California has made significant progress in its efforts to combat greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles, exceeding its goal of installing 10,000 fast chargers. These direct current fast chargers (DCFCs) are critical to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) because they allow drivers to quickly charge their batteries on the go. With ratings ranging from 50kW to 350kW, fast chargers can charge an EV battery up to 80 percent in just 20 minutes, compared to the several hours required by Level 2 chargers.
The goal of installing 250,000 electric vehicle chargers, including 10,000 fast chargers, by 2025 was set in 2018 by an executive order from former Gov. Jerry Brown. California has nearly quadrupled the number of shared public and private fast chargers, exceeding the original goal. However, the state is still lagging behind its goal of 250,000 total chargers by 2025, with only about 93,800 chargers installed, of which only 41,000 are fully public.
There are more than 1.6 million electric vehicles in California, and 25 percent of new vehicles sold in the first quarter of 2023 are electric vehicles. To support the planned transition to 7 million electric vehicles by 2030, the state needs more than 1 million shared public and private chargers, including 39,000 fast chargers. This highlights the need to accelerate the installation of chargers to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles.
Despite the challenges, installing 10,000 fast chargers is a significant achievement given the high cost and associated complexity of permits. To further incentivize electric vehicle infrastructure development, federal and state incentive programs are critical to reduce financial risks and attract private investment.
In particular, California has invested billions in incentives, including recently opening applications for $38 million in equity-based incentives for public charging stations in low-income and disadvantaged communities. Additionally, a new bill awaiting Governor Newsom’s signature would provide nearly $2 billion for zero-emission vehicle incentives and infrastructure support.
Although California is a leader, the rest of the country still has a long way to go when it comes to electric vehicle infrastructure. The three most populous states after California have only a fraction of the number of fast chargers, with Alaska being the state with the fewest chargers at just 32. However, the federal government has set a goal of installing 500,000 chargers nationwide by 2030 and has committed $5 billion under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program to support EV infrastructure development.
