Arizona utility offers customers $1,000 rebate to switch to electric cars

OldEVGuy

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This could be helpful to those in Arizona.

https://electrek.co/2021/03/12/ariz...omers-1000-rebate-to-switch-to-electric-cars/

Arizona utility offers customers $1,000 rebate to switch to electric cars
Michelle Lewis
- Mar. 12th 2021 10:25 am ET


SRP-electric-cars-1.jpg

Arizona utility Salt River Project (SRP) really wants its customers to drive electric cars, so it’s now offering any customer who buys an EV a $1,000 rebate in a pilot program.

Electric car rebate in Arizona
SRP has one of the largest workplace charging programs in Arizona, and by the end of 2021, its sedan fleet will be fully electric.
Marc Campbell, SRP manager of sustainable programs, told Fox10:
There are approximately 20,000 registered electric vehicles in SRP service territory in the greater metropolitan Phoenix area. We have set an aggressive sustainability goal of 500,000 electric vehicles by 2035.
There are a number of community benefits that come along with this. Reduce greenhouse gas, tailpipe emissions, improved air quality, and of course, reduced maintenance costs.
This is really something that is part of our corporate strategic direction, to get out and support the community to electrify transportation.
SRP is doing its bit to incentivize EV driving. On March 3, it published “21 reasons to drive an electric vehicle in 2021” on its blog. (You can read that here.) No. 1 is their $1,000 rebate, and No. 2 notes that SRP offers $250 off a Level 2 charger when you buy it from SRP marketplace.
It also points out that vehicle registration fees are cheaper for electric cars in Arizona than for ICE cars:
Through 2021, the registration for fully battery-powered electric vehicles is calculated based on a 0.0004 multiplier compared to a 0.02381 multiplier for any vehicle that has an internal combustion engine. So while a typical $30,000 car would have an annual registration fee of $714.30, a $30,000 EV would have a $12 registration fee.
Further, Arizona EV drivers get a special license plate that gives HOV lane privileges, and of course, not have to bother with getting emissions tested.
SRP has an EV Community, too. You can join here, and this is what it offers:
As part of the Electric Vehicle (EV) Community, you’ll stay plugged into opportunities, news and other SRP EV initiatives. Our members have the chance to provide valuable feedback, which helps shape SRP’s EV programs, rate plans and charging solutions and pave the way for future EV owners. Join now and we’ll send you a $50 Amazon.com gift card just for signing up!
EVAdoption2018-arizona.jpg
Graph: SRP via the Electric Power Research Institute as obtained from IHS Markit
SRP has a EV Community Central web page for signed-up members, which can be found here. It points out that in 2010, there were only four electric vehicles registered in Arizona, and by 2018, it had reached more than 18,000.
Electrek’s take
From where I’m sitting, this looks like exactly the sort of thing all utilities ought to be doing: incentivizing customers to switch to electric cars and supporting them with easy-to-access information. This is in contrast to state legislatures currently trying to pass even more bills that will charge EV drivers more to register their cars, since they feel it’s “unfair” that they pay less than ICE car drivers.
If there are any EV drivers who belong to the SRP community, we’d love to hear what you think about your experience in the comments below.
 

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Thanks. Nice article.
SRP also offers an EV rate plan that lowered my utility bill about $150 per year compared to when I was driving an ICE vehicle. Not much but my electric bill certainly didn't increase by charging at home. ?

I also bought my ChargePoint Home Flex from their marketplace for $449 :)
And I applied for the $1000 rebate. They require the vehicle to have been purchased after 2/15/21 and you need to upload your sales agreement, registration and a W-9. It can all be done online so that is pretty nice.
 

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Thanks. Nice article.
SRP also offers an EV rate plan that lowered my utility bill about $150 per year compared to when I was driving an ICE vehicle. Not much but my electric bill certainly didn't increase by charging at home. ?

I also bought my ChargePoint Home Flex from their marketplace for $449 :)
And I applied for the $1000 rebate. They require the vehicle to have been purchased after 2/15/21 and you need to upload your sales agreement, registration and a W-9. It can all be done online so that is pretty nice.
I have a couple of questions about that charger, if you don't mind.
The SRP site says that it comes with a 6-50 plug, but can be used with a 14-50 also. Is it a standard plug that can be purchased at an electrical supply house, or do you have to get it from ChargePoint? Any idea how much? Do you lose anything by changing to the 14-50?
My thinking is that if I have a 14-50 outlet installed I can also use it with the Ford charger in case of an issue with the ChargePoint. Getting a 6-50 to 14-50 adapter would be another option.
Just trying to maximize my efficiency.
Thanks.

Mike
 

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I have a couple of questions about that charger, if you don't mind.
The SRP site says that it comes with a 6-50 plug, but can be used with a 14-50 also. Is it a standard plug that can be purchased at an electrical supply house, or do you have to get it from ChargePoint? Any idea how much? Do you lose anything by changing to the 14-50?
My thinking is that if I have a 14-50 outlet installed I can also use it with the Ford charger in case of an issue with the ChargePoint. Getting a 6-50 to 14-50 adapter would be another option.
Just trying to maximize my efficiency.
Thanks.

Mike
The description is inaccurate. It's likely a copy and paste from ChargePoint's overall marketing materials. ChargePoint sells the Home Flex with either a 6-50 or 14-50 plug in the box. As you can see everywhere else on that page, only the 6-50 or hardwire options are mentioned.

ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 EV Charger w/ NEMA 6-50, 23 ft cable | SRP Marketplace

I've tried contacting SRP Marketplace and SRP (they are not the same group) by email and phone. Several times. I've been bugging them to add the 14-50 option to the Marketplace or to provide a way to get the rebate when we buy it elsewhere. So far, I've gotten nowhere.

I also called ChargePoint and spoke to a woman with a strong French accent. (Seriously, it was really great!) She assured me that ChargePoint does not sell the 14-50 cable as an accessory, and when a customer buys the wrong unit, they make them trade the whole unit out, not just the cable.

So... Kind of a bummer for now. These are the options I'm considering:
  1. Stick with the mobile charger. See how it does this summer.
  2. Get the discounted ChargePoint Home Flex and hardwire it.
  3. Get the discounted ChargePoint Home Flex and replace the garage's 14-50R with a 6-50R. Save the 14-50R for (unlikely) future use.
  4. Get the Ford Connected Charge Station, and hardwire it. (For me, it'd be about the same cost due to accumulated FordPass Rewards points.)
  5. Buy a 40A Grizzl-E EVSE.
  6. Buy a 14-50P to 6-50R adapter. I'm least likely to do this... I'm not too keen on long term use of an extra adapter like that.
One thing I keep coming back to with the FCCS is that it's operating temperature range is better than anything else I've seen. The manual says it works up to 140 F, while ChargePoint Home Flex says 122 F (or a lower temp if you set it to 50A).

Realistically, when I'm charging from 11pm to 5am, the garage will likely be below 122 even in peak summer. So either one should be fine... The extra buffer is just reassuring.
 

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The description is inaccurate. It's likely a copy and paste from ChargePoint's overall marketing materials. ChargePoint sells the Home Flex with either a 6-50 or 14-50 plug in the box. As you can see everywhere else on that page, only the 6-50 or hardwire options are mentioned.

ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 EV Charger w/ NEMA 6-50, 23 ft cable | SRP Marketplace

I've tried contacting SRP Marketplace and SRP (they are not the same group) by email and phone. Several times. I've been bugging them to add the 14-50 option to the Marketplace or to provide a way to get the rebate when we buy it elsewhere. So far, I've gotten nowhere.

I also called ChargePoint and spoke to a woman with a strong French accent. (Seriously, it was really great!) She assured me that ChargePoint does not sell the 14-50 cable as an accessory, and when a customer buys the wrong unit, they make them trade the whole unit out, not just the cable.

So... Kind of a bummer for now. These are the options I'm considering:
  1. Stick with the mobile charger. See how it does this summer.
  2. Get the discounted ChargePoint Home Flex and hardwire it.
  3. Get the discounted ChargePoint Home Flex and replace the garage's 14-50R with a 6-50R. Save the 14-50R for (unlikely) future use.
  4. Get the Ford Connected Charge Station, and hardwire it. (For me, it'd be about the same cost due to accumulated FordPass Rewards points.)
  5. Buy a 40A Grizzl-E EVSE.
  6. Buy a 14-50P to 6-50R adapter. I'm least likely to do this... I'm not too keen on long term use of an extra adapter like that.
One thing I keep coming back to with the FCCS is that it's operating temperature range is better than anything else I've seen. The manual says it works up to 140 F, while ChargePoint Home Flex says 122 F (or a lower temp if you set it to 50A).

Realistically, when I'm charging from 11pm to 5am, the garage will likely be below 122 even in peak summer. So either one should be fine... The extra buffer is just reassuring.
You can also get discounted JuiceBox with 14-50 plug.
 


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I have a couple of questions about that charger, if you don't mind.
The SRP site says that it comes with a 6-50 plug, but can be used with a 14-50 also. Is it a standard plug that can be purchased at an electrical supply house, or do you have to get it from ChargePoint? Any idea how much? Do you lose anything by changing to the 14-50?
My thinking is that if I have a 14-50 outlet installed I can also use it with the Ford charger in case of an issue with the ChargePoint. Getting a 6-50 to 14-50 adapter would be another option.
Just trying to maximize my efficiency.
Thanks.

Mike
A standard 14-50 plug from an electrical supply will work fine. It has 4 wires in there but only 3 get used so that last wire gets capped with a wire nut.
 

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I have an electrician coming out Friday to give me an estimate. I will talk with him about options, but my current thought is having him run a 4 wire cable but only use the 3 required to install a 6-50. That way I could switch it out for a 14-50 at a later date if necessary. I would buy a 6-50R/14-50P adapter so I would be able to use the Ford charger if something happened to the ChargePoint. I've read some posts that suggest running 4 gauge wire so I'm 'future proofed' if/when significantly higher amperage charging is available. That kinda seems like overkill to me.

Mike
 

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I have an electrician coming out Friday to give me an estimate. I will talk with him about options, but my current thought is having him run a 4 wire cable but only use the 3 required to install a 6-50. That way I could switch it out for a 14-50 at a later date if necessary. I would buy a 6-50R/14-50P adapter so I would be able to use the Ford charger if something happened to the ChargePoint. I've read some posts that suggest running 4 gauge wire so I'm 'future proofed' if/when significantly higher amperage charging is available. That kinda seems like overkill to me.

Mike
Agree. 4 ga is likely unnecessary.
I found that I prefer the CPHF at 32 amp setting even though I have the full 60 amp circuit. Charging my car at 48 amps created a bunch of heat and the cooling system was running much more than a comparable charge at 32 amps. I think my garage would get way too hot with my FFE charging overnight at 32 amps and the MME charging at 48 amps here in July. For the last 2 summers, I had to leave the FFE in the driveway to charge overnight during the months of July-Sept because the garage would get way too warm. I have two bedrooms above the garage and I could really feel the heat coming from below. Moved the car outside to charge overnight during the summer and it even charged a little bit quicker with less overall energy consumed so something to consider. I see you are in Glendale so we all have the same basic issue during the summer.

If this is your first EV.....then make sure you plug in as soon as you get home, even if your charge schedule is overnight. That way your car will cool the battery from your drive home. It gets hot, just by driving home so it helps to plug in when not being used. The car will tell you to plug in when it is very hot or very cold out so that helps.

If this isn't your first EV.....then carry on and don't mine me. :) ?
 

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I have an electrician coming out Friday to give me an estimate. I will talk with him about options, but my current thought is having him run a 4 wire cable but only use the 3 required to install a 6-50. That way I could switch it out for a 14-50 at a later date if necessary. I would buy a 6-50R/14-50P adapter so I would be able to use the Ford charger if something happened to the ChargePoint. I've read some posts that suggest running 4 gauge wire so I'm 'future proofed' if/when significantly higher amperage charging is available. That kinda seems like overkill to me.

Mike
Agree it might be overkill but I went with 4ga anyway because:
1. Only a buck a foot more than 6ga. Not sure how long your run is.
2. Whether actually warranted ot not, I *feel* better knowing that it is overbuilt with higher current running through it for long periods of time.
3. May not help but don't think it can hurt re: future proofing.

FWIW, max gauge my 14-50 would accept was 4ga. I did not research the 6-50.
 

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Agree. 4 ga is likely unnecessary.
I found that I prefer the CPHF at 32 amp setting even though I have the full 60 amp circuit. Charging my car at 48 amps created a bunch of heat and the cooling system was running much more than a comparable charge at 32 amps. I think my garage would get way too hot with my FFE charging overnight at 32 amps and the MME charging at 48 amps here in July. For the last 2 summers, I had to leave the FFE in the driveway to charge overnight during the months of July-Sept because the garage would get way too warm. I have two bedrooms above the garage and I could really feel the heat coming from below. Moved the car outside to charge overnight during the summer and it even charged a little bit quicker with less overall energy consumed so something to consider. I see you are in Glendale so we all have the same basic issue during the summer.

If this is your first EV.....then make sure you plug in as soon as you get home, even if your charge schedule is overnight. That way your car will cool the battery from your drive home. It gets hot, just by driving home so it helps to plug in when not being used. The car will tell you to plug in when it is very hot or very cold out so that helps.

If this isn't your first EV.....then carry on and don't mine me. :) ?
It is my first EV. All tips/tricks/advice welcomed. ? ?
 
 




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