More Than 150,000 EV Chargers Are Now Installed In California – CleanTechnica

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

---

The State of California has installed more than 150,000 electric vehicle chargers. The total number of US EV chargers is about 192,000, according to the US Department of Transportation. That California has the majority of  EV chargers in the country is no surprise to anyone who follows US electric vehicle trends. In fact, the Golden State also leads the US states in the total number of electric vehicles.

For a little historical context, in 2014 California had about 5,855 EV chargers, according to the US Department of Energy. California has made huge progress with EV chargers in the last ten years and is poised to continue this trend.

In order to dive into the details, California Energy Commission staff answered some questions for CleanTechnica.

How were 24,202 EV chargers installed in the first half of 2024? 

The most recent mid-2024 update saw a large increase in chargers due to new chargers being installed via both public and private funds and the use of additional data sources to track operational chargers including grant recipient reports, and PlugShare.  

For public charging ports, staff compared the difference between AFDC charging ports today and end of 2023. For shared private chargers, staff compared the difference between survey results. 

Over 150,000 public and shared private EV chargers are installed statewide. What is the next major charger milestone, and about when will it be achieved? 

The state is working towards 250,000 chargers installed by the end of 2025. The CEC is conducting an analysis of when California will hit charger milestones via the updated Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Plan (ZIP), which is expected to publish later this year. 

The Second Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Assessment mandated by AB 2127 projects that California will need 1.01 million public/shared chargers (including 39,000 direct-current fast chargers) to support 7.1 million light-duty plug-in electric vehicles in 2030. By 2035, the state will need 2.11 million public/shared chargers (including 83,000 direct-current fast chargers) to support 15.2 million light-duty plug-in electric vehicles. 

California now has over 14,000 EV fast chargers. How many more will be added, and when? 

The number will depend on various factors and models. The latest infrastructure assessment is lower than the first and will continue to evolve as technology advances and consumer trends change. For example, the “gas station model” alternative future scenario explores the potential for expanded direct-current fast charger (DFC) installations. Under this scenario, installing 63,000 additional DFCs by 2030, for a total of ~102,000 fast chargers, would decrease the need for L2 chargers at work and public locations by about 402,000 compared to the primary scenario. Please view the AB 2127 report for more information about possible scenarios. 

In the EV charger breakdown, about how many are for electric school buses? 

Chargers for electric school buses are not counted in this dataset — these are chargers for light-duty ZEVs only. We track CEC-funded school bus chargers on our CEC Funded School Bus Chargers dashboard, but this is not comprehensive data for the state. 

$500 million is available for public school districts to fund both buses and chargers through the Zero Emission School Bus and Infrastructure (ZESBI). The application window opened last week — please view the press release here.  

What are shared private chargers? 

Shared private chargers are located at parking space(s) designated by a property owner or lessee to be available to, and accessible by, employees, tenants, visitors, and residents. Examples include workplaces and shared parking at a multifamily residence. You can find definition of terms at the bottom of the CEC EV charger dashboard.  

The press release states that California leads the country in ZEV manufacturing jobs. How many of these jobs are there in California? 

California is home to 60 zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) and ZEV-related manufacturers and leads the nation in ZEV manufacturing jobs. This interactive web map shows CEC staff analysis of the companies with commercial in-state ZEV manufacturing operations. 

According to a CALSTART study from 2021, there are about 70,000 ZEV jobs in California, with employment at over 360 unique companies, in at least 419 different locations.