For the past year, California has been making headlines thanks to its drive to achieve 100 percent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. According to the California Air Resources Board, the Advanced Clean Cars II regulation “sets California on a path to rapidly growing the zero-emission car, pickup truck and SUV market and deliver cleaner air and massive reductions in climate-warming pollution.” In other words, the California is leading the nation in the phasing out of gas cars. In fact, new data shows California is the first state in the U.S. in the sales of zero-emission cars. Last February, the Office of Governor, Gavin Newsom, posted that dealers sold more than 1 million plug-in electric cars, pickup trucks, SUVs, and motorcycles in California.

“New data also show that California, with only 10 percent of the nation’s cars, now accounts for over 40 percent of all zero-emission cars in the country,” said a press release published last February. In this context, analysts and business professionals were keen to learn what California is doing to develop its EV charging infrastructure and how the state plans to meet demand for its public EV charging stations. As a result, the state has announced the lofty target of installing 250,000 shared EV chargers by 2025. And here's how the state will achieve this target.

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The Government Of California Approved A Landmark Investment To Increase The Number Of EV Chargers

EV charging stations
 via Electrek

This month, the California Energy Commission has approved a $2.9 billion investment to boost the number of EV chargers and hydrogen refueling stations in the state. Thanks to the investment, the state will be able to install 90,000 new EV chargers, which will bring California closer to its goal of having 250,000 chargers by 2025. Reuters reports California will set aside $1.7 billion to support medium and heavy-duty zero emission vehicles and 900 million for the light-duty EV charging infrastructure.

“Providing all Californians with the ability to charge zero-emission cars, and ramping up the infrastructure to charge trucks and buses, sets the stage for the Californian’s needed transition to a clean transportation system,” said CARB Chair Liane Randolph.

The new Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Infrastructure Funding for 2022-2026 also allocates $118 million for ZEV manufacturing, $90 million for hydrogen refueling infrastructure, $97 million for emerging opportunities such as aviation, locomotive, marine vessels and vehicle-grid integration, $15 million for zero and near-zero-carbon fuel production and supply, $15 million for low-carbon fuels, and $10 million for workforce development, according to the press release of the California Energy Commission.

“The plan will increase access to charging and hydrogen fueling for individuals, businesses and public agencies, while supporting our emerging manufacturing ecosystem and creating jobs,” said Patty Monahan, CEC's Lead Commissioner for Transportation, in a statement.

Related: How To Save Thousands When Installing An EV Charger At Home

California Has A Well Developed Plan To Convince Residents To Abandon Gas-Powered Cars

EV station 2
Via Pinterest

Last September, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an important legislative package that showcases the state’s climate commitment. The comprehensive climate policies will expedite California’s transition to sustainable energy, generate four million jobs, cut air pollution by 60 percent, reduce oil use by 91 percent, and safeguard communities from oil exploration, according to the Office of Governor, Gavin Newsom.

“This is an essential piece of the California Climate Commitment, a record $54 billion investment in climate action that exceeds what most countries are spending and advances economic opportunity and environmental justice in communities across the state,” says the media release.

Few people question how these policies will impact low-income households, even though environmentalists will undoubtedly praise California's Climate Commitment in the same way they applauded the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which included $5 billion to support states in installing EV chargers along interstate highways over five years. Given that 4.5 million Californians live below the CPM poverty line and that 28.7 percent of the state’s residents were poor or near poor in the fall of 2021, the state should prioritize protecting these people over pursuing ambitious climate objectives.

Furthermore, EVs are expensive and “most models are aimed at the affluent,” according to The New York Times. Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that the state's lauded programs like California’s Driving Clean Assistance Program (DCAP) and the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) designed to assist low-income households purchase electric vehicles are running out of money or have already shut down. Essentially, the state leaves low-income people to fend for themselves.

“Even before the down-payment assistance programs closed, the incentive money was not always enough, and some programs did not meet the needs of disadvantaged communities,” says The Guardian. “A $7,500 federal tax credit helped very few low-income buyers because they already paid little to no tax.”

Sources: California Air Resources Board, Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, Yahoo, California Energy Commission, Reuters, Public Policy Institute of California, The Guardian and The New York Times.