EV Charging in California

California leads the nation in EV adoption with the most aggressive ZEV sales mandate, the largest public charging network of any state, and a layered set of income-targeted purchase programs that replaced the now-closed Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.

Last updated June 2026

EV Charging Snapshot

Leading

EV Adoption Rate: 15.7%
Public Chargers: 201,000
Top Incentive: Driving Clean Assistance Program and Clean Cars 4 All, up to $12,000 combined for income-qualified buyers

Adoption score

9/10

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EV adoption snapshot

EVs registered in California

1,256,650

2024 data · U.S. DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Public chargers per 1,000 EVs

6.8

Lower ratio = more demand per existing charger

EV adoption by county: top 10

County-level light-duty plug-in EV registrations.

County	Registered EVs	Share of state
Los Angeles County	282,400	22.5%
Santa Clara County	152,100	12.1%
Orange County	95,300	7.6%
Alameda County	86,900	6.9%
San Diego County	81,700	6.5%
San Mateo County	55,400	4.4%
Contra Costa County	50,800	4.0%
Riverside County	45,200	3.6%
San Francisco County	35,900	2.9%
Sacramento County	32,500	2.6%

Source: California Energy Commission · 2025 data

Utilities serving California

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

EV rates, rebates & programs →

Southern California Edison Company

EV rates, rebates & programs →

San Diego Gas and Electric Company

EV rates, rebates & programs →

Residential Incentives

Driving Clean Assistance Program (DCAP)

$9,500 to $14,000 in grants (including a $2,000 charging incentive) depending on disadvantaged community status and whether an older vehicle is scrapped, plus low-interest financing capped at 8%

California residents at or below 300% of the federal poverty level who have not previously taken a CARB light-duty purchase incentive, purchasing or leasing a new or used BEV, PHEV, or FCEV with a sale price at or below $45,000

Apply / learn more →

Clean Cars 4 All (CC4A)

Up to $12,000 for income-qualified buyers in disadvantaged communities who scrap an older vehicle

Lower-income residents in participating air districts (Sacramento, San Joaquin Valley, South Coast, San Diego, and Bay Area as funding rounds open)

Apply / learn more →

PG&E Residential Charging Solutions Rebate

Up to $2,000 standard, up to $5,000 for income-qualified customers

PG&E residential customers installing a Level 2 charger from PG&E's qualified equipment list

Apply / learn more →

PG&E Empower EV Program

Free Level 2 charger valued at $500, plus up to $2,000 toward panel upgrades

PG&E residential customers within 400% of the federal poverty level, single-family homes

Apply / learn more →

SCE Pre-Owned EV Rebate

$1,000 standard, $4,000 for income-qualified customers

SCE residential customers who purchase or lease a used BEV or PHEV with at least 8 kWh battery capacity

Apply / learn more →

SDG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate

$1,000 standard, $4,000 for income-qualified customers

SDG&E residential customers who purchase or lease a used BEV or PHEV

Apply / learn more →

Federal Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (30C)

30% of hardware and installation costs, up to $1,000

Homeowners installing a Level 2 charger at a primary residence in an eligible census tract, for equipment placed in service by June 30, 2026

Apply / learn more →

Commercial & Property Owner Incentives

CALeVIP Fast Charge California Project

FCCP-2 (Oct 2026 to Jan 2027) caps at $100,000 per DC fast port; FCCP-3 (Feb to May 2027) caps at $55,000 per port and requires 150 kW minimum

Publicly accessible commercial sites statewide, with priority for tribal lands, disadvantaged communities, and low-income communities

Apply / learn more →

NEVI Formula Program

Up to 80% of project costs

EV charging projects along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors; California Solicitation 3 ($79 million) closed March 25, 2026, awaiting Solicitation 4 announcement from the CEC

Apply / learn more →

Federal Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (30C, commercial)

6% of project cost up to $100,000 per item of property, rising to 30% with prevailing wage and apprenticeship

Businesses installing EV charging in eligible census tracts, for property placed in service by June 30, 2026

Apply / learn more →

HVIP (Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project)

$7,500 to $120,000 per vehicle

Commercial fleets purchasing new electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks; CARB's primary MHD voucher program, with $250 million in the current cycle and over $1 billion announced through 2030

Apply / learn more →

Policy details

EV time-of-use rates

statewide

All three California major IOUs offer dedicated residential EV time-of-use rates: PG&E's EV2-A and EV-B, SCE's TOU-D-PRIME, and SDG&E's EV-TOU-5. Peak windows are standardized at 4pm to 9pm every day, with off-peak rates substantially lower (SDG&E EV-TOU-5 carries a super off-peak window with deep discounts midnight to 6am). LADWP and other municipal utilities run their own EV-specific TOU schedules with separate-meter discounts.

SourceVerified Jun 2026

Net metering / solar+EV

net billing

California moved from full-retail NEM to a net-billing tariff (NEM 3.0) for systems interconnected on or after April 15, 2023. Exports are credited at hourly avoided-cost values from the California Public Utilities Commission's Avoided Cost Calculator, typically $0.05 to $0.08 per kWh versus retail rates of $0.23 to $0.30 per kWh. Pre-April 2023 systems are grandfathered into NEM 1.0 or 2.0 for 20 years from interconnection.

SourceVerified Jun 2026

Right to charge

Statute on books

California voids any HOA covenant, deed restriction, or governing document that prohibits or unreasonably restricts installation of an EV charging station in a designated parking space, unit, or exclusive-use common area. The homeowner pays for installation, uses a licensed contractor, complies with reasonable architectural standards, and provides a certificate of insurance naming the association as additional insured. Section 4745.1 extends parallel protections to renters.

Citation: Cal. Civ. Code § 4745

Applies to: single family hoa, condo, rental

SourceVerified Jun 2026

EV registration fees

The $118 Road Improvement Fee under California Vehicle Code section 9250.6 applies to model year 2020 and later zero-emission vehicles at each renewal, and is indexed annually to the California Consumer Price Index. It does not apply to initial registration of a new ZEV from a licensed California dealer. No statewide PHEV fee.

EV: $118/year

PHEV: None

SourceVerified Jun 2026

Public charging network

Tesla Supercharger, Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint, and Shell Recharge operate dense statewide networks. California crossed 200,000 public and shared charging ports in late 2025, and NEVI corridor buildout continues on I-5, US-101, I-80, I-15, and I-10.

Network	Stations
Tesla Supercharger	1,980
Electrify America	320
EVgo	540
ChargePoint	4,200
Other networks	1,450
DC fast ports	4,280
Level 2 public ports	38,500

Source: NREL Alternative Fuels Data Center, as of May 2026.

Top cities for public charging

1Los Angeles
5,400 stations
2San Francisco
2,100 stations
3San Diego
1,850 stations
4San Jose
1,720 stations
5Sacramento
1,090 stations

Regulatory Environment

CARB Advanced Clean Cars II requires 35% ZEV new car sales in model year 2026, ramping to 68% by 2030 and 100% by 2035, though Congressional Review Act resolutions signed in June 2025 repealed the EPA waivers underpinning ACC II, ACT, and the Low NOx Omnibus, and a DOJ suit filed in March 2026 seeks to block CARB enforcement while Section 177 states defend the waivers in court. Title 24 and the 2026 building code update require EV-ready wiring in all new residential parking spots, at least one EV-ready spot per multifamily unit, and 65% EV-ready parking at new hotels. AB 2127 directs ongoing statewide charging infrastructure assessments.

Articles mentioning California

California's Title 24 EV-Ready Rules for Commercial Construction: The 2025 Code Raises the Bar

California's Title 24 / CALGreen has required EV infrastructure in new nonresidential and multifamily construction for years. The 2025 code edition, effective January 1, 2026, is the biggest change in a while: it splits the nonresidential scoping table by building use (office/retail versus other), pushes a much larger share of spaces from merely capable to actually installed EVSE, and cuts the power that may be allocated to EV-capable-only spaces. This piece explains the tiers, the 2025 changes, and how enforcement has tightened.

Updated May 20266 min read