The California Energy Commission (CEC) will award up to $55 million to support the installation of electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations at businesses and publicly accessible locations across the state.

The Fast Charge California Project is part of the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP), the nation’s largest EV charging incentive initiative. CALeVIP has incentivized nearly 10,000 EV chargers to support the nearly 1.5 million light-duty electric vehicles on California roadways, according to the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE), the program implementor.

Applications for the Fast Charge California Project will be open to EV charging service providers and others representing locations such as convenience stores, gas stations, retail centers, parking lots, hotels and additional sites. Proposed charging sites can be at publicly accessible locations anywhere in the state, with priority given to chargers in tribal, disadvantaged and low-income communities. Charging projects must be ready to build with the utility design and required permits before applying for funds.

Key elements of the Fast Charge California Project are:

• Rebates only for direct current fast chargers.

• Allows installations at any publicly accessible site statewide.

• Covers up to 100% of a project’s total approved costs, with up to $55,000 or $100,000 per charging port, depending on the power level.

• Requires ready-to-build projects with an approved utility service design and issued construction permit.

• Gives higher priority to ready-to-build sites in tribal, disadvantaged and low-income communities.

CALeVIP funding comes from the CEC’s Clean Transportation Program and the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.