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Home EV charging is a basic amenity

With Washington state planning to end sales of new gas-powered cars in 2035, electric vehicles will soon become a primary option for all residents, even those living in multi-unit buildings.

Having chargers available at apartments, condos and other multifamily properties means all Washington drivers can be confident in their ability to go electric. They’ll enjoy the ease and convenience of charging at home, won’t pay higher prices at public charging stations, and will be doing their part for a healthier planet.


Bring the benefits of EV charging home

Being able to charge at home is important for all electric vehicle drivers, regardless of what kind of home they live in.

  • Convenience: charge from the comfort of your own home
  • Affordability: don’t worry about paying higher public charging prices
  • Sustainability: help the environment by using cleaner fuel

Live in an apartment, condo or other multifamily property? Forward this program to your property management.


Install EV chargers for tenants at low to no cost

Prepare for the future of transportation by installing electric vehicle charging for the use of tenants at low or no cost. PSE’s Up & Go Electric for Multifamily program covers up to 100 percent of the cost for qualifying multifamily properties to install and maintain Level 2 charging for their tenants. Properties that offer charging:

  • Increase resident satisfaction
  • Attract new residents
  • Reduce carbon emissions in their community
  • Meet sustainability goals for their property

Property managers and owners

Apply now to have your multifamily property considered for electric vehicle charging incentives from PSE Up & Go Electric for Multifamily.

PSE Green Power 

  • Incentive options

    Applicants can choose the ownership model that bests fits their organization’s unique needs.

    PSE-owned turnkey service

    • PSE handles 100 percent of installation and maintenance costs up to $10,000 per Level 2 charging port
    • Step-by-step, comprehensive planning by PSE’s electric vehicle experts: we’ll coordinate equipment purchasing, site design, construction and inspection to save your businesses valuable time and money
    • Reliable, high-quality service from PSE-vetted charging providers and installers
    • PSE covers all operational and maintenance needs for 10 years

    Customer-owned option

    • PSE funding offsets 50 percent of equipment and installation costs up to $2,000 per Level 2 charging port
    • Site hosts design and manage purchasing, installation and maintenance of all charging equipment
  • Empower Mobility incentives

    To qualify for Empower Mobility incentives, applicants must demonstrate that at least half of the property’s units house low-income and/or Tribal residents.

    Empower Mobility incentive details

    For these multifamily housing providers, we’ll cover:

    • 100 percent of charger installation costs up to $10,000 per port under our PSE-owned turnkey service
    • Or, 100 percent of installation costs up to $4,000 per port under the customer-owned option
    • Line extension costs for customers who need a new transformer to accommodate charger installation

    Empower Mobility EV rebates for shared mobility

    In support of a car, scooter or bike share program, PSE will also provide up to $7,500 for one light-duty electric vehicle or up to $1,000 per non-road EV – including electric bicycles, scooters and wheelchairs – up to $7,500.

    Benefits to “named communities”

    Low-income and Tribal housing providers that apply for the program will be asked to describe how they serve or benefit “named communities."

    “Named communities” include both highly impacted communities and vulnerable populations.

    Highly impacted communities are comprised of census tracts designated by the Washington State Department of Health as a 9 or 10 on the Environmental Health Disparities Map or communities located in census tracts that are fully or partially on “Indian country” as defined in 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1151.

    Vulnerable populations are communities that experience a disproportionate cumulative risk from environmental burdens due to adverse socioeconomic factors, including disability, cardiovascular disease, low birth weight rates, higher rates of hospitalization, heat islands, arrearage/disconnections, access to digital/internet resources, access to food, access to health care, educational attainment level, estimated energy burden, historical red line influence, home care, housing burden, linguistic isolation, mental health/illness, poverty, race, renter vs owner, seniors with fixed income, transportation expenses and unemployment.

    The list of vulnerability factors and resultant mapping may change as PSE’s Clean Energy Implementation Plan evolves.

    Contact us

    If you have questions about Empower Mobility incentives and eligibility, contact an Energy Advisor or call 1-800-562-1482.

  • How it works

    Bringing electric vehicle charging to your tenants can be overwhelming. PSE Up & Go Electric for Multifamily can make it easier.

    PSE-owned turnkey service

    1. Apply: describe your project and potential eligibility for enhanced Empower Mobility incentives.
    2. Evaluate: if your project is selected, we’ll assess your site and send you a design, cost estimate and incentive offer (if applicable).
    3. Accept: you’ll accept PSE’s incentive offer and sign the service agreement.
    4. Install: we’ll handle the permitting, installation and inspection process.
    5. Fund: you’ll only receive an invoice if your project exceeds the per-charging port limit.
    6. Set up: use PSE’s Welcome Toolkit for tips on getting started, as well as promoting and managing your new EV chargers.
    7. Report: share maintenance issues and results of resident surveys on charging preferences.

    Customer-owned option

    1. Apply: describe your project and potential eligibility for enhanced Empower Mobility incentives.
    2. Accept: you’ll accept PSE’s incentive offer and sign the service agreement.
    3. Purchase: you’ll purchase your EV charging equipment.
    4. Install: you’ll install your EV charging equipment.
    5. Fund: you’ll receive incentives upon submitting a completed permit, charger information and receipts and/or invoices for equipment and installation. The documents must clearly show the installation date, installation address and amount paid for the installation of the EV charger.
    6. Set up: use PSE’s Welcome Toolkit for tips on getting started, as well as promoting and managing your new EV chargers for residents.
    7. Report: share results of resident surveys on charging preferences.
  • Program eligibility and requirements

    To be eligible for the PSE Up & Go Electric for Multifamily program, you must:

    • Be a current multifamily residential PSE electric account holder
    • Own or manage a multifamily property that has either:
      • Five or more attached units
      • Less than five attached units but is part of a campus
    • Agree to promote the availability of electric vehicle charging to residents
    • Agree to operate charging equipment for 10 years
    • Agree to survey tenants annually about their charging preferences and share the results with PSE
    • When requested, sign a service agreement with PSE (agreement for PSE-owned turnkey option here; agreement for customer-owned option here)
    • Be willing to convert undeeded, shared parking space(s) for the charger installation(s)
    • Customer-owned option only: agree to install networked charging equipment on a common or house meter. Depending on the network, a separate meter dedicated to the charging equipment may be required.
      • Approved Empower Mobility recipients may install non-networked charging equipment with a separate meter dedicated to the charging equipment.
    • Agree not to charge tenants above the cost of electricity used for charging
  • What you’ll need to apply

    In order to apply for the PSE Up & Go Electric for Multifamily program, you’ll need:

    • Approval for participation by any board or approving authority
    • A primary point of contact
    • PSE account holder name and account number
    • Total number of units and parking spaces at the property
    • Information about the desired charger location at the property
    • The number of tenants currently residing at the property, as well as its maximum occupancy
    • The number of tenants who own or lease a plug-in electric vehicle
    • How installing EV charging would be a benefit to you or your tenants
    • The percentage of units occupied by low-income tenants (if applying for enhanced Empower Mobility incentives)
    • Description of how your organization serves and/or benefits low-income and/or Tribal communities (if applying for enhanced Empower Mobility incentives)
  • How applications are evaluated

    PSE evaluates applications in four areas:

    • Community impact: How and to what magnitude will the project benefit and serve low-income tenants, Tribal communities and/or other named communities?
    • Geographic diversity: Does the project increase access to EV charging in areas that are underserved by EV charging infrastructure? Has PSE already provided funding for EV charging infrastructure in this area?
    • Use case: Will the project increase EV charging availability at a wider range of multifamily property types in PSE’s service area?
    • Utilization: What is the likelihood of EV charging being used at the proposed property based on EV ownership and existing EV charging options at the property and in the surrounding area? (Please note: Projects with lower initial utilization will not be deprioritized for Empower Mobility incentives.)

    PSE conducts an initial review of all applications for missing documentation within five days of submission. We evaluate all applications at the end of every month to select projects to move forward to the next stage. Projects that are not selected will be waitlisted and evaluated again the following month.

    Current and past participants in the program may apply again. However, if PSE receives a large number of applications, PSE may consider current and past participation as an evaluation factor.

  • Additional resources
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Ask an Energy Advisor

Have questions about PSE's Up & Go Electric EV charger programs? We're here to help. Call us at 1-800-562-1482, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or contact us below

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Live in a single-family home?

Qualifying PSE customers who can save on faster, more convenient charging via PSE rebate on a new Level 2 charger for their home. Plus, join Flex EV to continue saving on charging throughout the year.