New Jersey's Utility EV Charger Programs Are Getting More Time, Not More Money

If you have been told to "wait for the utility program" before putting EV chargers in your parking lot, here is where that program actually stands this fall. The short version: New Jersey's utility charger programs are being given more time, not more money, and in parts of our area the money is already spoken for.

On September 9, 2026, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the state agency that regulates the electric companies, took up requests from four utilities to keep their light-duty EV programs running. Light-duty means ordinary cars and small trucks, not buses or tractor trailers. The Board kept the requests for its own hearing and assigned one commissioner to run the case (NJBPU order, September 9, 2026).

First, what these programs pay for

None of these programs buy the charger itself. They pay toward make-ready work, meaning everything needed to get power to the spot where a charger will stand: a new panel or larger breaker, wire, conduit (the pipe the wire runs in), trenching across the lot, and sometimes a bigger electrical service from the street. PSE&G says it plainly: its program "does not include a smart charger purchase rebate" (PSE&G EV Commercial Charging Program).

Make-ready is split in two. Customer-side work is on your property, after the meter. Utility-side work is the utility's own equipment, such as the line and transformer that feed your building. That split matters because the programs pay different amounts for each half.

What the Board actually did

Back in May, the Board extended these programs and told each utility to file for the extension. The Board's own description of that May order is the key sentence for owners: the utilities were to file "seeking to extend the Programs, without changes in budget," until the earlier of one year after the extension is approved or December 31, 2027. The stated reason was to give Board staff time to write permanent rules for charger programs (NJBPU order).

All four utilities filed on June 22, 2026. On September 9 the Board kept the filings for hearing and named Commissioner Joseph Coviello to preside over each one. Anyone who wants to formally take part in the case has to file with the Board by September 30, 2026 (NJBPU order). That date tells you the case is just starting.

The order does not say in so many words whether each program keeps taking applications while the case is pending. The utility pages below are the better guide to that, and they do not all say the same thing.

Where each North Jersey utility stands

PSE&G

PSE&G asked for the extension with "no additional funding or budget shifts" (NJBPU order). Its commercial program page still describes the Level 2 Mixed-Use Commercial subprogram. Level 2 means the common wall or post charger that adds range over a few hours, as opposed to a DC fast charger, which is the much larger unit found at highway stops. The page lists up to $7,500 per charger toward customer-side work, up to four chargers and $30,000 per site, plus up to $10,000 off the deposit PSE&G charges for utility-side work (PSE&G).

What the page does not say is how much of the budget is left. It says PSE&G reports semiannually on the balance and links to "the latest report," but the page itself does not state whether the subprogram is open, closed or waitlisted (PSE&G). We could not confirm the remaining balance. Ask PSE&G directly at 1-800-249-1837 or PSEG-Electric.Vehicles@pseg.com before you design around it. PSE&G also says its application review alone can take up to three months.

JCP&L

JCP&L's program was set to run four years and end in July 2026. In its extension filing, JCP&L told the Board that for make-ready subprograms "where funding has been exhausted," it proposed to "continue not accepting applications" and asked for no new money (NJBPU order).

JCP&L's own program page contradicts itself. It says the Mixed-Use Commercial subprogram "has reached maximum funding levels and is now closed," and that Public, Workplace and Multifamily applications "will no longer be accepted." The same page still says "right now, you can receive" up to $11,100 for utility-side work and up to $6,700 per port for customer-side work. It also says DC fast charging incentives for commercial buildings remain open (JCP&L EV Driven). Our reading is that Level 2 money for commercial, workplace and apartment properties is gone, and DC fast charging money is still available. Because the page says both things, confirm with JCP&L before relying on either.

Orange & Rockland (Rockland Electric Company)

Orange & Rockland's New Jersey commercial program page says: "We are no longer approving new applications." New applications go on a waitlist "contingent upon the program receiving additional funding" (Orange & Rockland NJ Commercial Charger Ready Program). The extension filing does not ask for more funding. It does ask permission to pay commercial Level 2 projects that apply by the extension date and are installed and powered within six months after it (NJBPU order). Treat a waitlist with no new money behind it as a maybe.

What this means for your project

The programs have not ended, but none of them are growing. The permanent rules the Board is writing could bring new money, different money, or none. There is no date for them in the order, and we will not guess at one.

So the practical question is not "is there a program?" It is whether your project makes sense if the incentive turns out to be zero. If it does, any incentive you get is a bonus. If it only works with the incentive, you need written confirmation from your utility that money is available for your site before you spend on design.

Whichever way that goes, three steps come first, and none of them depend on the utility:

• Find out what your electrical service can carry. Service capacity means how much power your building's connection to the utility can deliver at once. Chargers are a large, steady load. A service capacity check tells you whether a few chargers fit on what you have, or whether you are looking at a larger service, which brings in the utility, their schedule and their equipment.
• Get a load calculation. That is the written arithmetic of everything the building already uses plus what the chargers would add. The utility asks for it on any service upgrade, and it is what decides how many chargers you can install without new service.
• Price it both ways. Get one number with the incentive and one without, with the customer-side work listed separately, because that is the half the programs pay against.

If the service check shows you need a bigger service, start that conversation with the utility early. Utility-side work runs on the utility's schedule and waits on equipment we covered in last week's brief on equipment prices and lead times.

We do this work across Bergen, Hudson, Essex and Passaic counties. More on how we approach it is on our EV charging page, and the first step is our service and capacity assessment.

Zimick Electric LLC is a commercial electrical contractor in Englewood, New Jersey, serving Bergen, Hudson, Essex and Passaic counties. NJ Electrical Contractor License 34EB01813400, Business Permit 18134. IBEW Local 164 signatory. (201) 350-6215.

The Board action, filing dates, the September 30, 2026 participation deadline and each utility's extension request come from the NJBPU order dated September 9, 2026, read September 28, 2026. Incentive amounts and program status come from the PSE&G, JCP&L and Orange & Rockland program pages as they read on September 28, 2026. We could not confirm PSE&G's remaining balance, and the JCP&L page contradicts itself as described above. Program terms and balances change without notice. Confirm directly with your utility before committing to a scope.