The Washington State Electric Vehicle Charging Program (WAEVCP) was created by Governor Jay Inslee, the Washington State Legislature and the Washington State Department of Commerce for a cleaner, greener future. The program provides awards to encourage installation of EV chargers for public use across the state. By facilitating the transition to electric vehicles, this program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel use, improve air quality and promote equity in access to EV charging infrastructure.
Frequently Asked Questions
General
What is the Washington EV Charging Program?
What sites are eligible for awards?
WAEVCP helps install EV chargers at a variety of urban, rural and tribal locations across the state. Proposed sites will be scored and compared with the same site types to compete for funding. Scoring will incentivize installations that align with state goals and prioritize projects in overburdened communities, those with gaps in existing charging infrastructure and other factors. Free technical assistance is available to help applicants understand equipment requirements and prepare a strong application.
Multifamily housing: A residential property with least five or more housing units. Hotels and motels are not considered multifamily housing for this program.
- Only Level 2 chargers are eligible for this site type.
Workplaces: A workplace is a non-residential site location, where business is conducted or where services or industrial operations are performed. Residential properties are not eligible as a workplace regardless of their use as a place of business. Chargers may be public or private and must be shared use (meaning that the chargers are not assigned to a single employee, or subset or employees at the site, and are available as a community resource for the site).
- Only Level 2 chargers are eligible for this site type.
Public Charging: To be considered publicly available, an EV charging station must not be located behind a fence or in a gated parking lot, such that the general public is unable to access or is deterred from accessing during normal operational hours for the site (generally excluding 10pm-5am). Businesses may clarify their operational hours and will be held responsible should actual access does not align with this provision and may be asked to provide documentation supporting their operational hours. Operational hours to be identified in application.
- Both Level 2 and direct current fast charging (DCFC) units are eligible for this site type.
Fleet Depots: A parking facility intended primarily for a collection of motor vehicles owned or leased by an organization in pursuit of its business activities or services provided. Both public and private fleet depots are eligible. If the installation's purpose is for personal vehicles of employees, the site must qualify as a workplace use.
- Only Level 2 chargers are eligible for this site type.
Who is an eligible lead applicant?
Eligible lead applicants include public agencies, tribes, nonprofit organizations, and retail electric utilities. All eligible lead applicants must match the applicant of record on ZOOM Grants application. The lead applicant is responsible for managing the contract with the Department of Commerce if selected for the program.
If you are not an eligible lead applicant and want to participate in the program, we recommend listing your organization or site on the Potential Site Host & Partner Directory to help eligible lead applicants looking for participating sites get your contact information. Additional resources may be found on the Resource Library page.
Can an EV Service Provider apply on behalf of a Lead Applicant?
The only eligible lead applicants are the applicant of record on the ZOOM Grants application. This lead applicant is responsible for managing the contract with the Department of Commerce if selected for the program.
What kind of chargers are eligible for awards?
The type of eligible charger depends on the site type. For more information, please review the eligible costs and scoring criteria outlined in the Application Process page and review the WAEVCP Implementation Manual
- For installations at multifamily housing, only Level 2 chargers are eligible for awards.
- For public charging locations, both Level 2 and DCFC units are eligible for awards.
- For fleet depots or workplaces, only Level 2 chargers are eligible for awards.
Who can I contact if I have questions or feedback?
Inquiries can be sent to waevcp@energycenter.org. Project staff is available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT to answer your questions.
Washington State Department of Commerce staff can be reached at cleantransportation@commerce.wa.gov
How can I get help with my application?
Grant awardees can request technical assistance on the following items by completing the form on the Technical Assistance webpage. Requests will be routed to the appropriate organization assisting with the project depending on the applicant entity type (tribal, local government, utilities, others).
- Technical assistance with electric vehicle charger basics.
- One-on-one consultations.
- Support with grant writing to help fund the installation (in addition to WAEVCP awards).
- Site assessment.
- Assistance finding potential partners for applicants in their region or with similar projects to share knowledge.
What are the charger/installation site types?
Charger/installation site types refer to the following:
- New: No electrical infrastructure is in place. Conduit installation is acceptable.
- Stub-out: Includes at least 2-inch minimum spare conduit run with pull rope that is sized, installed and located per the National Electrical Code for future installation of wiring supporting up to a 480-volt AC, 4-wire, 125-kilowatt (kW) load.
- Replacement/Make-ready: Existing site wired with all the electrical infrastructure needed to support the installation of EV charging.
What kind of public outreach will be done to support the Washington Electric Vehicle Charger Program?
We recommend that all interested applicants sign up for program email updates on this form to be informed about program updates.
As part of the program, there is an Environmental Justice Assessment, public engagement and outreach plan. Outreach will include a minimum of two webinars for potential applicants that will include a review of the application process and technical assistance resources.
Outreach with overburdened communities and vulnerable populations will be part of the outreach process and available through the final application period on January 16, 2024.
What is an overburdened community?
An overburdened community is an area highly impacted by air pollution and other environmental conditions. Installations within overburdened communities designated by the Washington Environmental Health Disparities Map v2 will be given higher scores during project evaluation to help direct state investments where they can buffer environmental health impacts of transportation, so that everyone can benefit from cleaner air.
What are the incentive amounts per charger?
| Equipment Type | Base Per Connector Award | Adder – Equity | Adder – Future Proofing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 2 | $7,500 | $2,500 | $1,000 per parking spot stub-out, up to $3,000 |
| DCFC | $85,000 | $25,0000 | $1,000 per parking spot stub-out, up to $3,000 |
What percentage of award costs will be covered by the WAEVCP?
The Washington Electric Vehicle Program will cover the following amounts of eligible costs.
| Site Type | Percentage of Eligible Costs Covered |
|---|---|
| Multifamily Housing – Level 2 Only | 100% |
| Tribal | 100% |
| All others | 75% |
How many connectors can I install and qualify for awards?
| Equipment Type | Minimum Connectors | Maximum Connectors | Connector Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 2 | 2 | 20 | J1772 & NACS |
| DCFC | 2 | 6 | CCS & NACS |
| Combo Site (Level 2 and DCFC) | 2 | 12 (max 6 DCFC) | See Above |
Why am I not getting your emails?
If you do not receive an email within 15 minutes after submitting your online application or requesting a link to create/reset your password, please check your spam/junk/bulk mail folders.
Make sure that waevcp@energycenter.org is on your email safe senders list so you can receive our emails. To find out how to do this, see the question below.
How do I add waevcp@energycenter.org and other email addresses for project partners to my email safe senders list?
For guidance on adding email addresses to your safe senders list, click the name of your email service provider.
- AOL
- Earthlink
- Gmail
- Juno
- Mac Mail
- MSN Hotmail(Classic)
- Outlook
- Windows Live Hotmail
- Yahoo! Mail
What is an email safe senders list?
Periodically check your spam/junk/bulk mail folders in case one of our emails gets caught in your filters. Some emails come directly from the staff person handling your application (example: firstName.lastName@energycenter.org or firstName.lastName@commerce.wa.gov). Please add any email addresses that you receive from organizations providing technical assistance and the Washington Department of Commerce to your safe senders list and/or contacts.
How will an applicant know if their award is reserved?
Once your online application is submitted, the Department of Commerce will review your application to ensure it meets all eligibility requirements. Applicants will receive automated confirmation that the application was received. The Department of Commerce will contact applicants with their results by January 16, 2024.
Applicants can obtain free technical assistance services provided by the Center for Sustainable Energy and affiliated organizations. Technical assistance will be available before, during and after the application period. Technical assistance after the application period is only for projects awarded funding.
I uploaded all required documents. When will I receive my award payment?
Once all required documents have been uploaded and the application window closes, the Department of Commerce will begin reviewing your documents. To complete the review process, the Department of Commerce may need to follow up regarding missing or incomplete information. Commerce will coordinate with applicants to issue a payment.