Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible for the EV Central program incentives?

Eligible employees include full-time and part-time National Grid U.S. management and represented employees who work more than 20 hours per week. Employees working less than 20 hours per week and temporary or seasonal employees will not be eligible to participate in the program at this time. There is no waiting period for eligible new hires. Participation can begin as soon as practical after date of hire.

I am a union employee. Am I eligible for the program incentives?

Do I have to be a National Grid customer to be eligible for the incentives?

How long will the program incentives be available?

This incentive is available for new eligible purchases or leases through March 19th, 2023. Incentives will be distributed on a first come-first serve basis until program funds are depleted. Note that incentive levels, and the technologies eligible for incentives, are subject to change based on program participation, program objectives, etc. In particular, incentive levels and eligible technologies could change between FY22 and FY23 (i.e. after April 1, 2022).

What information do I need to submit in order to receive the EV incentive?

What information do I need to submit in order to receive my incentive for one of the other technologies (solar, storage, heat pumps, and Sense home energy monitoring systems)?

Do standard hybrids (HEVs) qualify for the National Grid incentive?

How do I know if the vehicle I am considering is eligible for the EV incentive?

Is the incentive for vehicle purchases only, or do leases qualify as well?

Do used cars qualify for the incentive?

Do I have to remain employed at National Grid for a certain amount of time in order to receive or retain the incentives? What happens if I'm not a National Grid when I submit my incentive?

You do not need to remain employed at National Grid for any length of time in order to receive the program incentives. However, in order to be eligible for the them, you must be a current National Grid employee (1) at the time of purchase or lease of the technologies and (2) when you submit your application. Reimbursement will be provided within three months of submitting the appropriate paperwork.

If I bought an EV or smart home technology prior to the start of the program, can I still qualify for this incentive?

Can my spouse/family member/friend/etc. receive the incentive?

No, unfortunately this is only for EVs or smart home technology purchased or leased after the program was initiated on April 1, 2018 and prior to the program end date. See "How long will the program incentives be available?" for program end date.

Union employees must have installed, purchased, or leased the technology after April 1, 2020, which is the date at which represented employees officially became eligible.

Can the EV be for the primary use of a friend or family member?

If program funds are running low, am I able to reserve an incentive while I shop for a vehicle and/or smart home technology?

Are the EV Central incentives taxable?

How do I apply for the EV and Smart Home incentives?

When and how will I receive my National Grid incentive?

Incentives are processed toward the end of each calendar month. You will contacted if additional information or documentation is needed. If your incentive meets all applicable criteria, it should appear in your next monthly paycycle (for management employees), or one of your next few weekly paycycles (for represented employees). Remember, the incentive payment is considered taxable wages and it is taxed at the supplemental withholding rates for Federal and State.

How long do I have from the time I buy or lease my vehicle or smart home technology to apply for the incentive?

Can I receive an incentive for more than one electric vehicle or more than one energy storage, solar, heat pump, or home energy monitoring system?

Does the EV incentive apply to electric motorcycles?

Will there be any messaging once available funds are low?

Do employees have to select a solar provider through the EnergySage platform?

Can I receive the incentives twice?

Each employee is eligible to receive the incentive for each type of technology (i.e EVs, solar panels, battery storage, and home energy management systems) only once. This also applies to the bonus incentive - each employee is eligible for only one payment of $1000 if they purchase either a Solar or Storage system with an EV purchase. Even if an employee purchases solar and storage in addition to an EV, they are only eligible to receive one bonus payment of $1000.”

How does the employee referral program work?

Eligible National Grid employees who refer other eligible employees to the program can receive $100 for that referral. The referral bonus only applies to a referral for the eligible purchase or lease of BEVs, PHEVs, solar, battery storage, and/or heat pumps.

In order to receive the $100 bonus, the referred employee must purchase or lease one or more of those items and include the referrer’s name, National Grid e-mail address, and employee ID in their application. The referrer does not need to submit any information. One employee can receive a maximum of 5 referral bonuses. One referral is equal to one technology type and not one applicant, meaning, if one employee is referred for both an EV and solar, 2 separate referral bonuses will be distributed.

EV PURCHASING QUESTIONS

What are the state and federal incentives and how do I receive them?

Federal incentives are provided through the IRS's IRC30D credit. If you buy an EV, you can receive the credit when you file your tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for that tax year. The federal credit is based on your vehicle’s battery capacity and the maximum credit is $7,500. https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxevb.shtml

State incentives vary per state. Below are some examples from the states the majority of our US employees live in. If you would like to learn more about state incentives you can visit https://pluginamerica.org/why-go-plug-in/state-federal-incentives/

Rhode Island’s incentive program is currently suspended due to lack of funds. Please check back at the RI DRIVE program's website.
Massachusetts provides a rebate through MOR-EV and applicants must submit an application for their rebate within 3 months of their purchase or lease agreement. Plug-in hybrids are no longer eligible for a rebate, while fully electric batter vehicles may qualify for a rebate up to $1,500. This rebate is only available while funds last. Please visit https://mor-ev.org/ funding to view current funding level.
New York incentives are run through NYSERDA and require no application process. The incentive is discounted at the point of sale from participating dealerships. Discounts range from $500, for PHEVs with a range of 20 miles or less, to $2,000 for EVs with ranges over 120 miles. NYSERDA Drive Clean: https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All%20Programs/Programs/Drive%20Clean%20Rebate

What if less than 3 years pass and I am no longer employed at National Grid?

Are there any recommended dealerships for me to get my EV from?

Are the EV prices listed on EV Central final?

Do vehicle above a certain purchase price not qualify for the incentives?

What's the depreciation on an EV versus a conventional gasoline vehicle?

How do I claim the partnership discounts?

For partner discounts on vehicles, employees will need to bring their National Grid Badge (proof of employment) and applicable forms or unique codes (varies by manufacturer, see specific vehicle pages on EV Central for details). The dealership will do the rest and take the discount off the sticker price of the vehicle. For partnership discounts on Smart Home technology, the details vary by manufacturer, see the Smart Home microsites for their details.

Disclaimers: Qualifications for partnership discounts vary between manufactures, may change monthly, and depend on inventory.
Additional vehicle discounts: Please be aware that National Grid has additional partnerships with vehicle manufacturers and employees may be eligible for additional discounts. Visit a href="http://us1infonet/sites/fleet/Pages/Employees_Offered_Vehicle_Purchase_Programs.aspx for more information on additional discounts (Infonet link is only accessible while connected to the National Grid network).

SMART HOME TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS

What types of heat pumps are eligible for the program incentives?

At this time, only cold-climate air-source heat pumps (ccASHPs) and ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs) are eligible for the program incentives.

In addition, all ccASHPs must be on either the NEEP product list or the Mass Save Heat Pump Qualified Product List. Air-source heat pump systems that provide less than 2 tons are eligible for a reduced $500 incentive (i.e. not the full $1,000 incentive).

All ground-source heat pumps must be ENERGY STAR certified and meet or exceed ENERGY STAR Tier 3 Geothermal Heat Pump Key Product Criteria (see here for more info). Ground-source heat pumps must meet 90-120% of the building design heating load in order to qualify, and verification of that must be provided in the form of a Manual J calculation from your contractor. Both open-loop and closed-loop GSHP systems are eligible for the incentive. Shared-loop systems will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Contractor documentation should specify the type, make, and model of the system.

Other heat pump technologies (such as heat pump water heaters, ground-source heat pump desuperheaters, and water-to-water heat pumps) may be added in future, but are not eligible at this time. Custom systems can be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Does the smart home technology (solar/storage/heat pump/etc.) have to be installed on/at my residence?

Do I have to use a specific contractor to install my solar/storage/heat pump system?

No, you may use any contractor of your choice. If you are searching for a solar or storage contractor, we recommend that you visit the Energy Sage platform, which is an excellent resource for information and obtaining quotes from local contractors. Moreover, for heat pumps, we recommend using a contractor associated with the NYS Clean Heat Statewide Heat Pump Program, the MA CEC Ground-Source Heat Pump Installers List, the MA CEC Participating Air-Source Heat Pump Installers List, or the MA CEC Installers Directory.

Does the heat pump system need to displace another fuel source (e.g. propane, fuel oil, natural gas, or electric resistance) in order to qualify for the incentive?

Do I need to install smart home technology from a certain manufacturer in order to qualify for the incentives?

CHARGING AND TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS

What is the difference between a BEV and a PHEV?

Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) run completely on electricity stored in batteries and have an electric motor rather than a gasoline engine. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) combine two propulsion modes in one vehicle: an electric motor that is battery powered and can be plugged in and recharged and a gasoline engine that can be refueled with gasoline.

See this great info graphic for more details.

Will my house need any upgrades for an EV?

Not necessarily. All electric vehicles come with a charging cord that charges your vehicle using a standard 3-prong 120V outlet (“Level 1”). If you want to charge your car more quickly at home then you might want to have a home charging station installed which requires a 240V outlet (“Level 2”). This outlet is similar to the outlet powering an electric clothes dryer or oven. For more information on charging visit our Charging Info Page .

How long does it take to fully charge the car?

It depends on what level of charger you plug into and your battery’s current “state of charge”. Level I chargers like those found at home will provide about 2-5 miles of travel per hour of charge. Level II chargers like those found at work will provide about 12-30 miles of travel per hour of charge. Level III chargers like those found on turnpikes/thruways, also called Direct Current Fast Chargers (“DCFC”), will provide over 100-400 miles of travel per hour of charge. Look here for information about the different types of chargers.

What happens if I am driving and my battery gets close to empty?

The process is very similar to a traditional vehicle. Most electric vehicles display the nearest charging stations and directions, including the miles to reach the station. In addition, you can extend the battery’s range by turning off the heat or AC, reducing speed, as well as switching to “ECO” mode. At some point, your vehicle will alert you of “low battery charge” akin to a low fuel gauge indicator. A few miles longer and your vehicle will reduce speed (for safety reasons). If you continue to ignore the battery charge warning, the car glides to a stop. At that point, some auto manufacturers provide free towing for the first few years or you call AAA (or you insurance provider) for a tow. Please verify this for the vehicle you are considering.

My office doesn't have any charging stations; will it be getting any soon?

What is the expected battery life?

What does MPGe mean?

What happens to the car battery in the cold?

The range of an EV varies with driving conditions, driving style, and the weather. EVs tend to have lower ranges in cold weather. This is due in part from power being diverted to heating the vehicle and because batteries operate less efficiently in cold weather. You can expect your EV range to drop about 25%-40% in the winter compared to the more temperate seasons. This range loss can be minimized by lowering your heat and preconditioning your battery. You can also expect your mileage range to increase in good weather compared to the listed estimates.