Electric vehicles remain a tough sell for most consumers. Beyond being more expensive than similarly sized and equipped gas-powered vehicles, range and the lack of chargers continue to be large concerns. Most companies don’t want to invest in coming out with more charging stations, as the EV market isn’t large enough yet. It’s a vicious circle that doesn’t seem to be improving. California has taken the first step to get out of the circle and making EVs more attractive by doubling the number of available EV chargers in the state.
Earlier this week, the California Energy Commission (CEC) approved a $2.9 billion investment plan to accelerate the state’s 2025 EV and hydrogen refueling goals. The investment will be used to install 90,000 new electric vehicle charging stations across California, building upon the 80,000 chargers that are currently available in the state. The CEC believes that the investment, along with “funding from other utilities and other programs” will ensure that California reaches its goal of having 250,000 electric vehicle chargers by 2025.
In addition to doubling the number of available charging stations in California, the investment will also be used to “support the deployment of thousands of zero-emissions trucks, school buses and transit buses” to help communities that are affected by pollution from heavy- and medium-duty vehicles. As the CEC points out, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved a plan for $2.6 billion in clean transportation incentives that include investments for heavy-duty and off-road equipment.
“The plan will increase access to charging and hydrogen fueling for individuals, businesses, and public agencies while supporting our emerging manufacturing ecosystem and creating jobs,” stated Patty Monahan, the CEC’s Lead Commissioner for Transportation. “Most importantly, it provides critical funding to support the move away from dirty trucks and buses that have burdened our most vulnerable communities for too long.”
California is going to need a lot more charging stations, as the state will only allow electrified vehicles – electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrids, and fuel cell vehicles – to be sold in the state by 2035. California was one of the first to announce a ban on the sale of gas-powered vehicles. To help states move toward electrified vehicles, the U.S. Transportation Department introduced a $1 trillion infrastructure bill to provide states with $5 billion to install EV chargers along interstate highways over a five-year period. States can access more than $1.5 billion to help build EV chargers at the moment. Earlier this year, the White House announced that it had approved 35 state plans.
Source: California Energy Commission
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