L.A. Expands Electric Car Charger Program

An effort by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to promote customer installations of chargers for electric cars was so successful that the utility is expanding it. LADWP will be offering rebates up to $750 for residents and businesses in its service area who install fast charging stations.

"Our new rebate program builds on the success of our initial EV charger rebate program, which resulted in over 500 residential charger installations in Los Angeles," said DWP General Manager Ron Nichols in a press release. "These significant rebates for our residential and business customers show our strong commitment to supporting electric vehicles. When our customers charge their EVs overnight at their homes, they will be doing so when LADWP's renewable wind resources are typically at their peak, resulting in a truly zero-emission transportation solution."

The Level-2 chargers covered by the rebates in DWP's program "Charge Up LA! -- Home, Work, and On the Go" would be attached to 240-volt circuits similar to those used for heavy household appliances Such chargers top off electric car batteries between three and five times faster than chargers attached to standard American 110-volt outlets. Residential customers who opt for a "time of use" meter, which provides DWP with information on when the vehicle in question gets charged, will receive an additional $250 rebate.

The program also applies to businesses with more than 250 employees who put either Level 2 or 440-volt DC Fast Chargers chargers in their staff parking lots, or who make those chargers available to the public.

LADWP's previous rebate program, which expired at the end of June, was limited to residential chargers. The expanded program starts August 1, and rebates will be granted on a first-come first served basis until June 30, 2015, or until the program runs out of funding, whichever comes first.