Major EV Charging Infrastructure Program Begins in California

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By 2025, San Mateo County is estimated to have more than 45,000 electric vehicles (EVs). To meet the increasing demand for charging stations, Peninsula Clean Energy, San Mateo’s official electricity provider, has launched a $28 million program through which it plans to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure at commercial places, multifamily communities and other public locations. The initiative marks the largest EV effort in the U.S. tied to a single Community Choice Aggregation agency.

Dubbed EV Ready, the program’s goal is to install 3,500 charging ports in San Mateo County over the next four years. The funds associated with this mission are split into $24 million in project incentives–$12 million from Peninsula Clean Energy and the other $12 million from the California Energy Commission under the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP)—and $4 million in free technical assistance for eligible properties, support of workforce development in the county and other associated costs.

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The program will provide advanced design strategies that support more EVs at a lower cost, including Level 1 and power-managed Level 2 charging stations. The plan will roll out in phases—the initial phase of incentives supports multifamily properties and low-power workplace solutions, while the second one, supporting DC Fast Charging and Level 2 charging at a broader range of properties, will come with the opening of CALeVIP Peninsula-Silicon Valley Incentive Project in December this year.