As of March 22, 2025, California has reached a significant milestone with over 178,549 public and shared private electric vehicle charging stations, surpassing the number of gas pumps in the state by nearly 48%. Governor Gavin Newsom remarked, “While the federal government is making it harder to charge electric vehicles, California is taking the opposite approach. Currently, we have 50% more charging stations than gas pumps, providing vehicle owners with more charging options than ever before. Regardless of what ‘big government’ regulations come from Washington, we are moving towards a clean car era, offering consumers more choices.”
The California Energy Commission (CEC) estimates that there are approximately 120,000 gas pumps in the state, with public and shared private charging stations exceeding 178,000. This includes over 162,000 Level 2 chargers (240V) and nearly 17,000 DC fast chargers, excluding around 700,000 residential Level 2 chargers in the state. Out of the 73,537 newly recorded charging stations, nearly 38,000 were installed in 2024, while 35,554 were previously operational but recently counted.
In December of the previous year, California approved a $1.4 billion investment plan (approximately ¥101.54 billion at current exchange rates) aimed at expanding zero-emission transportation infrastructure. Among these funds, the Fast Charge California Project received $55 million (around ¥3.99 billion) specifically for the installation of DC fast chargers in commercial and public locations. This project is part of the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP), which is the largest electric vehicle charging incentive program in the United States.
