The City of Fremont is rolling out a new electrical vehicle incentive program that will provide 10 local individuals with a $4,500 rebate toward the purchase of a new electric vehicle and charger.
On Friday, the city announced that it has been awarded $42,500 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for the electric vehicle incentive program.
The incentive program is part of a pilot program to study the effect electric vehicles have on Fremont’s electric system, according to City Administrator Brian Newton.
“In other words, we are interested in knowing the effects electric vehicle charging will have on the electric system across town, if electric vehicle owners can be directed to charge ‘off peak’ hours, and how much electric vehicle charging will contribute to total electric sales,” he said.
Newton says one main goal of the program is to see the effect that electric vehicle charging will have on Fremont’s electric system during “off peak” hours, which typically occur overnight when electrical usage is at its lowest throughout the community.
“We think it could be very beneficial to Fremont because we generate our own power and typically electric vehicles are charging at night,” he said. “At night we can’t throttle down low enough, so it could actually fill in that valley we get because we have to overproduce because the plants just can’t go lower.”
In exchange for sharing their electric vehicle charging data, participants will receive an incentive of $4,500.
The electric vehicle incentive program will run from July 1 through June 1, 2020, or until grant funds have been depleted, whichever is comes first.
Data will be collected by ChargePoint and shared with the Fremont Department of Utilities for a period of three years.
To qualify for the incentive, participants must be a Fremont Department of Utilities electric customer. Electric vehicles and charging stations must be licensed and registered at the utility service address, and the utility service address must have wireless internet connectivity.
They must also submit a reservation application prior to purchase and/or installation of the vehicle and charging station. Reservations expire if purchase and installation deadlines are not met.
Upon receipt of approved reservation application, applicants must purchase an all-electric vehicle (hybrids are not accepted) within seven days, and purchase and activate a ChargePoint home charging station within 90 days.
After the purchase, installation and activation are completed, applicants then submit a payment application.
Documents to be included with payment application are: an auto dealer invoice, Dodge County vehicle registration, data release authorization, W-9, proof of purchase and registration of ChargePoint EV home charger.
