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On May 28, the California Energy Commission announced $55.2 million in new funding through the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project. The funding is to be used for expanding public EV fast charging infrastructure in California. Over 201,000 public EV chargers are operating in California, but most are Level 2 chargers, not fast chargers. More fast chargers are needed to support longer trips. Home chargers and Level 2 chargers may be adequate for most short trips, but not for long road trips.
Bailey Muller, Senior Manager for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure at the Center for Sustainable Energy, answered some questions about the new fast charger funding for CleanTechnica.
About how many new fast chargers will be installed?
With $55 million in incentives and rebate amounts of $55,000 per port, this incentive project would allow for up to 1,000 direct current charging ports installed across the two application periods.
Where might they be located?
Chargers can be installed in eligible publicly accessible locations anywhere in the state of California. Proposed projects in low-income, disadvantaged, and tribal communities will be prioritized in incentive processing and moved to the top of the queue for incentive awards.
Why fund more fast chargers?
States and utilities should fund publicly accessible DC fast chargers because they are essential infrastructure for widespread EV adoption. Public investment helps overcome high upfront costs and fills charging gaps that the private market may not address. Incentives for EV chargers support renters and drivers who lack access to home charging, improve charging access in underserved communities, and accelerate emissions reductions from the transportation sector.
Any idea how long it will take to disperse the funds and have the new chargers installed?
All applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis within the application window periods. All sites must be installed and commissioned within 450 days of funding reservation. For the first Fast Charge California Project window that closed to applications in January, the average energization timeline for chargers to date has been 103 days.
How many of the new fast chargers might be installed at locations for the disadvantaged, low-income and in and tribal areas?
While low-income, disadvantaged, or tribal locations are not required for eligibility, in the most recent Fast Charge California Project window that closed in January, 64% of all installations were in disadvantaged, low income, or tribal lands.
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