Central Coast Community Energy (CCCE) launched an updated version of its successful Electrify Your Ride energy program, providing CCCE customers with access to $2.8 million in rebates for electric-powered transportation including purchased or leased new and pre-owned electric vehicles (EVs), motorcycles, and bicycles. Electrify Your Ride rebates also cover costs associated with the purchase and installation of chargers to power up EVs at homes and workplaces including labor and related electric panel updates or replacement, part of a CCCE Energy Program "readiness" measure designed to prepare customers for more all-electric conversions such as appliances and water heaters.

Most notably, the Electrify Your Ride program meets CCCE customers wherever they are in California's transition from fossil fuels to clean energy resources by providing expansive benefits and resources often found across separate programs; all in one place and accessible via one application. The program's multiple measures that support this clean energy transition, commonly referred to as electrification or fuel-switching, allow customers to choose which step in this electrification journey suits them best. Some households or businesses may choose only to focus on the readiness factor and delay bigger investments, others may elect for comprehensive benefits, yet others who aren't able to purchase or lease a vehicle may be best served by saving $500 - $1,000 toward the purchase of an electric bike to get to and from work.

Transportation is the greatest contributor to Central Coast greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the State of California has already pledged to stop selling new gasoline-powered cars beginning in 2035. The state faces an uphill climb to meet other GHG emissions goals and CCCE is playing a pivotal role in delivering the communities it serves closer to carbon neutrality.

"CCCE's mission is to accelerate the deployment of clean and renewable resources to meet 100% of our customer needs by 2030 while investing heavily in local energy programs to reduce local GHGs, drive down costs, and improve air quality," shares CCCE CEO Tom Habashi. "Giving our customers access to critical funding and resources to incorporate electrification into their own homes, workplaces and daily lives is what our energy programs are designed to do."

CCCE rebates for electric vehicles start at $1,000 and $2,000 for pre-owned and new vehicles respectively and top out at $4,000 for select income-qualified applicants. Combined with other regional, state, and federal EV incentives, income-qualified participants can receive nearly $15,000 toward an EV. Electrify Your Ride further broadens low-income benefits by awarding plug-in hybrid vehicle rebates for income-qualified applicants only. Electric motorcycle rebates range from $1,000 - $2,000 and electric bike rebates range between $500 - $1,000 with an extra $100 perk for purchases made from local bike shops. EV charger equipment rebates range from $400 - $700 with $2,000 - $4,000 available for EV charger installation cost recovery, including labor costs. Commercial customers, public agencies and CCCE member agencies are eligible for additional funding to accommodate multiple vehicles and chargers.

The broad reaching and flexible nature of Electrify Your Ride is intentional, shares CCCE Director of Energy Programs, Jon Griesser. "Our first iteration of Electrify Your Ride provided extra rebates for income-qualified customers, but we followed the Federal Poverty Line and that left some households that are struggling to make ends meet out of the equation. In addition to broadening other parameters for this important customer segment, we re-tooled our own definition of 'income-qualified' to increase eligibility."

Embracing clean and renewable energy is nothing new for Californians, but often access to clean energy resources leaves underserved communities and lower income households with extra barriers. Along with other regional organizations, CCCE collaborated with the California Energy Commission (CEC) earlier in 2021 to provide $12 million for the construction of EV charging stations throughout the Central Coast, specifically targeting underserved communities which often lack access to EV chargers, a well-founded barrier to EV adoption for all drivers. In 2020, CCCE was again partnered with the CEC to deliver $7 million toward construction of charging stations throughout Monterey, San Benito, Luis Obispo, and Santa Cruz Counties.

Since launching in 2018, CCCE has made $24 million in energy program rebates and incentives available to its customers. These programs range from funding and resources for all-electric affordable housing developments to funding for all-electric agricultural equipment, and from electric school buses to electric vehicles and bikes, and more. The first iteration of Electrify Your Ride helped put more than 300 new and pre-owned EVs on Central Coast roads and the accompanying Charge Your Ride program helped build nearly 100 charging stations for the region. All CCCE Energy Programs share the goal of reducing emissions and assisting CCCE customers with the transition from fossil fuel power to clean energy solutions through financial resources and education.

CCCE | www.3cenergy.org