EV Charger Mini-Grant
The City of Charlottesville created the EV Charger Mini-Grant Program to support an increase of public electric vehicle charging stations in Charlottesville located near commercial and retail activities, easily accessible from likely entrance routes to the City, managed with reasonable rates and hours of use, and listed on publicly-accessible charging locator maps and databases used by EV drivers. The mini-grant program shares the cost of EV charging equipment and installation with private property owners who wish to host a EV charging station that’s available for public use.
This program was first created in November 2013 from the Green City Initiatives Fund, a fund for use by City Council to sponsor sustainability-related pilot projects and initiatives that promote and support its Green City Vision.
The mini-grant program is supported by the Climate Protection Program. Please contact the Climate Protection Program with questions.
Applications
Applications will be accepted and evaluated on a rolling basis as funds allow. To inquire about applying, please contact the Climate Protection Program.
Amount of Funding Available & Eligibility Requirements
Funding
A maximum of 5 grants can be requested by a single applicant, with a maximum possibility of 2 grants per property. Grant funding amounts are as follows:
| Type of Charger | Maximum Grant Funding Potential |
|---|---|
| Level I | Up to the lower of $3,000 or 1/3 the eligible costs per Level I location |
| Level II | Up to the lower of $3,000 or 1/3 the eligible costs per charger |
| DC Fast Charger | Up to the lower of $7,000 or 1/3 the eligible costs per charger |
Eligibility Requirements
- Accessible for Use by the General Public: Any City resident or visitor must have the ability to access and use the charger, without having to pre-register, or pre-join a network or organization. The charger must be in a location physically accessible to the motoring public, and shall not be situated in a restricted access location.
- Near Commercial and Tourist Activity Centers: Charging stations must be located in areas where there are retail, restaurant, tourism and similar commercial and tourism-related activities within walking distance of the charging station (preference given to locations within ¼ mile or less). Charging stations should be located on, or with reasonably direct access to, the City’s arterial streets.
- Located on Private, Non-Residential Property: Charging stations must be located on private property owned by the applicant. The property must be a business, commercial, or mixed-use site where parking open to the public is authorized.
- Operating Plan, Including Description of User Fees and Charges: Grants are reserved for charging stations that will be made available for free, or at low-cost relative to the market, to the general public. It is envisioned that the charging stations will be implemented as a means of attracting EV drivers to visit businesses and tourist sites within the City, and that grant recipients will offer pricing suited to that vision. Applicants should provide a basic operating plan, describing how this service will be provided over a period of at least three years.
- Posting on EV Charging Locator Maps: Applicants must specify on which EV charger databases they will post the location of their charging station, rate structure and operational hours of use. At a minimum, the applicant must agree to list its site on the public charger map hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center.
- Project Lifespan: A proposed charging station must be new (i.e, not installed prior to the mini-grant program’s establishment in November 2013) and must be established pursuant to arrangements designed to ensure the continuing availability of the service for three or more years.
- Basis for Reimbursement: Applicants must acknowledge and agree that mini-grant funds, if awarded, will be provided on a reimbursement basis. Applicants will be required to provide documentary EVidence of eligible expenditures, and of installation of the charging station(s) as described in the grant application, before grant funding will be disbursed. Eligible expenditures are limited to equipment purchase, site design and installation costs. Operational and maintenance expenses are not eligible.
Selection Information
Interested individuals or businesses should submit an application by the published deadline. The City may select applications for award of mini-grants based on its assessment, relative to the above-referenced criteria, of which applicant(s) have the best Project Plan(s) and offer the best prospects for furthering the City’s objective to establish a permanent network of EV charging stations throughout the City.
Following receipt of applications during any application period, mini-grant awards may be made to any one or more applicants, or to no applicants, in the City’s sole discretion. Not more than $20,000 will be awarded to any single applicant, regardless of the number of charging stations proposed.
- Richmond’s EV Readiness Initiative (PDF) (pages 25 to 31)
- U.S. Dept. of Energy Plug-In Electric Handbook for Public Charging Station Hosts (PDF)
- Virginia Legislation (HB 2015) - Resale of Electricity for Electric Vehicles
- Virginia Clean Cities
- Transportation and Climate Initiative for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States