New Jerseyʻs EV incentive program concludes successful first phase

The first phase of the stateʻs Charge Up New Jersey electric vehicle (EV) incentive program ends on Dec. 15, with the program is on track to disburse about $30 million for nearly 6,000 new EVs.

To qualify for the incentive, residents must have purchased or leased an eligible EV between Jan. 17 and Dec. 15, 2020, in the state. The program administrator, the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE), has approved nearly 4,500 applications and $21.6 million in incentives to date. While Dec. 15 is the purchase cutoff date, the application portal will remain open until March 15, 2021. During this time, the program administrator will accept applications for a Phase One incentive with a vehicle purchase or lease date between Jan. 17 and Dec. 15.

“By any measure, New Jersey’s EV incentive program has been a resounding success. New Jerseyans have even more enthusiasm for electric vehicles than we initially anticipated, and are making the switch to EVs to be part of the solution to reduce their carbon footprint and fight climate change,” New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Joseph Fiordaliso said. “Electrifying transportation is a key pillar of our Energy Master Plan and will help us achieve Governor Murphy’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050. We look forward to launching the second act of this popular program next year as we work toward the Governor’s goal of 330,000 EVs on the road in the Garden State by 2025.”

Phase Two of the program will begin in summer 2021, according to the NJBPU. Before the launch of Phase Two, NJBPU will engage in a public process to evaluate the program to maximize the funding for fiscal year 2022 and beyond.