Electric Vehicle Chargers in California

AC Level 2 (or Level 2) – means a charger that operates on a circuit greater than or equal to 208 volts and transfers alternating-current (AC) electricity to a device in an electric vehicle that converts alternating current to direct current to charge an electric vehicle battery.

Charger – means a device with one or more charging ports and connectors for charging electric vehicles.

Charging Port – means the system within a charger that charges one electric vehicle. A charging port can have multiple connectors, but it can provide power to charge only one electric vehicle through one connector at a time.

Connector – means a device that attaches an electric vehicle to a charging port in order to transfer electricity.

Direct Current Fast Charger (DCFC or DC Fast) – means a charger that enables rapid charging by delivering direct-current (DC) electricity to an electric vehicle’s battery.

Electric Vehicle (or EV) – means a vehicle that is either partially or fully powered on electric power received from an external power source.

Limited Access – when referring to a charger, means a charger that is not a publicly available charger and not residential (1-4 units).

Public – when referring to a charger, means a charger and associated parking space or spaces designated, such as by a property owner or lessee, to be available to, and accessible by, the public for any period of time. A charger designated, such as by a property owner or a lessee, to be available only to customers or visitors of the business is a publicly available charger. Chargers and associated parking spaces located in parking garages or gated facilities are considered publicly available if any member of the public can obtain vehicular access to the facility for free or through payment of a fee. If a charger and associated parking space is made available to the public for only limited time periods, that charger and associated parking space is considered a publicly available charger.

A publicly available charger does not include any of the following:

• A workplace charging station if it is clearly marked and operated as available exclusively to the organization’s employees or independent contractors.
• A charger and associated parking spaces reserved exclusively to residents, tenants, visitors, or employees of a private residence or common interest development, or a residential building adjacent to a private residence
• A research charger

Public/Limited Access – includes installations at shopping centers, workplaces, multifamily (5+ units), fleet yards, hotels, parks, etc.

Residential (1 – 4 units) – means a charger used solely for private use by residents of a residential real property containing four or fewer dwelling units.

Dashboard last updated: October 16, 2026

Data as of: June 30, 2026

The mid-2024 update saw a large increase in the number of chargers due to new installations and the use of additional data sources to track operational chargers, including grant recipient reports and PlugShare.

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 (2025). Electric Vehicle Chargers in California. Data last updated [insert date last updated]. Retrieved [insert date retrieved] from https://www.energy.ca.gov/zevstats