California politicians and officials recently gathered at a shopping center in Union City, the site of a new EVgo DC fast charging site, to celebrate the achievement of the state’s goal of deploying 10,000 fast chargers, a year ahead of the predicted date.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) is the lead state agency supporting the buildout of charging infrastructure. Through its Clean Transportation Program, the CEC invests in several programs that provide funding and incentives for companies to deploy public chargers.

The newly-deployed chargers in Union City were funded through the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP), which has provided more than $223 million since 2017 to fund publicly available Level 2 and DC fast chargers throughout California. The state legislature recently passed a bill that would continue funding for another decade.

“Last year, we approved a $2.9-billion investment plan, [and] 95% of the money [went] towards infrastructure for zero-emission vehicles,” said CEC Commissioner Patty Monahan. “In the draft [the CEC] released recently, we are maintaining that level of investment. This is the most money any state has ever allocated for zero-emission vehicle infrastructure.”

“Right now, in America, there are just over 30,000 fast chargers in the whole country,” said EVgo CEO Catherine Zoi. “California has [built] about a third of them. California is always leading the way on climate, the environment and public health, and creating jobs for a sustainable economy.”

Source: California Energy Commission