The California Energy Commission (CEC) voted unanimously to require publicly funded fast chargers for electric vehicles (EV) to be functional 97% of the time. This applies to chargers built in 2024 or later.
AB 2061, passed in 2022, requires the CEC to develop uptime recordkeeping and reporting standards for publicly or ratepayer funded EV chargers and charging stations by January 1, 2024. The law also authorizes the CEC to adopt tools to increase charging station uptime.
AB 126, passed in 2023, requires the CED to adopt uptime and maintenance requirements for publicly or ratepayer funded EV chargers. It also requires the CEC to set standards to notify customers of availability and accessibility.
The regulations are intended to improve understanding of gaps in EV charging, improve reliability of publicly or ratepayer funded direct current fast chargers (DCFC), and increase public access to EV charging.
Executive Orders and ZEVs
The need for infrastructure is a major obstacle in meeting state targets for EVs. In 2018, the legislature passed AB 2127, which requires the California Energy Commission to issue biannual assessments of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needed to meet the state’s goal of 5 million ZEVs by 2030.
A 2021 report from the CEC concluded that more than 700,000 public and shared private chargers will be required to support the goal of 5 million ZEVs by 2030 and around 1.2 million chargers are needed to support the goal of 8 million ZEVs goal by 2030.