Note: Vehicle registration as of end of 2023 and charging station data as of July 29, 2024.
Source: California Energy Commission; Alternative Fuel Data Center, U.S. Department of Energy.
Analysis by CEC Economics
Highlights
- As of July 29, 2024, there were 53,079 public Level 1, Level 2, and DC fast-charging stations in California—or 10.4% of the 508,000 public and DC fast charging (DCFC) stations needed to achieve the goal in Executive Order N-79-20. Level 2 charging stations make up three-fourths (76%) of charging stations and DC fast charging stations (DCFC) make up 22.7% of them. Increasing the availability of DC fast chargers, which charge EV batteries more quickly than Level 1 or Level 2, is necessary as more EVs are used for both routine and long-distance trips.
- Since ZEV penetration is lower in more rural and less-populous metro areas, these areas also tend have a greater number of charging stations per electric vehicle. Hanford-Corcoran, where ZEV made up just 1.2% of total vehicles registered in 2023, has the highest rate of charging station per EV (0.17), followed by Madera (0.12) and Napa (0.09). Although public charging infrastructure has been gradually expanding, it is playing catch up to the rate ZEVs are sold and registered. Compared to July 2023, the number of charging station per EV declined in all MSAs except for Merced (+38.9%), Modesto (+30.0%), Redding (+41.3%), Visalia-Porterville (+15.8%), and Yuba City (+11.0%)—all rural regions.
Opportunity
- The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded Caltrans more than $63 million in federal funds via the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator (EVC RAA) grant program to fix and install more than 1,000 chargers at 300 sites statewide.56 Additionally, the DOT has awarded $102 million to Caltrans to build both EV charging and hydrogen fueling for freight hauling along 2,500 miles of highways and $47.2 million to four regional and municipal agencies to expand charging infrastructure via Round 1B of the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program.57 In February 2024, the California Energy Commission (CEC) approved a $1.9 billion investment plan, which is part of the $48 billion California Climate Commitment, that will result in the installation of 40,000 new EV chargers.58
56 California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). California Investing in EV Charging Reliability Statewide With $63 Million in Federal Funding. January 19, 2024. Available at: https://dot.ca.gov/news-releases/news-release-2024-002
57 U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program Grant Recipients Round 1B Grant Award Recipients. August 27, 2024. Available at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/cfi/grant_recipients/round_1b/cfi-awardees-project-description-table_round_1b.pdf
58 California Energy Commission (CEC). CEC Approves $1.9 Billion Plan to Expand Zero-Emission Transportation Infrastructure. February 14, 2024. Available at: https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2024-02/cec-approves-19-billion-plan-expand-zero-emission-transportation-infrastructure
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