California Electric Companies Want $1 Billion to Add More Than 10,000 EV Charging Stations
The more chargers the better, if you ask us.
Major electric utility companies in California are looking to grow the number of electric car chargers throughout the state by a massive margin, according to a new report.
Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company have all written up a proposal that was sent to the California Public Utilities Commission last week, Electrek reports. In that write-up, the electric companies asked to gather $1 billion from their customers in order to enable the Californian utility companies to build out the infrastructure required for an additional 10,000 EV charging stations across the massive state. The electricity providers are required to ask for permission from state regulators before raising their rates.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company hopes to collect around $253 million that it could use to grow the popularity of electric truck fleets. Similarly, Southern California Edison wants $570 million to "install charging infrastructure" in strategic locations—ports, industrial areas, and major highway corridors— for commercial vehicles. In addition, San Diego Gas & Electric is looking for $246 million that it can use to set up "tens of thousands of EV charging stations," including ones at the San Diego International Airport, ports, parking lots, residential areas, and other key locations around the area. The power company said that its chargers will have adapting rates that lower for when less grid energy is being used.
The proposal from the power companies comes shortly after a massive review of the Zero-Emission Vehicle Program from the California Air Resources Board.
The utilities aren't the only ones planning new places to plug in. ChargePoint, BMW, and Volkswagen announced a plan last September to add new fast chargers every 50 miles between San Diego and Portland, Oregon, while Tesla plans to add more Superchargers in California this year as part of a scheduled expansion of its fast-charger network.
California is one of the leading locations in America when it comes to electric vehicles on the roads; roughly half the 330,000 electric cars currently registered across the country are in the Golden State, according to The New York Times. As a result, EV drivers across the state have at times struggled to find a place to recharge in their cars.
