California outlines $384 million NEVI plan, prioritizes underserved corridors and equity
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Summary
California officials said the state's five-year NEVI plan, prepared by Caltrans and the California Energy Commission and totaling $384 million in federal NEVI funds, will prioritize DC fast-charging gaps on corridors that serve rural, tribal and disadvantaged communities; CEC and state funds will supplement federal dollars.
California officials on a Veloz-hosted webinar described the state's National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) plan and how federal and state funding will be used to expand fast-charging corridors.
"California's five-year, dollars $384,000,000 NEVI plan prepared by Caltrans and the California Energy Commission was submitted to the federal government in August and approved fully in September," moderator Josh Boone said, summarizing the plan's federal approval. Officials said the first competitive solicitation for NEVI projects in California was expected in 2023.
The Energy Commission's Commissioner Patty Monahan said the plan fits into a broader state effort to reach zero-emission passenger vehicles by 2035. "We have about 80,000 chargers now. We need 1,200,000 for light duty vehicles by 2030," Monahan said, underscoring the scale of infrastructure needed to meet state goals.
Secretary Toks Omishakin described CalSTA's coordinating role across multiple departments and said the NEVI work built on prior state orders and planning. Omishakin noted that California had moved quickly to submit its plan and that federal approval followed ahead of many states.
Officials emphasized equity and corridor prioritization: Monahan said the NEVI deployment will prioritize corridors with the greatest need for DC fast charging, as well as rural areas, tribes and disadvantaged communities, and set a goal that 40% of benefits reach Justice40 or disadvantaged communities.
The speakers placed NEVI alongside large state investments. Monahan reminded the audience that the Energy Commission had approved a $2,900,000,000 clean transportation investment and other recent state allocations, saying federal NEVI funds are "supplementing what California is doing." Omishakin added that the NEVI funding stream is meant to coordinate with state programs, with both adding to total charging availability in the near term.
Officials urged potential applicants to read California's NEVI plan on Caltrans's site and said the agencies are ready to move once the federal guidance and cross-agency agreements are finalized. Monahan said federal guidance was still pending but expected soon, and that CEC, Caltrans and CalSTA were preparing solicitation documents and interagency agreements.
The next procedural step, officials said, is federal guidance followed by California's competitive solicitation; several grant and procurement opportunities are expected after that. Boone closed by pointing attendees to Veloz resources and the NEVI plan documents hosted on Caltrans and CEC websites.
The webinar concluded with a reminder that the NEVI plan will be updated annually and that initial federal dollars focus on light-duty corridors while future phases could address medium- and heavy-duty charging needs.
