About this archived opportunity

President Joseph R. Biden Jr. signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) into law in November 2021 (Public Law 117-58). The law authorizes hundreds of billions of dollars in new investments in a wide array of infrastructure categories, including roads and bridges, water infrastructure, passenger rail, energy, and broadband internet. EV charging infrastructure will see significant new funding, with $5 billion to accelerate EV infrastructure deployment nationally under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program. California’s share is expected to be $384 million, allocated over 5 years. NEVI is an initiative to create a coast-to-coast network of EV chargers focused on major highways that support the majority of long-distance trips. This national network will give drivers confidence that they can always find a place to charge, jump start private investment in charging infrastructure and EVs, and support President Biden’s goal of at least 50% of vehicle sales to be electric by 2030.[1] The CEC is collaborating with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) on charging infrastructure deployment and expects to enter into an agreement with Caltrans to implement and administer California’s NEVI formula program. On September 14, 2022, the Federal Highway Administration approved California’s Deployment Plan for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program. To maximize NEVI investments and benefits to travelers, California’s initial deployment plan includes ongoing engagement and outreach efforts to shape the continued development and refinement of plan elements. The initial deployment plan will focus on investments in light-duty EV charging infrastructure and will consider projects that can also accommodate medium- and heavy-duty charging infrastructure. Subsequent plans will reevaluate NEVI investments across segments and will continue to evaluate the NEVI funding in the context of the broader set of state and federal investments in light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty EV infrastructure. The deployment plan will be updated to reflect progress, identify new challenges and opportunities, highlight future deployment plans, and ensure alignment with California’s EV charging infrastructure planning efforts, such as the state’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Plan. California is committed to reviewing the outcomes from the deployment plan to determine best practices, ensure that the plan meets the program guidelines, and to confirm that the plan is accomplishing the state’s goals for a network of EV chargers.