Supporting Residential EV Charging While Minimizing Costly Electrical Upgrades

CHALLENGE

PG&E needed to make home EV charging more accessible for low-income households while minimizing costly electrical upgrades that could prevent adoption. This aligned with California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard goals of expanding clean transportation access across communities.

SOLUTION

Through a partnership with NeoCharge, PG&E now offers income-eligible customers a $700 rebate on a Smart Splitter. This enables Level 2 EV charging without requiring expensive panel upgrades or rewiring, saving customers an average of $2,000 in installation costs. The program leverages NeoCharge's circuit-sharing technology to help customers access faster home charging while supporting grid reliability by eliminating the need for panel upgrades. For PG&E, this solution addresses multiple pain points: installing a new 240V circuit is not only cost-prohibitive for customers but often triggers cascading infrastructure needs including transformer upgrades that can cost utilities $10,000+ per site. By preventing these upgrades across their service territory, PG&E is significantly reducing infrastructure spending while accelerating EV adoption. The Smart Splitter program provides a scalable way to support disadvantaged communities, meet clean energy mandates, and avoid unnecessary grid upgrades - all while delivering a seamless customer experience.

pge.com