Electric Vehicle Chargers in California

Chargers, often referred to as electric vehicle supply equipment, are manufactured units that safely deliver electricity to charge the battery of a plug-in electric vehicle. A charger may have one or multiple connectors.

Public chargers are located at parking space(s) designated by a property owner or lessee to be available to and accessible by the public.

Shared private chargers are located at parking space(s) designated by a property owner or lessee to be available to, and accessibly by, employees, tenants, visitors, and residents. Examples include workplaces and shared parking at a multifamily residence.

Private chargers are located at parking space(s) that are privately owned and operated, often dedicated for a specific driver or vehicle (for example, a charger installed in a garage of a single-family home).

Charging Station is a physical address where one or more chargers are available for use. A charging station can be public, shared private, or private. 

Level 1 chargers use alternating current electricity at 120 volts to provide about 5 miles or less of range per hour of charging.

Level 2 chargers use alternating current electricity to charge a plug-in electric vehicle at 208 to 240 volts and can provide about 14 to 35 miles of range per hour of charging.

DC Fast chargers use direct current (DC) electricity at 480 volts to recharge an all-battery electric vehicle to 80 percent capacity in about 30 minutes, though the time required depends on the size of the vehicle battery and the power level of the charger.

Counting Method: The number of chargers represent the number of vehicles that can charge simultaneously. For example, a Level 2 charger with two connectors that can charge two vehicles simultaneously is counted as two chargers. A DC Fast Charger with two connectors that can charge one vehicle at a time is counted as one charger.

Data as of: August 26, 2024

Dashboard last updated: August 28, 2024

The most recent mid-2024 update saw a large increase in chargers due to new chargers being installed and the use of additional data sources to track operational chargers including grant recipient reports, and PlugShare. CEC estimates approximately 24,000 new chargers were installed in the first half of 2024.

Public charger counts historically were obtained from the AFDC Station Locator managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). State law requires station operators or developers to report data on publicly available chargers to NREL. Analysis of PlugShare data identified additional public chargers not listed on the AFDC. The inclusion of PlugShare data occurred for the first time in the August 2024 update.

Shared private charger counts are obtained from voluntary surveys issued by the CEC. The surveys are sent to electric vehicle service providers (EVSP) and non-EVSPs including public agencies and electric utilities. The surveys collect counts of shared private chargers (typically found in workplaces, multi-family housing, fleets, and other non-public venues) in the state.

In late 2023, a new requirement was added to Clean Transportation Program grant agreements requiring recipients to report counts on their entire network of chargers serving all sectors excluding residential. Analysis of the survey data, grant recipient reported data, AFDC, and PlugShare is conducted to estimate shared private charger counts in California.

The CEC has initiated a regulatory process to obtain this data consistently through Assembly Bill 2061 (Chapter 345, Statutes of 2022). The CEC expects to start receiving this data in early 2026.

Data Sources: U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center Station Locator, PlugShare DataTool, Clean Transportation Program Grant Recipient Reported Data, and CEC Counting Chargers Surveys.

Citing​
Please cite use of these data and images. California Energy Commission (2023). Electric Vehicle Chargers in California. Data last updated [insert date last updated]. Retrieved [insert date retrieved] from https://www.energy.ca.gov/zevstats