The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday said it would invest $738 million in transportation electrification projects across the state, as a part of its 2030 goal for its policy of clean air and greenhouse gas reduction.
CPUC approved setting up charging stations and infrastructure to support electric passenger vehicles and trucks.
The program, which will be implemented over the next five years, will provide rebates to residents for installing charging stations at their homes and will also set up infrastructure at several sites to support the electrification of medium- or heavy-duty vehicles.
Vice president Dave Packard of ChargePoint, the U.S. maker and operator of electric vehicle charging stations, said in an emailed statement that the program would “lead to major benefits for California drivers, ratepayers, utilities, public and private fleet operators and transit agencies, and riders of public transportation.”
However, the California Independent Oil Marketers Association in response termed the move “California’s largest utility companies’ $500 million money grab from the CPUC.”
“This money will be paid by California’s hardworking families to protect big business profits and finance projects for the 4 percent of the vehicle market whose average incomes exceed $100,000 annually,” said the association’s executive director, Ryan Hanretty, in a statement.
CPUC said it has allocated an additional $29.5 million for program evaluation, bringing the total to nearly $768 million.
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