The photo above is of the Model Y Juniper that has been published on Tesla’s website in China.

Strong Finish Led to EV Sales Growth for 2024, But What Does the Future Hold?

EV sales finished mostly on a high note with a strong fourth quarter leading to about an 8% year over year increase domestically to 1.3 million vehicles as estimated by Cox Automotive. These are BEV sales and are still estimates as final data will lag a few weeks.

Tesla is still the market leader but its sales total declined about 1% globally in 2024. According to the New York Times, the decline was steeper, at about 6%, in the USA, while GM, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, and Kia saw significant increases off a lower base.

Tesla does not break out individual models or regions in its reporting. Of the 1,789,226 vehicles that Tesla delivered globally, only 85,133 were the combined S/X/Cybertruck. It seems pretty clear that the Cybertruck is not driving enough volume to change the bigger picture for Tesla.

There were several reasons for strong EV sales that included lots of year-end deals from multiple OEMs, lower interest rates, and of course, the prospect of the federal incentive going away.

Other Thresholds Crossed

According to Inside EVs, the Ford Mustang Mach-E outsold its gasoline counterpart in 2024, by 51,745 to 44,003.

Tesla outsold Audi worldwide, as reported by Bloomberg.

Make and Model Details for CT Coming in a Few Weeks

As noted above, the EV sales data highlighted by the national press tend to focus on BEVs. They could be clearer about their labeling. However, EV policy at the federal and state levels includes plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell in their definition of “clean vehicles.” The IRA and state purchase incentives include these other drive trains. In fact, the structure of the IRA incentive gave a boost to PHEVs compared to the prior federal incentive which took into account battery pack size.

Fuel-cell vehicles are not a factor in CT but PHEVs account for roughly 37% of EVs registered in the state. As legacy manufacturers adopt a more hedged EV strategy, particularly in the face of the likely loss of the federal incentive, PHEVs, which have been losing share over the past few years, may make a resurgence.

Once other sources that ingest registration data become available, then we will start to see more granularity. In particular for Connecticut, the EV Club waits for data from DMV or DEEP and that typically lags a month or so. At that point, there will be a release that updates data through the second half of 2024. This is net registrations, not new vehicle sales.

Federal Incentive: 2025 Edition

Each year the requirements for approved sourcing of battery critical minerals and battery pack manufacturing become more stringent. When the legislation was passed in 2022, it was expected that many EVs would have difficulty qualifying and that it would get worse before it gets better due to the time needed to re-orient supply chains. In 2025 we are still in that no-man’s-land of a lot of vehicles not qualifying, although the ones that do include most of the big sellers. This is a list of all of the eligible BEVs (which can be found on the Department of Energy page here):

• Acura ZDX
• Cadillac Lyriq and Optiq
• Chevrolet Blazer, Equinox, Silverado
• Ford F-150 Lightning
• Genesis GV70
• Honda Prologue
• Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ioniq 9
• Kia EV6, EV9
• Tesla – All models

The only eligible PHEV is the Chrysler Pacifica minivan.

All of the models noted are eligible for the full $7500 incentive. Some of these vehicles start just barely below the MSRP cap and a higher trim level or an option package may cause them to exceed the cap.

All EVs are incentive-eligible if leased.

Note the eligibility of several of the Hyundai Group vehicles for the first time as the company is an early success story in establishing domestic manufacturing in Georgia for Hyundai and Kia, and Alabama for Genesis.

This is a living list. As supply chains evolve, vehicles can be added (or dropped).

Among the vehicles losing eligibility are the Nissan Leaf, Rivian R1S and R1T, Volkswagen ID.4, Ford Escape PHEV, and Jeep Wrangler PHEV. There are others.

Incentive Prognosis and Impact

The incoming Trump Administration has been very clear about wanting to get rid of the EV incentive. This could mean the manufacturing tax credit, consumer purchase incentive or both. Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, has publicly backed losing the incentive. That seems to be part of his new persona; he has been all over them in the past. This is an article from CNBC that describes how Tesla has used tax breaks and loans to build its businesses. A quote from the article from Mike Murphy, the Republican strategist who runs the EV Politics Project that promotes EVs, “Elon tends to say he’s hostile to subsidies while Tesla is gobbling them up like a hungry Godzilla.”

We have seen many examples of incentives affecting consumer behavior. Most recently, with the IRA and the fact that any leased vehicle is incentive-eligible, there has been a dramatic increase in the percentage of EVs that are leased as can be seen in the blue and green lines below beginning in Q4 2022. (The IRA was signed in August of 2022.)

In another dramatic example, Germany eliminated a federal incentive at the end of 2023 that caused the price of the average EV to increase by 14%, as reported by Barrons, leading to a drop in sales of 26% in 2024 compared to 2023. Could that be our fate?

Timing

“Day 1″ pronouncements notwithstanding, it is not likely the incentive will go away immediately upon Trump taking office.

There has been much reporting regarding how the Republican caucus and Donald Trump plan to logistically go about passing their immigration, tax, and energy proposals with said proposals having yet to be negotiated. A complex reconciliation bill could take as long 6 months to put together. With a very narrow majority in the House, the caucus has to stay united and there are some Republican legislators who are seeing the benefits of the IRA in their districts. According to e2.org, 68% of IRA job creation has taken place in Republican districts. Speaker Mike Johnson was quoted in E&E news as saying, “You’ve got to use a scalpel and not a sledgehammer…”

If we recall the early days of Trump 1.0 and the vow to immediately repeal Obamacare, the bill that the Republican caucus crafted to do that, and which ultimately failed with the dramatic, late night “no” vote of the late Senator John McCain, occurred on July 28, 2017. Hence, the 6-month estimate.

Following the ACA repeal fiasco, the administration adopted a more passive/aggressive approach – eliminating navigators, shortening the enrollment window, taking down helpful information posted on the federal website, etc. We may potentially be revisiting some of that approach.

Aside from a partial or complete repeal, the Treasury Department could redo the rules. For example, they could reclassify leasing such that it is no longer considered a commercial transaction, which is what exempts it from all the purchase restrictions. Or they could make the battery requirements more stringent. But that, too, has to go through a process and will take some time.

Is There Any Hope?

There is. Some. Not including the long shot hope that at least 2 Republican representatives who value jobs in their district prevail.

Incentives or no, the product is good. There are lots of good EVs out there with many more coming over the next two years. The Batteries Included YouTube channel/podcast just published an episode of “All the Electric Vehicles Coming in 2025.” It takes them about 2 hours to get through everything. Some highlights:

BMW Vision Neue Klasse – BMW has been in the EV game for longer than many realize, going back to the limited production ActiveE and i3. They make some good EVs, but the new platform with a structural battery and panoramic windshield display sounds promising.

Volvo EX30 – This is a well-regarded compact SUV that was initially delayed due to buggy software, but is now a success in Europe and imminently coming to North America. The car was originally built in China, but a newer plant in Belgium will most likely be the source for North America. It will avoid the heavy tariffs on Chinese goods, but will not be incentive-eligible. We need more EVs like this, along with the Chevy Equinox and forthcoming Bolt 2.0, at affordable price points.

Tesla – At last, the Model Y Juniper refresh should arrive. Early reports on range stats are good, but they are based on Chinese data which is less stringent than our EPA. There is also a lot of vague news about a lower price Tesla, first the Model 2 compact hatchback (not happening), and now what is referred to as the Model Q, which sounds like a Model 3 lite. We don’t count on anything until it is officially announced.

Honda – This company finally got in the BEV game using white-labeled GM vehicles for the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX. But they have developed their own platform, unveiled at CES, called the Zero series, announcing an SUV and a sedan to be built in Ohio. 2025 is probably optimistic for these. They also have a partnership with Sony, launching an expensive, high-tech EV called the Afeela.

Stellantis – For a company that has seemed lost in the wilderness, and with the stock price down 56% over the past 9 months, they have an interesting pickup coming out in the RAM 1500 Ramcharger. With EV pickups struggling to gain traction and proving a bit under-powered, this vehicle pairs a 92kWh battery pack with a gas generator for an extended range electric vehicle yielding an electric range of 145 miles and total range of 690 miles with a max towing capacity of 14,000 pounds.

The First Legacy Manufacturers to Embrace Direct Sales

The new EV brand, Scout, backed by Volkswagen, is anticipated to deliver its initial SUV and truck offerings in 2027 with 2028 model year vehicles. What is interesting is how they plan to sell them, namely via direct sales. Scout’s VP of Growth, Cody Thacker, is reported in The Verge as saying, “We kept asking ourselves, if an OEM could start over again, what would they do differently? A big point of frustration for consumers is that they want transparency in pricing and they resent all the hidden fees and markups. Only through a direct-to-consumer model can we tackle these head on and resolve them.” Unsurprisingly, VW dealers are already threatening lawsuits.

Another new EV brand that is an extension of a legacy OEM also announced at CES that it will use a direct sales model. This is the Afeela brand that is a joint venture of Honda and Sony. As reported by Inside EVs, Shugo Yamaguchi, CEO of Sony Honda Mobility of America said, “We are taking a direct consumer approach to simplify the customer experience and enhance your satisfaction.” As with Scout, Honda dealers are mobilizing to file lawsuits.

These examples are different than the recently announced arrangement about Hyundai vehicles being sold on Amazon. In that case, the dealership is still involved; they’re integrated into the order flow. Nevertheless, 2 legacy manufacturers have finally admitted, albeit through a side-door, that the dealership model is not up to the task of selling EVs.

Parting Thoughts

We are the EV Club so, of course, we support the EV incentives. But we also support the IRA writ large. Industrial policy combined with tariffs is bringing clean energy jobs and a domestic supply chain to this country. Tariffs alone won’t work. Every legacy OEM is playing catch-up when it comes to EVs. Some are making more progress than others. If we lose the IRA, along with the EPA and CARB-state fuel-efficiency requirements, they will slow their transition, even though they all know that electric is the powertrain of the future. This is a quote from U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, from an opinion piece she published in Fortune, “The EV tax credit is one of many strategic investments in America and its future. If we start rolling it back, there’s a good chance we’re left eating China’s dust.”

Our hearts go out to the residents of greater Los Angeles coping with the latest but certainly not last, climate-induced, catastrophe.

Voltie Assumes Enel X (JuiceBox) Customer Accounts

For those who have had a “bricked” charger sitting in their garage (or parking lot), or who have been living dangerously using the units as a dumb charger, this news is just out.

A Florida-based company called VoltiE has been notifying JuiceBox EVSE owners that they will now be offering their software solution for use with this hardware. Below is the text of the email they sent. It addresses both commercial and residential customers. We have not been in touch with VoltiE.

Judging by this read, it looks like the JuiceBox units will regain functionality. There is nothing in there that addresses the security flaw (potential exposure of user’s WiFi credentials) that was reported by Consumer Reports in a letter sent to the Federal Trade Commission, which we wrote about here.

Managed Charging Not Included

This announcement does not make any reference to managed charging. Eversource confirmed that their managed charging partner is not integrated with VoltiE. Our speculation is that re-enrollment in managed charging will not be a simple or quick process. It may require recertification. Since the security flaw came to light, it may give Eversource and UI pause about moving forward altogether. We will report further when we have more information.

As our readers learn more specifics, we encourage them to reach out to us to facilitate information sharing.

From VoltiE

Evaluating Some of the Latest EVs

The EV Club welcomed Gabe Shenhar, Associate Director of the auto test track at Consumer Reports for an enlightening Zoom meeting to discuss the results of recent CR testing of 8 EVs. Gabe is a mechanical engineer with 32 years of experience at Consumer Reports and has had a role in developing its testing protocol. Below are summary slides of the vehicles discussed, more or less ranked by how well they were rated, along with a few remarks. CR testing of the Equinox and Cybertruck is still in progress.

We note the base price for each vehicle at the time of this writing based upon what is posted on the manufacturer websites. We also note incentive eligibility. For the federal incentive, this is based on the vehicle and does not take into account buyer income limits or whether a seller has registered for the incentive or transfer provision. As of this writing on 12/28/24, the Federal Department of Energy has not updated its website of eligible vehicles for 2025. Hopefully, the seller can provide reliable advice. This is exactly (part of) what concerned us about the convoluted incentive structure. (The incentive is determined at the time of delivery, not when an order is placed.) Of course, with the federal incentive, the restrictions only apply to purchases as any lease is eligible. With the state incentive, eligibility is consistent across a purchase or lease.

The final point about incentives is that the incoming administration has been very public that it wants to kill the federal EV incentive, so this information may not age well. If you are in the market, there is no time like the present!

We thank Gabe for the time and effort that went into this presentation.

Chevy Equinox

The two GM vehicles tested fared well, with the Equinox said to be a particularly good value, so much so that CR questioned whether it’s more expensive stablemate, the Blazer, is worth the premium. The car rides quietly, handles well and has decent range. The only knocks are GMs decision to do away with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and that the DC fast charging rate is a bit on the slow side at 150 kW. The starting price for the Equinox is $33,600. This vehicle is eligible for both the federal and state EV purchase incentives.

Genesis GV60

The Genesis, a luxury EUV, was praised for its handling, build quality, outstanding audio system, easily adjustable regenerative braking, and fast charging. The Genesis is built on the Hyundai 800-volt architecture platform. The main criticisms were a relatively low range for the price and visibility. It has a starting price of $52,350. This vehicle is not eligible for either the federal or state incentive.

Cadillac Lyriq

A luxury EUV, the Lyriq shares the GM EV platform that used to be called Ultium with the Blazer and Equinox. The Lyriq was praised for its responsiveness and overall driving performance. Criticisms were less than ideal visibility and high cost. The starting price is $58,595. This vehicle is eligible for the federal incentive but not for the state incentive.

Acura ZDX

The Acura ZDX moniker was formerly on an unsuccessful internal combustion model but is now a premium EUV. GM is building these for Honda, as well as its lower-priced Honda Prologue model. So, the ZDX is basically a Cadillac Lyric. It is rated a notch lower because, while the drive train is the same, GM may have held back on some of the features as the handling was not as refined. Starting MSRP is $64,500. This vehicle is eligible for the federal incentive but not for the state incentive.

Mercedes EQE SUV

This mid-sized EUV was praised for its luxury cabin touches, build quality, and quick acceleration, but was criticized for distracting controls and a mushy brake pedal. Starting price is $77,900. This vehicle is not eligible for either the federal or state incentive.

Volvo XC60

This is the only plug-in hybrid included in the evening’s lineup, sporting an 18.8 kWh battery pack yielding 35 miles of electric range before moving to conventional hybrid mode for another 525 miles of range. CR praised its seat comfort and acceleration but felt its controls were unintuitive and the ride was stiff. MSRP starts at $59,345. This vehicle is not eligible for either the federal or state incentive.

Tesla Cybertruck

The Cybertruck is arguably the most polarizing vehicle ever made. Of course, style preferences are in the eye of the beholder and these reviews focused on the vehicle operation. CR liked the acceleration and handling. The CT had the longest range of all the vehicles reviewed. Like the Genesis, it has 800-volt architecture and charges quickly. However, as with all Teslas, there is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. The steer-by-wire takes some getting used to and CR did not particularly like it. The visibility is poor. This is somewhat compensated for with cameras, but those images appear on the large center console, which means taking your eyes off the road. Tesla is no longer offering the Foundation Series. The lower-cost versions start at $79,990. The lowest trim level of the CT is eligible for the federal EV incentive but is too pricey for the state incentive.

Lexus RZ

Toyota’s one BEV platform is used for the this vehicle, the Toyota bz4x, and the Subaru Solterra. The reviewers, including CR, haven’t been that kind to it. While this vehicle has some nice Lexus cabin touches, it has a low range and slow charging. Strangely, it lacks a glove box, and the controls were felt to be unintuitive.

The starting MSRP is $43,975. This vehicle is not eligible for the federal incentive. The 300e, 300e Premium, and base 450e are priced low enough that they should qualify for the state CHEAPR incentive but they are not listed as eligible on the CHEAPR website.

Successful NorthEast Electric Vehicle Symposium Headlines a Busy Year

EV Conferences and Showcases

• NorthEast Electric Vehicle Symposium – Over 300 people joined us over 2 days to test drive EVs and hear presentations on buying/owning an EV, along with public policy. Public Regulatory Authority Chair, Marissa Gillett, was our featured speaker. She described the Equitable Modern Grid Initiative that is designed to enable a cost-effective, economy-wide transition to a decarbonized future, along with changing the utility regulatory regime from volumetric to performance-based (utility compensation tied to performance goals rather than capital investment). Our full conference agenda can be found here. We thank our presenters, panelists, exhibitors and all of our sponsors. BMW was the presenting sponsor and brought 3 of our test ride vehicles.
• We participated in Drive Electric Week showcases in Rocky Hill and Central CT State University.
• We promote other Events throughout the state and help recruit EV owners to exhibit.

Rocky Hill EV Showcase                                 NEEVS Policy                                                   NEEVS EV Showcase – Rivian e-delivery van

Speaking and Panels

• Panelist in Sierra Club webinar on producing a Drive Electric Week event.
• Presentation to the CT Energy Network.
• The CT Roundtable for Climate Virtual Event – “Transportation Infrastructure and Electric Vehicles in CT”
• Presentation at Simsbury Earth Day Fair
• Gabe Shenhar of Consumer Reports presenting reviews of the latest EVs

Forth Mobility Electric Vehicle Adoption Leadership (EVAL)

• The EV Club was awarded Bronze EVAL status

The News You Can Use

• We published 45 blog posts and a mostly monthly newsletter to keep you on top of local EV issues. These may be club-specific or other EV-related items that are not well covered, if at all, by the general press.
• Rivian fought its way through a spurious lawsuit to be able to open a service center in Shelton.

• Enel X Way abruptly withdrew from North America, leaving residential customers with potentially dangerous EV chargers. This equipment had been a part of the approved products to receive the charging incentives from Eversource and UI but had to be withdrawn.
• EV Club worked with the Town of Westport to develop policies for its Town-owned public chargers.
• EV adoption in environmental justice communities.
• Tesla Opens Second CT Service Center in Stamford – EV Club invited to ribbon cutting.

Incentives

• We stay on top of the federal and state incentives to purchase or lease an EV and the incentives offered through Eversource and UI to charge during off-peak times. The state CHEAPR program is undergoing changes in 2025. We will follow changes to the federal IRA incentives should the new administration move to repeal or restrict them.

Legislation

• The environmental community has found the past few years to be frustrating. Nevertheless, we participate and play our part with testimony and/or op-eds submitted on the following bills.
  • Testified against SB 343 that would have banned EV chargers in garages, any garage. This did not pass.
  • In favor of HB 5231, 5232, and 5052 to raise the limits on the amount of non-residential solar. There have been modest increases approved.
  • HB 5204 – approval for low-speed vehicles (LSVs) on public roads with low speed limits. LSVs can be a practical and low-impact form of transportation. We support this but our feeling is that only electric LSVs should be allowed. The legislation passed without an EV requirement.
  • Advanced Clean Cars II – This is the politically controversial second phase of the California fuel efficiency rules. We participated in the ACC II working group and supported adopting this as our neighbors NY, MA, and RI have done. This did not clear the legislative review committee in 2023 and was not submitted for consideration in 2024. A diluted variation of this, HB 5485, mostly a study bill, did not pass.
  • There was no direct sales bill raised in committee. It was proposed by a member of the Transportation Committee but not raised by the committee chairs. Direct sales, while supported by 83% of CT voters in this 2021 poll, has repeatedly been stymied by the influence of the dealerships. Add to that Elon Musk having alienated much of the Democratic Caucus and prospects are dim.

First Responder Training in New Haven – EV Club Members Brought Their Vehicles

Data

• Continued tracking of EV adoption in CT in blog posts and the dashboard.
• Continued reporting on the most EV friendly dealerships.

We thank all of our members and contributors who make this possible.

Absence of Software Could Cause a Failure to Regulate Current

We’re not trying to be alarmist but we are trying to help spread the word of a potentially serious safety situation.

Abrupt Departure

Enel X Way, the manufacturer of JuiceBox EV charging equipment, made an announcement on October 2nd that was shocking in its abruptness. The company said it was pulling out of North America as of October 11th. As far as we know, there was no advance warning given to commercial or residential customers, or to utilities that include this equipment in managed charging programs. That was the case locally with Eversource and UI, which have been trying to find a path forward.

Without the software, the commercial units do not work. Initial reports were that residential equipment could be used as a “dumb” charger,” meaning there would be no app functionality or connectivity and, unless a workaround were developed, customer enrollments in managed charging programs with this equipment would be terminated. That has probably happened at this point.

Inability to Control Amperage

Consumer Reports sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission in October, which was co-signed by 65 JuiceBox owners. Among the lengthy list of issues they raise, two in particular stand out. First, absent the software, there could be the loss of “potentially critical‬ functionality that allows them to adjust the amperage coming into the car from the charger. This‬ means that consumers who are unable to adjust their settings before the October 11 deadline‬ could see their chargers push too much amperage into the vehicle, potentially damaging the‬ EV’s battery, shorting out their breaker box, and posing a risk of fire.‬”

Uncertain Path Forward

Since the initial announcement, it has been reported, for example here, that‭ the company has hired B. Riley Advisory Services to organize a managed liquidation and auction of its assets with an eye to maintaining functionality. This may be more difficult than it sounds. Enel X does not embed the Open Charge Point Protocol into its equipment in a way that makes it straightforward to migrate to another company’s platform. So, a hoped for short-term bridge solution is probably not in the cards.

Security Flaw

That leads to the second serious issue which is, again according to Consumer Reports, a security flaw in the software that can expose a user’s WiFi credentials. This is from the chip and firmware used in the equipment made by Silicon Labs, and there are no plans to update it. From the perspective of the utilities, even if the equipment comes back on line, this security flaw could represent potential exposure. If the equipment does come back online, it is not likely to be able to be re-enrolled in managed charging. These products have been removed from the qualified products list (QPL) by both Eversource and UI.

Consumer Reports characterizes the company’s behavior as “egregious,” and notes that these level 2 chargers cost about $600 (residential) to as much as $1600 (commercial).

For managed charging, the quickest way to get back online is to re-enroll using telematics if you have an eligible vehicle. Regardless of managed charging participation, the safest route forward is to replace the charger. Unfortunately, it is not permitted for the utilities to give another incentive. The program design does not include eventualities for companies that bug-out.

The Consumer Reports letter concludes by asking the Federal Trade Commission to take action to protect consumers on the basis that this constitutes a deceptive or unfair business practice.

Idling Fees Waived for Overnight Charging at Baldwin

The EV charging stations located in the Baldwin lot in downtown Westport, installed a year ago, have a fee of $.35 per kWh. However, this is a timed lot, and for any EV sitting at a charger longer than the 3-hour limit, an idling fee is charged following a 15-minute grace period. It is $10/hour, charged in 15 minute increments.

These are 80-amp level 2 chargers. While an EV can get a fair amount of charge (depending on the speed enabled by the vehicle’s onboard charger) in 3 hours, it isn’t enough time to fully charge from a near depleted state. We have heard from some folks who live near downtown and do not have charging at home who would like to use these for longer than the current limit.

That is now being enabled by the town. We don’t have all the details yet concerning specific hours and when the network vendor, EVConnect, will have it enabled, but the idling fees are being waived for overnight parking. The standard per kWh rate still applies. This will help nearby EV owners to charge and will mean additional utilization/more revenue for the town.

Also, there are no idling fees for the chargers in the Metro-North commuter lots.

We applaud the town for taking this step and will update with more specifics as we learn of them.

Allowing overnight charging at public chargers can reduce charging anxiety, generally speaking. It is a particularly great approach if situated near multi-family housing where available charging options may be limited.

Changes to Battery Rules and Used EV Supply

2025 will bring a large increase in the supply of eligible used EVs and new restrictions on battery critical minerals and component manufacturing..

Changes in Battery Sourcing Rules

Each year, the law requires a step-up in the minimum source-compliant rules for batteries.

• The percentage of critical minerals sourced either domestically or from a free-trade partner increases from 50% to 60%.
• The battery-module manufacturing requirement remains at 60% from North America.
• IRS loosened rules around the sourcing of graphite to take effect in 2025.
• Foreign entity of concern rules now apply to battery assembly as well as critical mineral sourcing. That means that for the 40% that does not have to come eligible sources, none can come from any entity deemed a FEOC. Of course, this is mainly China, but applies to some other places as well.

Many vehicles lost eligibility in 2024 as the requirements became more stringent and the first part of the FEOC kicked-in. On the other hand, the industry is grateful for the recent flexibility on graphite, an area in which China is even more dominant.

The OEMs are working hard to wrangle their supply chains to become compliant. We expect a gradual increase in eligible vehicles as new plants open in North America.

The above rules apply only to consumer purchases. They do not apply for leases or commercial purchases. On the basis of a controversial IRS ruling, these vehicles are not required to comply with the consumer purchase rules. It has driven skyrocketing increases in the rate of EV leases. According to Kelly Blue Book, leases now account for almost half of new EV sales and have surpassed financing as the preferred method for acquiring a new EV.

Used EV Incentive

This is one area where there will be a significant change for the better. Despite the gloom and doom reporting, EV sales are growing. In CT, EVs represented 10.4% of all new vehicle sales in Q2 of this year, according to CT DEEP. The July Connecticut DMV registration data show that EV registrations increased by 45% year on year, on top of a similar increase the year before.

What that means is that increasing numbers of EVs are eligible for the used incentive. The rule regarding vehicle age is that the model year of the vehicle must be at least 2 years older than the current calendar year. So, as of January, all of the 2023 EVs become eligible. Every year, the pool will increase.

There are lots of other rules around new and used EVs. See our Incentives page for a full description.

Enel X to Continue to Support Chargers…For Now

We have published a previous post and updates following the announcement from Enel X, maker of JuiceBox chargers, of their abrupt withdrawal from the North American market. The original announcement was that while the chargers would work, the software would no longer be available. Not only would that negate the smart charger functionality of the equipment, these units were approved for the charging incentives offered by Eversource and UI and they would no longer be able to track compliance with the managed charging program. Commercial chargers would be completely dead without the software.

Subsequent to the initial announcement, Enel X said they would continue to support the software for both residential and commercial for the time being. Per UI, Enel plans to auction off their North American business to a third party.

Still Solving for Managed Charging

Having some interim software support for the chargers does not equate to the utilities being able to track the data they need. UI reports that at present it has lost visibility and that  its back-end provider is working on a solution with Enel. This may take a couple of weeks. At that point, they expect to be back in business until at least the end of the year. This prospective solution may work beyond that but that is still tbd at this time.

UI and Eversource have different back-end providers, so it is not a given that there is a solution in the offing for Eversource. We have not received an update from them.

Vehicle Connection (Telematics)

If your vehicle is able to enroll via telematics, both utilities recommend going that route. For your viewing pleasure, below is a list of every eligible telematics vehicle. The list is not identical for Eversource and UI.

An Example of How Distributed Resources Create Resilience

A club-member received this text message from a friend who lives in Stuart, FL, a city on the eastern coast of the state where Hurricane Milton came through as a category 1 storm after spawning tornadoes. It is a good illustration of how EVs and distributed energy resources can contribute to resilience.

“Thanks for checking in.  Our home is fine…survived beautifully….never lost power thanks to Tesla Powerwalls.   The rest of the community and county had some major power issues.   Tornado touched down about 3 blocks away, no injuries, just more  power outages in the area. Also, some trees down and turned over a semi-truck.  Hospital (family run Vet hospital) lost power around midnight, but I powered it from the Cybertruck until the power came back around 2pm this afternoon.   At home, we had trimmed all the trees earlier this week,  so only a few branches down.  That’s about it.   Nothing like North Carolina.”

Enel X Way, Maker of JuiceBox EV Chargers That Are Part of the CT EV Charging Incentive Program, Shutting Down in North America

Update Oct. 13 – Enel X has apparently found a workaround and software service will not be disrupted. (Customer service for the hardware is offline.) This is an article in Electrek with more detail. Based on this, participants in the managed charging programs should be able to continue. We have had several members send us communications from Enel X or the utilities. Please keep us updated.

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Enel had previously announced big plans for a USA and Canada charging network, including installing 10,000 DCFC chargers by 2030. Now they are closing it down, though they are a huge company that remains in business in many other countries.

According to a statement posted on the JuiceBox website:

“After careful consideration, Enel X Way North America has decided to close its electric mobility business in the US and Canada, operated by the local subsidiary of Enel X Way USA, effective October 11, 2024.”

This is what they say about how it affects customers:

• Residential charging hardware (JuiceBox) will maintain the physical operating ability to charge vehicles, but that is it. (In other words, they become dumb chargers.)
• All Enel X Way software will be discontinued. Commercial charging stations will no longer work absent software.
• The Enel X Way App and all other Enel e-mobility apps in North America will be discontinued and removed from the App Store.
• Enel X Way customer support is no longer available, effective immediately. Any Enel X Way related questions and claims should be directed in the coming days to the claims information page (available soon). (The emphasis is theirs.)

The entire website, except for this one status page has been taken offline.

Impact on Managed Charging Incentives

There are Juicebox chargers that are approved equipment for EV charging incentives offered through Eversource and United Illuminating. Without software support, it will not be possible for the consumer to schedule charging nor for the utility to track it. The utilities were not given advance notice of the Enel decision.

We have been forwarded a few emails from members that were sent from Eversource and Enel X. Enel X is reporting that they are working to transition to the software of a third party. It sounds like they have made progress and there may be no interruption in service.

The emails we have seen from Eversource haven’t yet mentioned this. It may well be coming. But at this point, they suggest that if a vehicle is eligible for telematics, the customer can re-enroll and continue that way. Otherwise, they will be paid out through September and no longer part of the program. There is also the opportunity to subsequently re-enroll if the charger is replaced with an approved unit.

GM vehicles, which are not on the Eversource list of eligible telematics vehicles, are apparently able to connect through OnStar, which may require a paid subscription. GM vehicles are on the list of UI telematics vehicles.