The California Energy Commission (CEC) on February 14 approved $1.9 billion to expand the state’s network of charging and refueling infrastructure for zero-emission cars, trucks and buses. The funding will create the nation’s most extensive hydrogen charging and recharging network, officials said.
State funding comes from the CEC’s Clean Transport Program and will be spent over the next four years, with at least 50% directed to benefit priority populations. The money is part of the $48 billion California Climate Commitment, which includes more than $10 billion for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and infrastructure.
“We need to make sure this is zero-emission refueling infrastructure for everyone,” CEC Senior Transportation Commissioner Patty Monahan said in a statement. “By investing a large amount of funds to benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities, the state ensures that communities most in need have better access to chargers and less pollution from trucks and buses.”
By 2023, 25 percent of new cars sold in California were zero emissions. Officials say this new funding will create 40,000 new chargers across the state, adding to the nearly 94,000 shared public and private chargers currently installed in the state. Combined with the previous funding, the state’s CEC hopes to reach the goal of 250,000 chargers in the coming years. This is in addition to private installations and home chargers.
The $1.9 billion in funds will be available over the next four years and will be distributed to projects through competitive grants. Projects include direct incentive and rebate programs for businesses, nonprofits, tribes and public agencies.
First created in 2007, the Clean Transportation Program is one of the first transportation-focused funding efforts established to help advance state climate change policies. It is funded by vehicle and boat registration, vehicle identification plates and smog abatement levies. To date, $1.8 billion has been invested in projects that support ZEV infrastructure, alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies. This includes nearly 24,500 electric vehicle chargers installed or planned and the funding of 96 public hydrogen filling stations, of which 61 are open today.
The program also formed the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project to provide streamlined incentives for electric vehicle chargers and awarded $100 million to 120 projects for truck and bus charging and recharging through the energy infrastructure incentives for zero emission commercial vehicles. It also provided funding to California public school districts for the charging of electric school buses.
On February 14, the CEC also approved the second Assembly Bill 2127 Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Assessment. The assessment projects how much publicly available charging infrastructure is needed to meet demand. The results show that by 2030, 7.1 million electric vehicles will need 1 million chargers and 155,000 electric trucks and buses will need 114,500 chargers.
The agency predicts that by 2035 California will have 15.2 million electric vehicles that will require 2.1 million chargers, and 377,000 electric trucks and buses will need 264,000 chargers.
All of this new funding should help lay the groundwork for the visionary West Coast Clean Transit Corridor Initiative, an ongoing collaborative effort among 16 utilities to support the development of vehicle charging facilities electric along I-5 from San Diego to British Columbia for heavy vehicles. and carriers and medium-load delivery trucks.
Building on an initial June 2020 report outlining conceptual charging sites, West Coast utilities are currently conducting network readiness assessments in preparation for installations and upgrades infrastructure that will support vehicle charging capacities of at least 3.5 megawatts with potential for further upgrades to create even higher. energy sites.
Companies participating in this initiative are San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, Southern California Public Power Authority, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Northern California Power Agency, City of Redding, Sacramento Municipal Utility District. , Pacific Power, Portland General Electric, Clark Public Utilities, Cowlitz Co PUD, Lewis Co PUD, Tacoma Public Utilities, Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, Snohomish PUD and BC Hydro.
