The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has issued Decision (D.) 22-12-054, authorizing Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E’s) Electric Vehicle Charge 2 (EVC2) program, with a reduced Phase 1 budget and a 2026 deadline for applications.
In October 2021 PG&E filed its original proposal for EVC2, designed as a second phase of the utility’s successful EV Charge Network program. The application proposed a $275.8 million program that would run from 2023 to 2030 and support installation of approximately 16,000 Level 2 (L2) and Direct Current Fast Charger (DCFC) ports. While the EVC2 proposal was pending, the CPUC issued Decision 22-11-040, which created a long-term EV infrastructure rebate program beginning in 2025. While PG&E’s EVC2 proposal predated this new decision, PG&E was instructed to propose a new version of EVC2 with a phased implementation plan in line with the 2025 start date for the new EV infrastructure rebate program. Over the objections of PG&E and some other parties, the CPUC ultimately decided that EVC2 would better align with the new rebate program if it were approved as a bifurcated program with a reduced Phase 1 budget and a 2026 Phase 1 end date.
The Phase 1 EVC2 program approved in D.22-12-054 will include:
- Deployment targets of 187 DCFC ports at public destinations, 91 L2 ports at multi-family housing (MFH) sites in Prioritized Communities, 319 L2 ports at MFH in non-Prioritized Communities, 778 L2 ports at newly constructed MFH sites, 435 L2 ports at public destinations and workplaces in Prioritized Communities, and 1,012 L2 ports at public destinations and workplaces in non-Prioritized Communities
- Requirement that public destination sites be open to the public at all times
- Average per-port cost targets for each category of charging station
- Requirement that PG&E spend at least 65 percent of EVC2 program funds for infrastructure and for marketing, education and outreach (ME&O) in Prioritized Communities in order to promote EV charger deployment in communities most in need
- Eligibility requirement limiting MFH rebates in Prioritized Communities to housing projects that either set median rate below the Fair Market Rent cutoff defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or demonstrate that the median resident income is at or below 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level
- A 33 percent limit on utility ownership of behind-the-meter infrastructure and charging stations in Priority Communities, and a provision that PG&E cannot own charging stations and behind-the-meter infrastructure outside of Prioritized Communities
- Requirement that PG&E offer all customers the option to either own all customer-side EV infrastructure or authorize a third party (EV service provider) to own all infrastructure
- Allocation of $3.23 million to support partnership with Community-Based Organizations on equity projects
- A $3.79 million budget for ME&O
- Streamlined approval process for equipment and services already eligible for existing programs if they meet EVC2 requirements
- Finding that PG&E should support higher power DCFC (100 kW and higher) but also have the discretion to deploy lower power DCFC when reasonable for the site
- Provisions for implementation of automated load management, and requirement that participants either base charging rates on the utility rate or a load management plan
- Reporting requirements and safety standards in line with existing state mandates and other EV infrastructure programs
- Funding for development of an EV savings calculator, EV site prioritization tool, and grid visibility tool
PG&E is authorized to implement Phase 1 of EVC2 beginning in 2023, and accept applications through December 31, 2026. The EVC2 decision does not establish a process for submission of a Phase 2 application or timeline for considering Phase 2, and indicates that the CPUC “may find it unnecessary to extend the EVC2 program past the period authorized here.”
Contact: Lynn Haug
