In a boost for electric vehicle reliability, the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded Caltrans more than $63 million in federal funds to fix and install more than 1,000 chargers at 300 sites statewide.

The $63.7 million from the federal Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator (EVC RAA) grant program – part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – will replace broken charging stations and install additional chargers to meet new federal standards for public charging infrastructure.

“Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, California will receive nearly $64 million to improve EV charging stations across the state,” said Senator Alex Padilla. “Accelerating the adoption of an electric vehicle powered future requires a strong, reliable, accessible charging network across the state.”

“This funding will allow California to continue to lead the nation in zero-emission-vehicle adoption, increasing reliability and cutting planet-warming pollution,” said California State Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin. “We want to thank the Biden-Harris Administration, Sen. Alex Padilla, and the state’s congressional delegation for supporting the expansion of a charging network throughout the state while combatting climate change.”

“Increasing the accessibility and standardization of EV charging stations will help us to build a more modern transportation system,” said Tony Tavares, Caltrans director. “This latest federal funding will support Caltrans in achieving its climate action goals.”

“As EVs go mainstream, ensuring a reliable charging network is a top priority,” said Patty Monahan, commissioner of the California Energy Commission. “As California’s lead agency for building out charging infrastructure, the Energy Commission includes reliability requirements for our grants, but many chargers aren’t covered by these requirements. This federal funding will help fix and upgrade broken EV chargers, giving EV drivers more options for convenient refueling.”

The EVC RAA program is part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program and made funding available for states to repair or replace EV charging stations identified as “temporarily unavailable.”

For the application, Caltrans worked with EV charging providers to develop a list of chargers to fix and upgrade to national charging standards within the program timeline. The funding will support the replacement of both Level 2 and DC fast chargers. Caltrans will partner with the CEC to implement this funding, building on the agencies’ partnership to deliver the NEVI Formula Program.

— EV chargers: California currently has by far the most electric chargers in the nation with over 42,000 public charging ports.

— California leads the country in all zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) market metrics, including the largest EV market share percentage and the most extensive public charging infrastructure.

— The success of the state’s programs has led to ZEVs becoming a top export and has spurred major advances in manufacturing and job creation.

— Over 25% of new passenger vehicles sold in California through Q3 of 2023 were zero-emission vehicles.

— California has reached its ZEV truck sales goal two years ahead of schedule.

— This latest award comes on the heels of California’s call for projects to support $40 million in charging projects for passenger vehicles in the state’s NEVI program.

— Ten EV charging and hydrogen fueling projects in California, totaling $168 million, were recently awarded funding under the Federal Highway Administration’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program.

Stay up-to-date on Caltrans Transportation Electrification news by signing up for the newsletter.