California reaches new electric vehicle charger milestone

FILE – Tesla vehicles charge at a station in Emeryville, Calif., Aug. 10, 2022. Tesla will, for the first time, make some of its charging stations available to all U.S. electric vehicles, regardless of make, by the end of next year, under a new plan announced by the White House. The plan will make at least 7,500 chargers from Tesla’s Supercharger and Destination Charger network available to non-Tesla EVs, by the end of 2024.(AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

With the rise in popularity of electric vehicles in California, it’s no surprise that the number of EV chargers across the state has increased too, but new data from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office suggests the Golden State is miles ahead of others when it comes to keeping electric cars going. 

Newsom’s office touted a “stat most Californians have likely never heard” in a press release on Saturday morning: For every five gas stations in California, there is now one electric vehicle fast charging station. 

California’s rapid charger network growth is part of a multi-billion investment plan approved in February that “accelerates progress” on the state’s EV charging and hydrogen refueling goals, especially in low-income communities.  

The plan will help deploy 40,000 new public chargers statewide to create the most extensive charging and refueling network in America; additional federal funding is also being provided to help California install 250,000 public EV chargers along highway corridors and near shopping centers across the state. 

A total of 105,000 public or shared private chargers have been installed throughout California on top of more than 500,000 at-home chargers, Newsom’s office said on Saturday.

Low-income Californians looking to buy an electric vehicle may be eligible for grants and rebates through California Climate Action’s Zero emission vehicle programs. More information can be found here.