How to get a big rebate from NJ for buying an electric car

Garden State officials have launched Year 2 of the Charge Up New Jersey electrical vehicle incentive program.

Any New Jersey resident with a valid New Jersey driver’s license who buys or leases and then registers a new EV in the Garden State can get a rebate of up to $5,000.

Joe Fiordaliso, the president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, says the idea is to significantly increase the number of EV’s in the Garden State .

“Our goal is to have 330,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2025,” he said.

He noted the program has been simplified so that it’s quicker and easier for someone to get their rebate when they buy an EV.

“The rebate will be applied at the point of purchase, which means the dealer will be handling the paperwork for the customer, and take the incentive amount off the purchase price," he said.

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Doug O’Malley, the president of ChargEVC, a nonprofit organization that promotes electric vehicle use who also serves as the director of Environment New Jersey, said with cars and trucks responsible for more than 40% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, “we obviously want to provide as many incentives as possible for people that are thinking about buying an electric car to get behind the wheel, and ultimately to pull the trigger.”

He noted most electric vehicles have a range of between 200 and 300 miles and that continues to get better and better.

“What we’re hoping to see with electric vehicles is to have them become as common as cell phones. We’re not there yet but the technology continues to get better and better," he said.

Fiordaliso said under the Charge Up New Jersey program, electric vehicles worth up to $45,000 are eligible for $25 for each mile of all-electric driving range as determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ratings. Vehicles with at least 200 miles range get the maximum amount of $5,000.

Vehicles worth between $45,000 and $55,000 get up to $2,000.

The Charge Up New Jersey program is funded with $30 million from the Plug-In Electric Vehicle Incentive Fund, which was established by the EV Act and signed by into law at the beginning of last year.

In 2020 more than 7,000 New Jersey drivers utilized the Charge Up New Jersey incentive.

For more information and complete eligibility requirements, you can visit chargeup.njcleanenergy.com.