-30 minutes
Installation: found in public places; not installed in homes
Voltage: 208V or 480V 3-phase AC
Charging Loads: <350 kW
A permit from the City of San José is needed to install a Level 2 charging station in a single-family home. Note: only Level 2 chargers require a permit. Learn more about permitting.
Save money by electrifying your fleet! Find a list of a wide range of current light to heavy-duty vehicles models available, vehicle incentives, rebates to install charging infrastructure, and tools to measure potential cost savings.
Keep up-to-date with the latest San José Clean Energy news and learn about new resources, programs, and rebates.
NEW! Want to receive monthly texts from San José Clean Energy with program updates and energy saving tips? Text CLEAN to (833) 415-2329 to sign up today.
