MCE community investments have increased Level 2 charging stations by 40% in its service area in under 2 years

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 4, 2020

MCE Press Contact:

Jenna Famular, Marketing & Communications Manager

(925) 378-6747 | jfamular@mcecleanenergy.org

SAN RAFAEL and CONCORD, Calif. — As of July 2020, MCE’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure rebate program, MCEv, has supported the installation of more than 550 Level 2 charging ports, with an additional 450+ ports still planned or under construction. Since the inception of the program, MCE has increased public Level 2 charging capacity by 40% across its service area, meeting one of the original program goals.

MCEv is still offering free technical assistance and up to $3,500 in rebates per port for eligible customers. See eligibility requirements and applications for charging stations at mcecleanenergy.org/ev-charging and vehicle rebates at mcecleanenergy.org/ev-rebate.

MCEv offers multifamily properties and workplaces free technical assistance and $3,000 in rebates per port installed. Customers who choose to enroll newly installed ports in MCE’s Deep Green electricity service receive an additional $500 incentive. These charging projects span MCE’s 34 member communities, helping workplaces and multifamily properties increase access to EV charging stations, one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption.

“MCE has focused on workplace and multifamily charging because it provides the greatest benefit to customers and the environment,” said Dawn Weisz, MCE CEO. “Making EV charging more accessible to customers who are currently unable to charge at home will make EVs a reasonable choice for more customers. Also, EV drivers at these locations are more likely to charge in the middle of the day, using renewable solar energy being produced at that time.”

Featured Charging Project: City of Richmond

“I have and would encourage others to utilize these MCE programs as they were very instrumental to increase our service deliverables to the public.”

Denée Evans, Transportation Demand and Sustainability Manager

Benefits:

  • Upgraded discontinued chargers with networked stations
  • Doubled charging capacity from single-port to dual-port
  • City offers up to 4 hours of free charging to staff as benefit
  • EV chargers with Deep Green 100% renewable electricity

6 ports installed

$15,000 in rebates

89% of cost covered

A 2016 update on the U.S. Department of Energy Workplace Charging Challenge indicates that employees are six times more likely to purchase or lease an EV if their workplaces offer charging. Employers that choose to power their stations with MCE Deep Green also help employees eliminate their transportation-related carbon footprint by charging with 100% renewable electricity.

“San Rafael City Schools have taken full advantage of MCEv charging, installing over 170 ports at eight schools,” said Dan Zaich, Senior Director of Capital Improvements, Sustainable Design and Construction at San Rafael City Schools. “MCE’s rebate program and technical assistance have made these new installations possible. We’re excited to be able to offer our students, faculty and community access to cleaner transportation options and to be part of the climate solution.”

With State building codes now requiring new multifamily buildings to install EV chargers, new properties will increase EV adoption through at home charging for renters which also help increase tenant satisfaction. MCEv’s multifamily projects focus on increasing EV adoption in the multifamily sector by making it cost-effective to install charging stations at existing properties.

MCEv is also offering 100 vehicle rebates to income-qualified customers, 33 of which have been distributed. In 2019, EVs represented 9% of vehicle sales in California, a number that is expected to increase as EVs reach price parity – without subsidies – with gas vehicles in the next five years. With subsidies and lower cost of ownership, most EVs are price competitive or cheaper than their gas counterpart. EVs have seen widespread growth in MCE’s service area going from 7,507 EVs on the road in 2016 to over 34,000 EVs today. By supporting an additional 450+ charging ports on top of the 550+ already installed, MCE is continuing to help close the gap on EV charging stations across our service area, making EV’s more accessible and reducing greenhouse gas and polluting emissions from gas powered vehicles.

Pictured above: Charging stations at Terra Linda High School and San Rafael City Schools district office.

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About MCE: As California’s first Community Choice Aggregation Program, MCE is a groundbreaking, not-for-profit, public agency that has been setting the standard for energy innovation in our communities since 2010. MCE offers cleaner power at stable rates, significantly reducing energy-related greenhouse emissions and enabling millions of dollars of reinvestment in local energy programs. MCE is a load-serving entity supporting a 1,000 MW peak load. MCE provides electricity service to more than 480,000 customer accounts and more than one million residents and businesses in 34 member communities across four Bay Area counties: Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano. For more information about MCE, visit mceCleanEnergy.org, or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

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