Here’s a good-news electric vehicle (EV) item: Idaho Power announced June 13 that its business customers are invited to apply for big incentives to offset part of the cost of installing EV charging stations for their employees.

“Incentives include a $1,000 incentive for a single port charging station and $1,500 incentive for a dual port charging station up to a maximum of $4,500 per company, per cite. Charging stations must be installed between April 18 and November 11, 2016.”

This is great news as clean energy advocates and utilities wrestle with the “chicken and the egg” EV syndrome that says it’s hard to convince people to buy electric vehicles without adequate charging infrastructure, and it’s hard to convince people to install charging stations until more people buy EVs. Idaho Power CEO Darrel Anderson points out that Spokane-based Avista Utilities, which serves portions of north Idaho, has a pending EV charging pilot project in Washington state in which it is seeking to install EV charging equipment around its Washington service area. Avista has shown – and we’re sure Idaho Power will find as well – that widespread EV charging stations have grid-wide benefits that help all customers regardless of whether they own an EV themselves.

So businesses, check with Idaho Power to cut a deal to make it easier for you to get on the EV bandwagon. It’s great for business, great for employee morale, and great for the planet.