California has been given the opportunity to use federal infrastructure funding to expand electric vehicle charging stations along state interstates and highways following the recent approval of a joint plan created by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the California Energy Commission.
After the federal Joint Office of Energy and Transportation approved the California Deployment Plan for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, $56 million is available to install charging stations throughout the state.
This will contribute to efforts to complete a 6,600-mile charging network and deploy over 1.2 million electric vehicle chargers by 2030.
Construction for charging stations will be concentrated around interstates, U.S. routes and state routes throughout California. Officials say charging options will become more available while the network becomes more reliable, which will improve accessibility for electric vehicles.
Over the next five years, the state expects to receive a total of $384 million in funding for the program, which will come from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, officials said.
This funding will build upon California’s $10 billion investment to bring about the transition to zero-emission vehicles by improving affordability and expanding charging infrastructure, officials said.
“With this unprecedented federal investment, California can advance our vision of a unified network of charging stations along the state’s busiest corridors,” California Energy Commission Commissioner Patty Monahan said in a statement. “This new network will increase charging access, particularly in the rural areas of our state, and help EV drivers charge up on long trips.”
The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program will also support upgrades to existing infrastructure, operating and maintenance costs for charging stations, stakeholder and community engagement, workforce development, mapping and signage, officials said.
Last year, California sold more than 1 million zero-emission vehicles. Officials said that the state leads the country in all market metrics for zero-emission vehicles including the highest level of public funding, market share percentage and public charging infrastructure.
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