The California Energy Commission (CEC) says $17.5 million is available to expand public electric vehicle (EV) charging in 13 rural counties.
Incentives available through the new Inland Communities Incentive Project will cover up to 75% of EV charging equipment costs. More than a third of the funding is dedicated to installations in under-resourced communities. Eligible counties include Butte, El Dorado, Imperial, Kings, Merced, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare and Yolo.
The effort is one of 10 regional initiatives established under the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP) which provides incentive funds for new charging stations at local businesses, shopping centers, gas stations, public facilities, multifamily housing and other community locations throughout the state.
CALeVIP is one of several initiatives aimed at advancing California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order requiring sales of all new passenger vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035. Funding comes from the CEC’s Clean Transportation Program, which invests up to $100 million annually to support California communities, increase access to EV charging infrastructure, support innovation and accelerate the deployment of advanced transportation and fuel technologies.
“CALeVIP incentives are crucial to equitably expanding EV infrastructure to every corner of the state,” says CEC Commissioner Patty Monahan. “More ready access to charging means Californians can have confidence that EVs can meet their transportation needs, whether in urban or rural areas. Investments in infrastructure underpin EV adoption and help bring California’s vision of a zero-emission transportation sector to fruition.”
Since December 2017, CALeVIP has issued more than $138.4 million for EV charging installations across 10 regional incentive projects to support state goals to get 5 million EVs on California roads by 2030 and to install 250,000 vehicle charging stations to service those vehicles.
Property owners and managers interested in installing EV chargers can apply for funding, here.
Photo: CALeVIP’s Electric Vehicle Charging 101 web page
