California secures over $63 million to enhance electric vehicle charging infrastructure
Sacramento, California – The U.S. Department of Transportation has decided to give Caltrans over $63 million to repair and put in more than 1,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at 300 places all over California.
This money, which is $63.7 million, comes from the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator (EVC RAA) grant. This grant is a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It aims to fix chargers that aren’t working and add new ones that follow the latest public charging rules.
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“Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, California will receive nearly $64 million to improve EV charging stations across the state,” said Senator Alex Padilla. “Accelerating the adoption of an electric vehicle powered future requires a strong, reliable, accessible charging network across the state.”
“This funding will allow California to continue to lead the nation in zero-emission-vehicle adoption, increasing reliability and cutting planet-warming pollution,” said California State Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin. “We want to thank the Biden-Harris Administration, Sen. Alex Padilla, and the state’s congressional delegation for supporting the expansion of a charging network throughout the state while combatting climate change.”
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“Increasing the accessibility and standardization of EV charging stations will help us to build a more modern transportation system. This latest federal funding will support Caltrans in achieving its climate action goals,” said Tony Tavares, Caltrans Director.
“As EVs go mainstream, ensuring a reliable charging network is a top priority,” said Patty Monahan, commissioner of the California Energy Commission (CEC). “As California’s lead agency for building out charging infrastructure, the Energy Commission includes reliability requirements for our grants, but many chargers aren’t covered by these requirements. This federal funding will help fix and upgrade broken EV chargers, giving EV drivers more options for convenient refueling.”
The EVC RAA program is part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. It offers states the chance to fix or replace chargers listed as “temporarily unavailable.”
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Caltrans, for its application, teamed up with EV charging companies to pick chargers to fix or upgrade to meet national standards within the program’s timeframe. The funding will help replace both Level 2 and DC fast chargers. Caltrans will work with the CEC to use this grant, building on their existing partnership to deliver the NEVI Formula Program.
