California assembly member Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) has introduced Assembly Bill 2427, the Equitable EV Charging Act, to increase access to electric vehicle (EV) charging for residents of multi-family housing by making it easier to deploy curb-side charging.
Co-sponsored by companies FLO EV Charging and It’s Electric, AB 2427 requires the CEC to assess the potential benefits of curb-side charging for those who have the least access and requires the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to develop permitting tools and best practices so that local governments can more seamlessly help realize these benefits. It also requires local governments to consider these tools when developing permitting requirements and criteria to assist developers in siting and deploying curb-side charging.
“The State of California is leading the way to transition our transportation system to 100 percent zero-emission vehicles, but the millions of drivers who don’t have access to at-home charging are at risk of being left behind,” said McCarty. “If we want all Californians to have access to electric mobility, we must provide them with convenient and affordable public charging options where they already park: the curb.”
Home charging is considered to be the most convenient, cost-effective solution to advance EV adoption. Yet, the California Energy Commission (CEC) found that only 33% of multi-family housing residents have access to home charging, and that lower income residents and residents who identify as Black, African American, Hispanic, or Latino have the lowest access to home charging.
“If we strategically leverage the public right-of-way, we open up numerous new possibilities to increase communities’ access to EV charging right at the curb,” said Louis Tremblay, president and CEO of FLO. “But doing so requires planning and collaboration between both the state and local governments. This bill supports that work and will help expand charging access for the Californians that need it the most.”
“Beyond California’s leading example, the country needs 1.2 million more public EV chargers by 2030, particularly in dense urban neighbourhoods,” said Nathan King, CEO and co-founder of It’s Electric. “Today, the biggest barrier to deployment is the cost and complexity of connecting an EV charger directly to the utility’s grid. Our charging network fully avoids this barrier, enabling affordable and scalable public charging infrastructure that benefits cities, drivers, and communities.”
Filed Under: Charging, Technology News