California To Add 38,000 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

California will get 38,000 more electric vehicle charging stations after the Public Utilities Commission voted for Southern California Edison’s Charge Ready 2 program.

The power utility’s program involves $442 million in investments, of which the bulk would go towards building charging infrastructure. The remaining $14.5 million would go towards “marketing, education, and outreach.”

The program is part of California’s stated goal to reduce emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2030, and by 80 percent by 2050, the PUC’s decision said.

California is the largest EV market in the United States, with EV sales accounting for as much as 46.8 percent of the total in 2018. Though electric vehicle sales fell globally, EV sales in California still outperformed traditional gas-powered vehicles. 

The state, which is notorious for its efforts in reducing emissions, has committed some $2.46 billion from various government agencies to encourage the switch from internal combustion engines to electric cars, according to calculations made by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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Of this total, the California Public Utilities Commission has committed close to $1.1 billion for the transition, the daily noted in a report on California’s spending on EVs. Most of this will support additional charging infrastructure, which is an essential aspect of the EV revolution anywhere.

The state has a target of as many as 5 million electric cars by 2030, but if it to reach it, it would need to put a lot more effort into encouraging EV buying: to date, there are some 537,000 EVs on the roads in California. Charging infrastructure would be essential in this as anxiety about charging points is one of the reasons people are reluctant to buy EVs along with range and price considerations.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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