Charge! is administered following the most recently adopted versions of the Carl Moyer Program Guidelines, Community Air Protection Guidelines, and California Health and Safety Code (44220 - 44244.1).
Charge! includes residential [such as Multi-Unit Developments (MUDs)] and commercial projects which may be funded by DMV Fees, the Carl Moyer Program, Community Air Protection Program, and other funding sources.
Charge! project funding (e.g., eligible costs, funding percentages of eligible costs) follows requirements in the most recent update to the Carl Moyer Program Guidelines, and/or Community Air Protection Program Guidelines, or AB 2766 Motor Vehicle Emission Reduction Grant Programs Guidelines.
Charge! project applications may be evaluated and funded as needed on a first-come, first-served basis. Charge! projects are not required to meet a cost-effectiveness threshold. However, projects accepted during an application period, once evaluated, may be ranked according to cost-effectiveness (cost per ton of emissions avoided) or other factors. Charge! project funding may prioritize funding projects that support on-road medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles over projects that support light-duty electric vehicles. Charge! project funding may prioritize projects that provide benefits to a priority population area.
Projects that are funded with Carl Moyer Program and/or Community Air Protection Funds are limited to new, conversion of existing, and expansion of existing battery charging stations.
Projects must be installed and located within MBARD’s jurisdiction (Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties). If funded by Community Air Protection Funds, the project must meet program priority population target requirements and all other program requirements.
Applicant types may be limited based on the specific funding source requirements.
During the 2026 application period, eligible applicants must be public entities (e.g., municipalities, schools), commercial businesses or nonprofits. Single-family residential applicants are not eligible. Entities controlled by any religious sect, church, creed, or operated for a sectarian purpose are not eligible. Air Districts or other entities receiving CMP administration funding are not eligible, except where the project both meets oversight requirements from the MBARD Board of Directors and the funding source uses no CMP funds.
The 2026 application period will accept project applications for publicly accessible Level 2 chargers and Level 3 chargers (Direct Current Fast Chargers). Grant amounts will be up to $20,000 per Level 2 post and $200,000 per Level 3 project. Grant amounts cannot exceed 100% of the project’s eligible costs. Projects that are not publicly accessible may be deprioritized or rejected, with the exception of projects at public K-12 schools.
An Agreement must be signed and fully executed by all parties prior to a Grantee placing any orders, making any payments, incurring any reimbursable expenses, or taking possession of any infrastructure equipment; except, at the sole discretion of MBARD, fees incurred pre-agreement execution (i.e., permits, design, engineering, site preparation), license fees, environmental fees, commissioning fees (safety testing), and onsite required safety equipment. Dealers ordering a piece of equipment before the Effective Date assume all financial risk and are in no way guaranteed the availability of program funds to cover the equipment costs. Grantee shall not order or make a payment on equipment prior to the date of contract execution. Grantee assumes all financial risk and is in no way guaranteed the availability of program funds to cover equipment costs or work completed prior to contract execution.
Financing may be obtained by Grantee to assist in the purchase of Grant-Funded Equipment. Documentation of financing must be provided to MBARD. All funding sources that have been applied for or received for a project must be disclosed, including any sources that become available after the agreement execution. Co-funded projects must meet all criteria associated with each funding source used to fund the project. Grantees from non-public entities must provide at least 15 percent of the CMP and/or CAPP eligible cost from non-public sources. The total sum awarded to the Grantee for a Project from all sources, including but not limited to MBARD and non-MBARD grant awards, cannot exceed total project costs. Grantee’s signature on the Agreement certifies that the Grantee has not and shall not, under penalty of perjury, submit another application or sign another agreement or contract with any other source of funds for the same Grant-Funded Equipment in an MBARD Agreement without first both the written disclosure to, and written approval from, MBARD.
The applicant must be in compliance with all federal, State, and local air quality rules and regulations at time of application submittal and does not have any outstanding or pending enforcement actions.
Project life shall be a minimum of 6 years and a maximum of 15 years.
The applicant must be able to demonstrate to MBARD that the applicant can obtain from the relevant agencies all land use permits that are required to install and operate the station.
For a publicly accessible station, the applicant must provide a description of the geographic location, including an aerial map (e.g., satellite view from an internet-based map or city/county map) and specific street address of the proposed station.
Publicly accessible stations shall be accessible to the public 24 hours a day or as allowed by local ordinance. Publicly accessible stations with restricted access, such as gated facilities, must be accessible to the public during their regular business hours. Public schools may opt for public accessibility limits that fit their needs.
Publicly accessible stations must provide equal access and opportunities to all users.
Publicly accessible stations must be appropriately striped and equipped with signage identifying the parking space as an EV charging station.
Applicants must demonstrate that they either own the land on which the project will be located, or control it through a long-term lease, easement or other legal arrangement, for the duration of the project life. For a proposed project where the land is not owned by the applicant, an executed lease agreement or letters of commitment lasting for the duration of the project life must be signed by property owners or authorized representatives and must be submitted with the application.
Applicants must be able to provide documentation that power is being provided to the site in a timely manner to meet project milestones and deadlines (e.g., application, contract, or payment to the local utility company for power installation).
The project must comply with all applicable federal, State, local laws and requirements including environmental laws, and State building, environmental and fire codes. For instance, Air Districts or applicants may need to perform CEQA review and obtain approval before funding a project. Projects must comply with the Americans with Disability Act.
Grantee must provide Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP) Certification Numbers of each Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program-certified electrician that will install electric vehicle charging infrastructure or equipment.
The applicant must include a competitive bid process with at least two bids. The existing competitive bid process within public entities fulfills this requirement, except for contractors (e.g., EVITP certified electricians). A competitive bidding process is not necessary for portable power projects unless there is a labor or installation project component for the equipment to perform the required job function.
Grantee must ensure that pursuant to Public Utility Code (PUC) Section 740.20 (Assembly Bill 841 (2020)), for work performed on or after January 1, 2022, all electric vehicle charging infrastructure and equipment located on the customer side of the electrical meter funded or authorized by an agreement with MBARD shall be installed by a contractor with the appropriate license classification, as determined by the Contractors’ State License Board, and at least one electrician on each crew, at any given time, who holds an EVITP certification. Projects that include installation of a charging port supplying 25 kilowatts or more to a vehicle must have at least 25 percent of the total electricians working on the crew for the project, at any given time, who hold EVITP certification. One member of each crew may be both the contractor and an EVITP certified electrician. The requirements stated in this paragraph do not apply to any of the following: a. Electric vehicle charging infrastructure installed by employees of an electrical corporation or local publicly owned electric utility. b. Electric vehicle charging infrastructure funded by moneys derived from credits generated from the Low Carbon Fuel Standard Program (Subarticle 7 (commencing with Section 95480) of Article 4 of Subchapter 10 of Chapter 1 of Division 3 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations). c. Single-family home residential electric vehicle chargers that can use an existing 208/240-volt outlet.
Work must be performed by contractors and/or electricians that meet all required licensing, certification, and statutory requirements for the eligible project type (e.g., Assembly Bill (AB) 841 (Ting, Chapter 372, Statutes of 2020)).
All equipment and parts must be new. Remanufactured or refurbished equipment and parts are not eligible.
Projects must maintain a 95 percent uptime with 24/7 customer service available on site, via toll-free telephone number. If grant-funded equipment is not functional, the grantee is responsible for ensuring that repairs are made, and stations are up and running within 15 business days. The Grantee must notify MBARD of any downtime beyond 15 days and work with MBARD to ensure stations are operational. Depending on the project, a rule, regulation, or law may set more stringent uptime and reliability requirements (e.g., AB 2061).
If during the project life the energy meter fails for any reason, the energy meter must be repaired or replaced as soon as possible and is considered a maintenance expense, therefore not an eligible cost.
Chargers must be at least level 2.
For Level 2 chargers, each post must be at least 19.2 kW.
On-road publicly accessible charging stations must use a valid and universally accepted charge connector protocol (e.g., Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1772, Combined Charging System (CCS), North American Charging Standard (NACS), SAE J3271).
Charge equipment must be certified, or field evaluation labeled by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (e.g., Underwriter’s Laboratories, Intertek) located at OSHA's Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) Program.
Charge equipment must have a warranty that covers both parts and labor for at least one year.
Contracts for battery charging stations must include anticipated usage in terms of projected throughput and an estimate of the number of vehicles, equipment, or vessels that may be using the station for the term of the contract. Contracts must include the number of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) posts, ports, and connectors. Contracts must require the Grantee to report all publicly available accessible battery charging station installations to the Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center.
MBARD may perform pre-inspection for conversion, expansion and portable power projects that are selected for funding to confirm the accuracy of the application information.
Applicants are eligible to claim credits generated under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program.
Post inspections must verify and document operation by connecting a vehicle or equipment to the charging station and that the infrastructure is capable of dispensing electricity.
A project may be considered for final payment once the necessary infrastructure has been installed and connected to the power generation equipment and/or electricity grid and the Grantee has demonstrated to MBARD that it is fully operational during a post-inspection.
Grantee must annually provide to MBARD the following data for the entire project life: · annual usage per charger or per station · any scheduled or unscheduled · downtime duration and causes of downtime
