PG&E Wants to Build 25K Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Across Northern, Central California

PG&E filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission this week to build roughly 25,000 new electric vehicle charging stations across Northern and Central California over a five-year period.

If approved, PG&E said the $654 million plan will be the largest deployment of electric vehicle charging stations in the U.S. and that 10 percent of the chargers will support disadvantaged communities.

The chargers would be located at commercial and public locations, including multi-family dwellings, retail centers, and workplaces.

There are currently more than 60,000 electric vehicles registered in PG&E’s service area, representing more than 20 percent of all electric vehicles nationwide, according to PG&E.

The new chargers would take about five years to build and would be provided at no cost to the site’s host. PG&E plans to maintain ownership of the infrastructure involved, hiring contractors to install and maintain the chargers and manage customer billing.

One of the ideas behind the proposal, officials say, is to ensure drivers of electric vehicles can continue on road trips for longer distances using clean energy.

“Our proposed build-out of EV charging infrastructure aims to accelerate customer adoption of clean, quiet, and efficient plug-in vehicles by reducing lingering range anxiety,” said Tony Earley, president and CEO of PG&E. “It reflects our commitment to helping the state of California meet its critical clean air and greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals by promoting cleaner transportation.”

All of the 25,000 proposed stations would have what are called “level 2” chargers– which provide up to 25 miles of driving time, per every hour of charging, according to PG&E.

“To support travel between metropolitan areas, PG&E would also install at key locations 100 DC fast chargers, which can recharge an EV’s battery in only 30 minutes,” the agency said.

The cost of the plan would be passed on to all of the utility’s customers. PG&E estimates that a “typical residential customer” will pay an extra $0.70 cents per month from 2018 to 2022, averaging roughly $42 per household over the five-year period.

Earley said in a statement that the utility company hopes the project will accelerate the adoption of plug-in vehicles throughout the region.

– Patch Editor Renee Schiavone and Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

(Image via Shutterstock)

Also on Patch:

• Former SD Chargers QB From Petaluma Found Dead In Car
• National Weather Service Issues ‘Beach Hazard’ For Sonoma County Coast, Bay Area
• New Napa Valley Online Winery Map and Trip Planner Now Available
• Sheriff’s Office Seeks Public’s Help To ID Woman Found In Ocean
• Target Agrees to Pay $3.9 Million on Allegations of Charging More Than Advertised
• Why Kids Need Recess
• For Those With Nut Allergies: See’s Candy Recall
• Hungry For A Date Night? Olive Garden To Host Parents’ Night Out In Sacramento and Folsom
• Pair Arrested After Allegedly Selling Drugs To Undercover Cops

» Find your Patch below, click on the link and sign up for our free daily newsletters and news alerts:

DIXON | NAPA VALLEY| ROHNERT PARK-COTATI| SONOMA VALLEY| HEALDSBURG|PETALUMA| SUISUN CITY | BENICIA| DAVIS|