Sacramento, CA – Today, the California Fuels and Convenience Alliance (CFCA) released the following statement in response to the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy hearing on Identifying Roadblocks to Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Across California:

On August 23, 2023, the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy held a timely hearing on the challenges to deploying electric vehicle charging infrastructure in California. According to the California Energy Commission’s AB 2127 report, California will need 1.2 million public and shared private chargers by 2030 to support projected demand. To achieve this fivefold increase in the number of chargers deployed, our stations must play an essential role. As a result, the State needs to address some of the biggest obstacles stations face in building out charging infrastructure.

In addition to bringing more capacity online in the coming years, other roadblocks that need clearing include: Local government permitting processes that delay the time it takes for EV charging infrastructure to be approved for construction, putting applicants for state funding at risk of missing out. Extended interconnection delays from utilities, meaning charging infrastructure can lack a source of electricity for months or, in some cases, years. And demand charging policies that punish fueling centers for recharging multiple EVs at the same time.

Additionally, given the significant challenges identified in this hearing to EV charger deployment, CFCA urges policymakers to give fair consideration to low-carbon alternative fuels (including hydrogen, E85, and renewable diesel) that can complement EV charger deployment. These renewable fuels (and others) can be easily deployed to result in immediate emissions reductions and will not add further demand to the grid.

“The Legislature ought to seriously consider the significant challenges that are hindering our state’s deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure,” said Elizabeth Graham, Chief Executive Officer of the California Fuels and Convenience Alliance. “Our members are eager to help fuel and charge the transportation sector of the future. But without thoughtful policy changes, California will be woefully short of the renewable fueling infrastructure necessary to support the state’s changing transportation needs. We look forward to working with the Legislature to address some of the specific roadblocks identified in the hearing.”