The California Energy Commission (CEC) is working to improve the electric vehicle (EV) driver experience for all Californians. Increasing EV adoption requires a charging network that is reliable, accessible, and convenient. An improved charging experience can increase EV adoption while creating an attractive marketplace for vehicle manufacturers and charging station operators.
The CEC is working to improve the reliability of EV charging stations through:
- California’s passage of the first EV Charger Data and Reliability Standards Regulation in October of 2025. This regulation enables the CEC to track the reliability of state and ratepayer-funded EV charging stations and set a minimum 97% uptime requirement for regulated chargers.
- Charger uptime and reliability reporting requirements for regulated chargers.
- A field-testing study conducted by UC Davis evaluating the reliability of publicly available EV chargers, results coming soon.
CEC efforts are supporting a one-plug future for EV drivers while ensuring the EV charging network also meets the needs of existing EV drivers.
Additional details are described in the CEC's October 2024 Updated Statement on the SAE J3400 North American Charging System.
Starting an EV charging session requires communication between the vehicle and charger, and often a charging network. The CEC includes minimum technical requirements for its funding projects to ensure installation of user-friendly and reliable charging stations.
To help industry meet these requirements, the CEC has provided various resources including launching a charging communication test laboratory (DEKRA Vehicle-Grid Innovation Lab, or ViGIL), funding North America’s largest “testival” (Vehicle Interoperability Testing Symposium or VOLTS), and providing analysis and recommendations (for example, the November 2023 Statement on Charging Interoperability and the February 2024 Updated Recommendation on ISO 15118 Ready Chargers).
In January 2026, the CEC approved a grant of $4 million to Cal EPIC to fund the Capital Charge Yard, a permanent testing and collaboration space to evaluate and advance EV charging interoperability in California.
As written in Health and Safety Code 44268.2(a)(3), publicly available EV chargers that require a fee to use and were installed on or after July 10, 2023 must provide a contactless payment method and offer either an automated toll-free telephone number or text-based payment option.
The 2026 statement on Plug & Charge provides a status update on the implementation of Plug & Charge in California, clarifies that Plug & Charge is the desired driver experience, and outlines a set of CEC actions aimed at broadening access to and availability of the functionality.
California requires publicly available DC fast chargers installed on or after July 10th, 2023 to include Plug & Charge payment capability using ISO 15118. Plug & Charge enables drivers to start and pay for a charging session simply by plugging in, and improves station reliability. The CEC is exploring methods to expand the use of Plug & Charge at publicly accessible chargers.
Network roaming enables a driver to pay for charging at any station within the network without needing a separate account or app. Expanded network roaming can significantly simplify access to chargers and enhance the charging experience for drivers. The CEC is exploring methods to improve network roaming.
Bidirectional technology allows EVs not only to charge from various power sources, but also to send energy stored in the vehicle's battery back to homes, buildings, or the power grid; for example, during times of high demand or emergencies. The CEC is working with automakers, utilities, and charging providers to advance standards, testing, and interoperability for bidirectional charging solutions. This includes supporting open communication protocols, ensuring hardware compatibility, and identifying ways to make vehicle‑to‑grid (V2G), vehicle‑to‑home (V2H), and vehicle‑to‑building (V2B) applications safe, reliable, and easy to use.
Additional details are described in the CEC’s March 2026 roadmap to unlocking the benefits of bidirectional charging.