California Sanctions Largest Ever Utility Program to Develop EV Charging Infrastructure

California has announced that it has sanctioned a $437 million effort to build thousands of electric vehicle chargers, its utility regulator said, calling it the nation's largest ever utility program to grow charging infrastructure.

The money will go to utility Southern California Edison to fund the installation of approximately 40,000 chargers, the California Public Utilities Commission said in a declaration.

The program will help the state accomplish its goal of putting 5 million zero-emissions vehicles on the road by 2030, the CPUC said.

Half of the outlay must take place in low-income communities, and 30 percent will be devoted to multi-family residences, where it is more difficult to charge an EV.