The local commercial energy provider is taking applications now for a new electric vehicle incentive program, offering rebates for customers to go electric with their wheels.
Central Coast Community Energy or 3CE, is offering its “Electrify Your Ride” program now through June 30. The program has a total of $700,000 available in various amounts and for different types of e-vehicles.
Funding is on a first-come first-served basis and has three levels of eligibility — residential customers, commercial-agricultural customers, and public agencies.
The program is broken into four types of electric vehicles — battery electric; plug-in hybrids; electric motorcycles; and, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
The battery and hybrid categories are good for new and used cars but the motorcycles and hydrogen cars are only for new vehicles.
Under the residential category, 3CE said only one $2,000 award per household is allowed, with “income-qualified” customers receiving double —
$4,000. As for used vehicles, battery cars can get $1,000 with low-income households eligible for $2,000.
With hybrids, the base award is $1,000 and $2,000 for low income. Used could get you $700 base or $1,400 low income.
Electric motorcycle awards are $300 base and $600 low income. And with hydrogen vehicles it’s $1,000 and $2,000 respectively.
Residential customers can only get one award per household, but commercial and Ag customers can get up to five awards per business. Large and small commercial and agricultural customers and non-profit agencies are eligible.
As for the public agencies, they too gang het up to five incentive awards and if they wanted to try for more than that, they must do so in person. All cities and counties enrolled with 3CE are eligible to apply.
For more information and to apply for an award online, see: www.3cenergy.org/electric-vehicle-incentive-program.
You can also email questions to 3CE at: EA@3ce.org or call 888-909-6227.
3CE, formerly called Monterey Bay Community Power, is a non-profit company that provides electricity purchased off the grid and delivered via the existing utility lines, in our case via Pacific Gas & Electric’s distribution system. 3CE’s mission is to save customers some money and promote sustainable and carbon-free sources of electricity.
Participation is voluntary, however, after the Morro Bay City Council — along with most SLO County cities — approved joining 3CE, every customer was automatically transferred over from PG&E service.
Should Castle Wind be successful in building a 1,000-megawatt offshore wind energy farm, they have already agreed to sell that energy to 3CE.
A proposed 600 MW Battery Energy Storage System or BESS, being proposed by Vistra Energy for the Morro Bay Power Plant property, could also align itself with 3CE to store energy when wind and solar are plentiful, storing excess energy to stabilize the power grid and make so-called carbon-free energy more reliable.
