The California Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) took a major step in rapidly deploying electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure by awarding over 32 million dollars in federal funds to install, operate and maintain 458 direct-current fast chargers (DCFC) along interstates and highways across the state.
The funds come from the five billion dollars National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, which is part of the 1.2 trillion dollars Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Biden signed into law in November 2021.
California expects to receive a total of 384 million dollars for the program over the next several years.
“California continues to be a leader in the sustainable revolution with this milestone investment to install over 500 EV chargers with 32 million dollars in federal NEVI funding,” says Acting Federal Highway Administrator Kristin White.
“Thanks to the historic investments from the Biden-Harris Administration, California is helping to lead the nation in deploying clean energy infrastructure, expanding access to EV charging, and meeting our carbon reduction goals.”
Including projects expected to be approved before the end of the year, CEC proposed awards total 37.7 million dollars, which will leverage an additional 53.2 million dollars in private matching funds — nearly three times the minimum required by the NEVI program.
These awards will result in the deployment of over 500 new charging ports across 70 sites, representing an 85 percent increase over the number of charging ports originally expected from the state’s first NEVI solicitation, and nearly double the stations required by federal standards.
“California is building a transportation network for the 21st century, and this federal funding helps support that commitment,” states Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “Increasing the accessibility of EV charging stations will be a major boost to achieving the state’s climate action goals.”
“We’d like to thank the Biden-Harris administration for their commitment to eliminating harmful emissions not only in California but across the country,” says CEC Commissioner Patty Monahan.
“With this round of awards, the state exceeded the federal requirement for private investment by nearly threefold, significantly increasing the number of chargers funded per federal dollar. This is further proof that California is all in on zero-emission transportation.”
MORE RELIABLE AND ACCESSIBLE CHARGING
California is working harder than ever to improve the EV driver experience in the Golden State.
Programs like NEVI and the CEC’s Clean Transportation Program help establish strong incentives for EV service providers to build out charging infrastructure throughout California.
Nine projects were awarded 32,722,295 dollars in the first round of NEVI formula funding at the CEC’s September 11 business meeting.
Nearly five million dollars more is expected to be approved before the end of the year.
The projects approved include:
Electrify America, LLC. – 6,488,372 dollars for 62 fast chargers along sections of Interstate 15 between Hesperia and Nevada, Interstate 40 between Barstow and Needles, and State Route 58 between Buttonwillow and Barstow.
Skychargers, LLC. – 4,008,069 dollars for 68 fast chargers along Interstate 5 from Sacramento to Kettleman City.
Skychargers, LLC. – 2,965,854 dollars for 76 fast chargers along Interstate 5 from Kettleman City to Santa Clarita.
Sustainable Energies CA LLC. 1,860,000 dollars for 20 fast chargers along sections of Interstates 8, 15, and 805 in San Diego and Riverside counties.
Sustainable Energies CA LLC. – 1,200,000 dollars for 16 fast chargers in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
Sustainable Energies CA LLC. –1,800,000 dollars for 24 fast chargers along sections of Interstates 110, 710, 605, and 105 in Los Angeles County.
Zero6 EV Charging CA I LLC. – $3,675,000 for 49 fast chargers along Interstate 5 from Sacramento to Kettleman City.
Zero6 EV Charging CA I LLC. – 6,075,000 dollars for 81 fast chargers along Interstate 5 from Kettleman City to Santa Clarita.
Zero6 EV Charging CA I LLC. – 4,650,000 dollars for 62 fast chargers from along the sections of Interstate 15 between Hesperia and Nevada, Interstate 40 between Barstow and Needles, and State Route 58 between Buttonwillow and Barstow.
NEVI funds must be used initially on federally designated Alternative Fuel Corridors.
Each NEVI-funded DCFC station will have a minimum of four 150 kilowatt (kW) Combined Charging System connectors and a minimum total station power of 600 kW.
Stations will be located no more than 50 miles apart along freeways and highways and no more than one mile from a freeway exit or highway roadway.
States are required to emphasize equity, with at least 40 percent of NEVI benefits going to disadvantaged, low-income, rural and tribal communities.
Caltrans is the designated lead agency for NEVI and the CEC is their designated state energy partner administering the funds. Caltrans and the CEC partnered to create California’s Deployment Plan for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, which details how California plans to allocate its 384 million dollars share of federal NEVI funds to build out a network of modern, high-powered DCFCs along federally designated Alternative Fuel Corridors throughout California.
CALIFORNIA’S ZEV RECORD
California’s ZEV record speaks for itself.
Since Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order in 2020 calling for a rule to require all new car sales to be zero-emission by 2035, ZEV sales have risen dramatically.
- 25.7 percent of all new cars sold in California in Q2 of 2024 were ZEVs, according to the CEC
- 118,181 ZEV sales in Q2 of 2024, an average of 1,300 sold each day
- 1,996,931 total ZEV sales to date
- 34 percent of new ZEVs sold in the U.S. are sold in California, according to the California Air Resources Board
- 60 ZEV and ZEV-related manufacturers are operating in California — leading the nation in ZEV manufacturing jobs
- Thousands of dollars in grants and rebates available for low-income Californians.
