The Charge Up+ income-based, electric vehicle (EV) incentive launched in November 2024. As of the date of publication, the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has approved more than 2,150 Charge Up+ applications from potential buyers and nearly 1,200 have been redeemed (55%), with the other 974 not yet redeemed.

Dealers (and consumers) may have questions about the new incentives, including eligibility and the application process. The following are some details about the new program.

When speaking to a customer about an EV eligible for the base $2,000 Charge Up New Jersey incentive, dealer personnel should make the potential buyer aware of the potential additional $2,000 Charge Up+ incentive. The customer will need to apply through the BPU to determine whether or not they are eligible, based on their income. If they are, they will receive a Prequalification ID. They can then return to the dealership to order, purchase, or lease an eligible vehicle, and will receive the additional $2,000 Charge Up+ incentive at the point‑of‑purchase. Consumers should note that applications are processed by the BPU on a first-come, first-served basis, and may take up to 10 business days.

When the customer arrives at the dealership with a Prequalification ID, the dealer representative will do the following:

1. In the Charge Up New Jersey dealership dashboard, start a new application and select “Prequalification ID” instead of the driver’s license.
2. Enter the Prequalification ID that the customer provided. If valid, you will get a confirmation message that the ID is eligible. Note: Dealerships must verify the Prequalification ID before the purchase or lease is executed. Dealerships are responsible for determining the correct incentive amount and are prohibited from “clawing back” the incentive post‑purchase due to a miscalculation.
3. After verifying the Prequalification ID, start the application and accept the Terms and Conditions for the application to be “claimed” by the dealership. The dealer may save the application progress in the submission portal and resume the purchase or lease execution, applying the full $4,000 to the customer’s purchase or lease agreement.
4. In the dealership dashboard, the application will appear twice, once for the standard $2,000 Charge Up New Jersey incentive, and once for the increased (additional) $2,000 Charge Up+ incentive. Note: The application number (NJ-XXXXXXX) for the prequalified customer will remain the same throughout the entire prequalification process.
5. Continue through the application in the standard Charge Up New Jersey submission process, then upload the following documentation to complete and submit the application:

1. 1. Purchase/Lease Agreement (with the full $4,000 incentive applied)
   2. Signed Terms and Conditions (with the Prequalification ID and $4,000 incentive listed)
   3. Vehicle Registration

If you have any additional questions, you can access the Charge Up New Jersey program FAQs.

You can contact the program administrator at chargeupnj@energycenter.org or (877) 426-2474. You can also contact NJ CAR Director of Communications, Brian Hughes (bhughes@njcar.org), or NJ CAR Director of Government Affairs, Magdalena Padilla (mpadilla@njcar.org), and they can expedite your questions with their contacts at the program administrator.