Electric utilities are seeking to expand electric vehicle infrastructure with 10,000+ new charging stations in California

On the heels of the California Air Resources Board’s Midterm Review of the Zero-Emission Vehicle Program, the state’s electric utilities are seeking to expand electric vehicle infrastructure with thousands of new charging stations.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) all submitted new plans to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) last week to collect about $1 billion more from their customers in order to finance the important expansion.

The utilities have to get approval from the state regulators in order to raise their tariffs and considering the timing with the Midterm Review of California’s leading Zero-Emission Vehicle Program, they found the perfect reason to do it.

PG&E is seeking “approximately $253 million” for three specific efforts: “expanding electrification for fleets with medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, responding to consumer demand for fast-charging stations, and exploring new uses for vehicle electrification through five, one-year projects.”

SCE is asking for “$570 million” from its customers over five years it is a proposing “a portfolio of projects tailored to meet the needs of its customers. In addition to innovative programs for passenger vehicle adoption, SCE is proposing to install charging infrastructure for heavy commercial and industrial vehicles at ports, warehouses, and along its freeways.”

Finally, SDG&E is seeking “$246 million” to “install tens of thousands of EV charging stations in new, key areas to help accelerate the transition to electric transportation. If the proposals are approved, charging stations would be installed at the San Diego International Airport, at the local port, for delivery fleets, for taxis/ridesharing, at park-and-rides and at 90,000 residences in an effort to reduce air pollution. The proposal also includes a special rate that incentivizes EV owners to charge their cars at times of day when clean energy is plentiful and energy prices are low.”

If approved, it would result in the installation of well over 10,000 new charging stations in the state, which is already leading the country in EV infrastructure, on top of several other interesting programs for EV owners.

California aims to have the zero-emission vehicle infrastructure to support 1 million vehicles by 2020. It hit 250,000 a few months ago.