Con Edison is launching a first-of-its-kind managed charging rewards program for commercial charging station operators. The initiative, SmartCharge Commercial, will accelerate the adoption of electric vehicle chargers by commercial operators and drive the company closer to its clean energy transportation goals.
Building on the success of Con Edison's SmartCharge New York managed charging rewards program, which is focused on personal drivers, the new SmartCharge Commercial offers operators of eligible commercial charging stations, including public, workplace, multifamily, retail and fleet sites, financial rewards for charging overnight and for avoiding charging when the local demand for power is high.
"Con Edison is thinking more boldly about ways to serve increased demand from electric vehicles and strengthen the sustainability of our energy grid as more of our customers transition to electric vehicles, including medium- and heavy-duty fleets" said Britt Reichborn-Kjennerud, director of E-Mobility & Demonstrations at Con Edison. "SmartCharge Commercial will facilitate the buildout of commercial charging stations, which will increase the number of electric vehicles on our roads. It will encourage station operators to lower their charging load when local power demand on the grid is high. This can benefit all of New York City and Westchester, while providing us important insights into customer charging to help us better plan the grid to support future electric vehicle demand."
Con Edison makes clear in its Clean Energy Commitment, adopting more electric vehicles is integral to helping New York State meet its emissions targets. New York State's ambitious goals require that all new light-duty vehicle sales must be zero emission by 2035, with the first requirements on sales starting in 2025, and all new medium- and heavy-duty sales to be zero emission by 2045 with requirements on sales starting this year, and then starting in 2027 all school buses sold in New York State must be zero emissions. Con Edison supports policies that require that 100 percent of vehicles sold by 2030 to be electric.
A Revel employee charging electric rideshare vehicles at Revel's flagship public fast charging Superhub in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Photo courtesy of Revel.
Con Edison will pay up to $194 million the next three years to site hosts to foster this grid-beneficial charging as the state and region transition to cleaner transportation.
"Con Edison continues to be one of Revel's most important partners in our mission to bring reliable public fast charging to every New Yorker," said Tobias Lescht, Head of Infrastructure for Revel. "The new SmartCharge Commercial program, which Revel is excited to be a first participant in, is a strong commitment to New York's clean EV future. This incentive program will significantly lower operating costs at Revel's public fast charging stations, allowing us to reinvest more in the communities that will benefit most from emission-eliminating EVs."
The SmartCharge Commercial Program focuses on station operators reducing their usage during periods of high electricity usage at the local network level. Different neighborhoods across our area peak during different times of day. Find out which network peak your site falls under. Higher incentives are available for publicly accessible stations and transit charging.
Charging data submission from the EV chargers will be required to calculate program earnings.
Encouraging EV charging during off-peak hours, will mean less stress on the electric grid and benefits Con Edison's customers in New York City and Westchester County.
The commercial program builds on Con Edison's SmartCharge New York program, which began in 2017 and provides incentives to owners of electric vehicles in New York City and Westchester County who charge off-peak.
The SmartCharge New York program lets customers earn these benefits:
- $25 3-Month Bonus: Earned per vehicle or charging station after three months of charging (does not need to be consecutive);
- 10 cents per kWh Off-Peak Charging Incentive: Earned for charging at off-peak times;
- $35 per month Avoided Summer Peak Incentive: Earned per vehicle or charging station for avoiding charging weekdays 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST, June 1 through September 30;
- $35 Avoided Summer Peak Bonus Incentive: Earned per vehicle or charging station for avoiding all charging weekdays 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST, June 1 through September 30;
- Participants can also earn bonus incentives for referring a friend, participating in surveys, and more. Drivers can earn upwards of $1000 a year.
Charging data is automatically collected from the vehicle's onboard telematics or smart charging station. The charge data is then used to calculate your earnings. You can access the SmartCharge website to view your charging and earnings at any time.
People can participate in both SmartCharge NY and SmartCharge Commercial.
Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. [NYSE: ED], one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $16 billion in annual revenues and $64 billion in assets. The utility delivers electricity, natural gas and steam, and serves 3.6 million customers in New York City and Westchester County. For financial, operations and customer service information, visit conEd.com. For energy efficiency information, visit coned.com/energyefficiency.
