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This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that there are now 201,180 fully public and shared electric vehicle, or EV, charging ports available for use throughout the state.
This is 68% more EV charger ports than the number of gasoline nozzles statewide, according to the California Energy Commission, or CEC.
Earlier this week, the governor announced clean truck sales continued to rise in California in 2024, with zero-emission models representing nearly 1 in 4 of all new truck sales.
“In the state of California, 94% of people now live within just 10 minutes of an EV charger. We’re proving that electric vehicles are here to stay — even as Trump sells out American innovation and jobs to China,” said Newsom.
California’s growing number of publicly available EV chargers can be found at highly accessible locations like grocery stores, parking lots, and even gas stations. Shared chargers can be found at apartment complexes, workplaces, sports facilities, and other parking areas. This statewide network of public and shared chargers is in addition to the estimated 800,000 EV chargers installed in single family homes.
“With this expanding public network, EV chargers are becoming ubiquitous in California,” said CEC Commissioner Nancy Skinner. “Our goal is to make driving an EV a no-brainer choice for Californians. They are fun to drive, never need an oil change, don’t cause smog, and it’s getting easier to charge your vehicle with public EV infrastructure.”
Federal ZEV incentives end Sept. 30
Thanks to the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress, federal incentives are ending on September 30.
Tax credits up to $7,500 are available until then for purchase or lease of eligible new ZEVs, which include EVs and hydrogen-fueled vehicles, and up to $4,000 for eligible used ones.
Federal incentives for at-home charging and associated battery storage are also available, up to $1,000.
California is charging ahead
State agencies recently published a report in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order reaffirming the state’s commitment to ZEV adoption.
While the federal government wants to keep us hooked on gas, California is charging ahead in the fight for clean air for all.
California is tearing down barriers to ZEV adoption and providing financial and other assistance to speed up EV charger deployment including in low-income areas and rural communities.
California state agencies continue efforts to speed up EV charger installation and plan for increasing grid demand. This includes:
• Providing grant funds that support publicly accessible, workplace and at-home charging installations, including in multi-family complexes, throughout the state.
• Prioritizing shovel-ready fast-charging installations for the funding incentives available through the CEC’s grant solicitation programs.
• Developing the ZEV Infrastructure Plan, a comprehensive plan that lays out the overall infrastructure strategy to meet California’s zero-emission transportation goals.
• Establishing charger reliability standards.
In June, the state successfully blocked the Trump Administration from unlawfully withholding billions of dollars in funding approved by bipartisan majorities in Congress for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
California also announced that there are 20,093 charging and hydrogen fueling points for medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicle vehicles across the state. This is an increase of 3,766 (23%) since the last update in February.
While trucks total just six percent of vehicles on California’s roads, they account for over 35 percent of the state’s transportation emissions and a quarter of the state’s on-road greenhouse gases.
California’s climate leadership
Pollution is down and the economy is up. Greenhouse gas emissions in California are down 20% since 2000 — even as the state’s GDP increased 78% in that same time period all while becoming the world's fourth largest economy.
The state also continues to set clean energy records. California was powered by two-thirds clean energy in 2023, the latest year for which data is available — the largest economy in the world to achieve this level of clean energy. The state has run on 100% clean electricity for some part of the day almost every day this year.
Since the beginning of the Newsom Administration, battery storage is up to over 15,000 megawatts — a 1,900%+ increase, and over 25,000 megawatts of new resources have been added to the electric grid.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — Middletown Middle School held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for a new $12 million gym, funded through the Measure H bond approved by voters in 2018.
The 14,000-square-foot gym will feature a basketball/volleyball court striped for pickleball with seating for 500, two locker rooms with coach offices, two classrooms, and a welcoming lobby with restrooms and a ticket booth.
Construction began on Monday, and is estimated to take 14 months to complete.
The project is paid for by the Measure H bond, which aims to replace outdated portables, modernize classrooms, enhance student safety and security, and improve career technical and agricultural facilities.
“The project was delayed from its original timeline while the team was able to get necessary state approvals,” Middletown Unified School District Superintendent Jeff Crane told Lake County News in an email.
At the groundbreaking, speakers acknowledged the long wait.
“This project has been a long time coming. And there was a lot of adversity and hurdles that threatened to kind of kill the project, ” said Ray Green, project manager for Van Pelt, the company that oversees the bond program and the project execution.
“We got through every single hurdle, and to the point today where we're actually starting to push dirt around,” Green added.
Crane called it “very much a team project,” citing the efforts of the district, school board and the community.
“There's the community team that voted on the bond and approved the money that we are using to construct this wonderful facility,” he said.
“The voters voted to tax themselves, essentially,” Green added. “This is going to be a huge asset to the community… centralized gathering spot for the community and the community will probably get great use of it.”
Crane later told Lake County News that the new gym will be available for use by outside organizations for a nominal fee, primarily youth sports leagues, but general public access is limited due to the gym's high demand.
Members of the Middletown Unified Board of Trustees, the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee, Crane and Middletown Middle School Principal Erin Dorman attended the groundbreaking and took part in the ceremonial dirt turning in front of the construction site and excavators.
Costs and bond financing
The gym’s construction will cost about $12 million, with additional “soft costs” such as architectural fees, inspectors, project management, and audio and video systems, Green said in an interview after the event.
Arntz Builders, the construction contractor, was the only one of three bidders to come in under budget. “We also happen to like the design that Arntz Builders brought to the table — better than the other two,” Green said.
He also addressed social media criticism that the district is building a $12 million gym while facing budget challenges. Green explained that the project is funded by the Measure H bond, which by law cannot be used to balance the district’s general fund.
“They’re two completely different pots of money, and one cannot be used for the other,” he said.
Green noted that the district also qualifies for state funding to cover part of the two new classrooms.
A consultant is preparing the application, which, once approved, will provide a 50% state match. However, he said it will take at least two years for those funds to be returned to the district, and they must also be used for facilities.
According to the district website, other Measure H projects completed in the past two years include renovations to sixth grade portables at Middletown Middle School; painting and dry rot repairs at Middletown High, Middletown Middle and Coyote Valley Elementary; a new modular building at Minnie Cannon Elementary; replacement of aging portables at Middletown High with a new three-classroom modular; a new fire alarm system and refurbished restrooms at Coyote Valley Elementary; new flooring at several sites; and envelope repairs to the Tallman Gym at Middletown High.
Email staff reporter Lingzi Chen at
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- Written by: Lingzi Chen
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