DEP program manager Josh Jubeck details renewed $1.5 million alternative-fuel rebate, income-targeted bonuses
June 22, 2026 | Environmental Protection, CONSUMER PROTECTION AND REGULATION, Executive Departments, Organizations, Executive, Pennsylvania
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Josh Jubeck, program manager for the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant program in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), outlined changes to the state s alternative-fuel vehicle rebate program and what residents must do to apply.
Jubeck said the program, defined by the Alternative Fuels Incentive Act of 2004, has been retooled several times since 2011 and has issued more than 11,000 rebates totaling about $17.3 million. "Since the 2011 retooling we have issued over 11,000 rebates to Pennsylvania residents, totaling 17.3 million in funds," he said.
Why it matters: DEP renewed the rebate program on Sept. 6 and set aside $1.5 million for the current program year, funding that Jubeck estimated will support roughly 500 rebates at current benefit levels. The renewal includes continued incentives aimed at increasing affordability for lower-income Pennsylvanians.
Program basics and recent changes
Jubeck described the current incentive levels: the base rebate for a battery-electric vehicle is $3,000 (raised from $2,000); plug-in hybrids qualify for $1,500; and other alternative-fuel vehicles including electric motorcycles, compressed natural gas and propane vehicles qualify for $500.
The program includes a low-income bonus. "We added the additional $1,000 bonus for qualifying low individual low-income individuals" in 2021, Jubeck said, and the rebate renewal continues that bonus. He described income thresholds during the session, stating the program uses a 300% of federal poverty level threshold for one income limit and an additional $1,000 bonus set at 150% of the federal poverty level (as stated by the presenter).
Eligibility details
DEP allows one-time pre-owned vehicles under the program (a change adopted in 2017). Jubeck said a eligible pre-owned vehicle must have had only one prior owner, have fewer than 75,000 miles on the odometer and be no older than seven model years from the application date. He also said the program caps eligible final purchase price at $45,000, which excludes taxes, destination and delivery fees and service packages.
"Applicants have six months from date of purchase to submit their application," Jubeck said, and eligibility is determined under the guidelines in effect when an application is submitted.
Funding, uptake and data
Jubeck said funds come from the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Fund and that DEP may roll over reclaimed funds from incomplete projects to support rebates. He reported that in the last program year (July 1, 2023 to Sept. 1 of the renewal year) DEP issued more than 850 rebates totaling about $1.9 million.
On uptake among lower-income residents, Jubeck said roughly 30% of rebates issued last year included the low-income bonus. "What we saw in last year's program is about 30% of all rebates issued were the low-income bonus," he said.
Application process and technical help
All applications are submitted through the Office of Administration's e-grants system, and DEP posts program guidelines and instructions on its website. Jubeck recommended the DEP Grants 101 webinar and said DEP s Grants Center can provide general assistance with the electronic system.
On stacking incentives, Jubeck said the rebate can be combined with the federal clean vehicle tax credit and that DEP treats the post-point-of-sale federal credit as reducing the effective purchase price for eligibility purposes. "A lot of dealers are now offering that federal tax credit as a point-of-sale rebate," he said, and DEP counts the adjusted price when applying the $45,000 cap.
Data and outreach
Jubeck said PennDOT maintains mapping data on EV registrations and that DEP can run reports showing applicants addresses by ZIP code to help local outreach. He offered to follow up with community partners and with the Department s environmental-justice contacts to support targeted workshops and outreach in underrepresented areas.
Environmental-justice follow-up
A participant who identified themself as working for an "inner office of environmental justice" asked whether rebate outreach is targeted to environmental-justice regions. Jubeck said the grant program gives greater consideration to projects located in or serving environmental-justice regions and offered to provide data and follow up on outreach with local partners.
Next steps
DEP posted program guidelines and related links during the session and said recordings and resources will be available on its energy funding and assistance page. Jubeck said staff can run location-based reports on applicants and that attendees should contact the email addresses shared in chat for follow-up information. The series will continue with a session featuring a PUC representative on low-income affordability in two weeks.
(Reporting based only on the DEP webinar transcript: action deadlines, precise program dates and the program s statutory implementation schedule should be confirmed with DEP or the program guidelines.)
Jubeck said the program, defined by the Alternative Fuels Incentive Act of 2004, has been retooled several times since 2011 and has issued more than 11,000 rebates totaling about $17.3 million. "Since the 2011 retooling we have issued over 11,000 rebates to Pennsylvania residents, totaling 17.3 million in funds," he said.
Why it matters: DEP renewed the rebate program on Sept. 6 and set aside $1.5 million for the current program year, funding that Jubeck estimated will support roughly 500 rebates at current benefit levels. The renewal includes continued incentives aimed at increasing affordability for lower-income Pennsylvanians.
Program basics and recent changes
Jubeck described the current incentive levels: the base rebate for a battery-electric vehicle is $3,000 (raised from $2,000); plug-in hybrids qualify for $1,500; and other alternative-fuel vehicles including electric motorcycles, compressed natural gas and propane vehicles qualify for $500.
The program includes a low-income bonus. "We added the additional $1,000 bonus for qualifying low individual low-income individuals" in 2021, Jubeck said, and the rebate renewal continues that bonus. He described income thresholds during the session, stating the program uses a 300% of federal poverty level threshold for one income limit and an additional $1,000 bonus set at 150% of the federal poverty level (as stated by the presenter).
Eligibility details
DEP allows one-time pre-owned vehicles under the program (a change adopted in 2017). Jubeck said a eligible pre-owned vehicle must have had only one prior owner, have fewer than 75,000 miles on the odometer and be no older than seven model years from the application date. He also said the program caps eligible final purchase price at $45,000, which excludes taxes, destination and delivery fees and service packages.
"Applicants have six months from date of purchase to submit their application," Jubeck said, and eligibility is determined under the guidelines in effect when an application is submitted.
Funding, uptake and data
Jubeck said funds come from the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Fund and that DEP may roll over reclaimed funds from incomplete projects to support rebates. He reported that in the last program year (July 1, 2023 to Sept. 1 of the renewal year) DEP issued more than 850 rebates totaling about $1.9 million.
On uptake among lower-income residents, Jubeck said roughly 30% of rebates issued last year included the low-income bonus. "What we saw in last year's program is about 30% of all rebates issued were the low-income bonus," he said.
Application process and technical help
All applications are submitted through the Office of Administration's e-grants system, and DEP posts program guidelines and instructions on its website. Jubeck recommended the DEP Grants 101 webinar and said DEP s Grants Center can provide general assistance with the electronic system.
On stacking incentives, Jubeck said the rebate can be combined with the federal clean vehicle tax credit and that DEP treats the post-point-of-sale federal credit as reducing the effective purchase price for eligibility purposes. "A lot of dealers are now offering that federal tax credit as a point-of-sale rebate," he said, and DEP counts the adjusted price when applying the $45,000 cap.
Data and outreach
Jubeck said PennDOT maintains mapping data on EV registrations and that DEP can run reports showing applicants addresses by ZIP code to help local outreach. He offered to follow up with community partners and with the Department s environmental-justice contacts to support targeted workshops and outreach in underrepresented areas.
Environmental-justice follow-up
A participant who identified themself as working for an "inner office of environmental justice" asked whether rebate outreach is targeted to environmental-justice regions. Jubeck said the grant program gives greater consideration to projects located in or serving environmental-justice regions and offered to provide data and follow up on outreach with local partners.
Next steps
DEP posted program guidelines and related links during the session and said recordings and resources will be available on its energy funding and assistance page. Jubeck said staff can run location-based reports on applicants and that attendees should contact the email addresses shared in chat for follow-up information. The series will continue with a session featuring a PUC representative on low-income affordability in two weeks.
(Reporting based only on the DEP webinar transcript: action deadlines, precise program dates and the program s statutory implementation schedule should be confirmed with DEP or the program guidelines.)
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