The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has approved a settlement that lets Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) recover an annual electric revenue requirement of $8.147 million for its Clean Energy Future–Electric Vehicle (CEF-EV) charging program. The Board acted at its Sept. 24, 2026 agenda meeting (Item 2K, Docket No. ER25100568), adopting a stipulation signed by PSE&G, the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel and Board Staff. The rates apply to service rendered on and after Oct. 1, 2026, on a provisional basis, subject to refund and to review for prudence in PSE&G's next base rate case, according to the Board's Decision and Order.
For the order's typical residential electric heating customer, the monthly bill rises by $0.23, or about 0.2%.
What the Board approved
The settlement covers the revenue requirement on PSE&G's CEF-EV investment and operations-and-maintenance (O&M) expenses through Dec. 31, 2025. It is the kind of annual rate adjustment filing that the Board's October 2024 order in PSE&G's 2023 base rate case allowed, so that CEF-EV investment placed in service after that case's cutoff can be reviewed and put into rates.
The figure changed during the case. PSE&G's petition, filed Oct. 15, 2025, sought $9.243 million a year, based on actual costs through Aug. 31, 2025 and a forecast through year-end. A Jan. 20, 2026 update using actual costs through Dec. 31, 2025 lowered the request to approximately $8.147 million, and the stipulation adopted that figure. The update's calculation shows a rate base of $37.632 million and an after-tax rate of return of 6.57%.
No members of the public attended the two virtual public hearings held June 11, 2026, and the Board received no written comments, according to the stipulation. The Board ordered PSE&G to file revised tariff sheets by Oct. 1, 2026; that deadline has passed. The company's costs also remain subject to audit by the Board.
The bill math
The order's typical residential electric heating customer uses 683 kWh in a summer month, 558 kWh in an average month and 6,700 kWh a year. For that customer, the monthly bill goes from $155.20 to $155.43. Those figures are based on delivery rates and Basic Generation Service Residential Small Commercial Pricing (BGS-RSCP) charges in effect as of Aug. 1, 2026, and assume the customer buys BGS-RSCP service from PSE&G.
Background: a 2021 program with a spending cap
The Board's Jan. 27, 2021 order authorized PSE&G to invest up to $166.2 million in CEF-EV facilities and to incur up to $39 million of incremental O&M expenses. That order set up three subprograms: Residential Smart Charging, Level 2 Mixed Use Charging and Direct Current Fast Charging. PSE&G launched the DC fast charging subprogram on July 23, 2021, the Level 2 mixed-use commercial subprogram on July 30, 2021 and the residential make-ready subprogram on Sept. 15, 2021, according to the utility's semi-annual report to the BPU, dated Sept. 1, 2026.
That report covers January through June 2026. It puts program-to-date investment at $117.8 million and program-to-date expenses at $25.8 million. PSE&G invested $16.54 million in the first half of 2026. The report's total program forecast is $166.2 million in investment and $38.97 million in O&M, with a to-go investment forecast of $48.4 million. The rate adjustment approved in September covers only costs through the end of 2025.
Enrollment since program inception, by subprogram
| Subprogram | Launched | Customers enrolled | Chargers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | Sept. 15, 2021 | 28,638 | 29,292 |
| Level 2 Mixed Use Commercial | July 30, 2021 | 1,274 | 4,363 |
| DC Fast Charging | July 23, 2021 | 177 | 681 |
The counts are enrolled customers and chargers since program inception through June 2026, not stations or ports. The report also tracks a $5 million DCFC Distribution Demand Charge Rebate fund; PSE&G has distributed about $3.95 million in rebates, leaving $1.05 million.
What It Means for Drivers
The order changes what PSE&G electric customers pay, not how the charging program works.
PSE&G's Electric Vehicles program page lists three subprograms within the EV Charging Program: Residential, Commercial and Public DCFC. The same page links to the EV Adviser tool and to PSE&G's EV Hosting Capacity Map. Operators of fast-charging sites who rely on the demand-charge rebate should check with PSE&G on the remaining balance before planning around it.
Anyone installing a home charger should have a licensed electrician do the work, following the manufacturer's instructions and local code. Questions about program status or eligibility go to PSE&G's EV Hotline at 1-800-249-1837, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or [email protected].
