The California Electric Transportation Coalition and California utilities announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support a California Regional Charging Network. The MOU encourages cooperation and leadership among the California utilities to build out a regional network of chargers.

The MOU was signed by the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP), Northern California Power Agency (NCPA), Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE), with additional utilities planning to join soon.

The MOU encourages cooperation and leadership in support of electric cars and trucks traveling along key corridors in California and beyond to reduce pollution, protect public health, advance equity, and support access to electric cars and trucks for all Californians.

The California utilities will be working together to identify key locations for charging infrastructure in support of regional travel across the state, identify those locations that minimize grid impacts and customer costs, and define charging infrastructure characteristics that lead to more user-friendly car and truck charging.

This MOU and collaboration grew from the ongoing commitment in California to zero-emission mobility and goods movement, recently highlighted by Governor Newsom in Executive Order N-79-20. Under the order, 100% of sales of new cars and drayage trucks are to be zero-emission by 2035 and all on-road cars and trucks are to be zero-emissions by 2045.

The MOU specifically calls out the need to support and engage with local and diverse communities along the regional corridors. The MOU emphasizes equity and community inclusion, as part of the participating utilities core values.