EV Chargers Overtake Gasoline Pumps in California

California now has nearly 50 percent more EV chargers than gas nozzles in the state, as consumers are told to brace for higher prices at the pump.

An electric vehicle charging station in Irvine, Calif., on Nov. 28, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

California now has 48 percent more public and shared private electric vehicle (EV) chargers than the number of gasoline nozzles available, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) estimates there are 120,000 gas nozzles in California versus 178,549 public and shared private chargers, the governor’s March 20 statement said. A shared private charger is usually at a workplace and is available to employees, or at a condo or apartment complex, available to tenants, residents, or visitors.

“We’re embracing our clean car future and providing consumers more choices—no matter what ‘big government’ mandates come out of Washington,” Newsom said in the statement.

In 2024 alone, 38,000 new chargers were installed, the governor said.

Of the EV chargers in the state, more than 162,000 are 240 volt Level 2 chargers and 17,000 are fast chargers, which can charge vehicles in 20 minutes to an hour, although they are incompatible with most Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV).

The CEC also estimates there are over 700,000 Level 2 chargers installed statewide in single-family homes.

“The state continues to invest in EV infrastructure, with particular emphasis in hard-to-reach areas, making these vehicles an easy choice for new car buyers,” CEC Chair David Hochschild said in a statement.

The State of California has spent billions to support its green transportation goals.

In December 2024, the state approved a $1.4 billion investment plan to develop its charging and hydrogen network, which is already the largest in the country.

The money will go toward projects such as the Fast Charge California Project, which is part of the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP), the nation’s largest EV charging incentive initiative. The project awarded $55 million for EV fast-charging stations at businesses and publicly accessible locations in the state.

In the face of billions paid by taxpayers toward infrastructure, the state touts its offerings of thousands of dollars in grants and rebates for low-income Californians who choose to go electric.

On March 18, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a legal alert telling local governments of requirements under state law to expedite the EV charger permitting process.

“With today’s alert, we are reminding localities that they must comply with state law in streamlining the permitting of this infrastructure, as well as removing unreasonable barriers that prevent deployment statewide, which will improve air quality and mitigate climate impacts for generations to come,” Bonta stated.

According to statewide data, zero-emission vehicles accounted for one-fourth of all new-vehicle sales in California in the fourth quarter of 2024. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) finds that 30 percent of new zero-emission vehicles sold in the country are sold in California.

But there are concerns that California’s EV infrastructure is inadequate.

Some 20 percent of EV chargers probably don’t work, says Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, a technology platform providing gas price comparison tools. “While building new EV chargers is great, many were installed with tax incentives and have fallen out of repair and lack maintenance, ” he said.

Moreover, the EV infrastructure still pales in comparison with gasoline, he said.

“The average utilization time for an EV charge is much higher than the 5-10 minutes it takes to fill a car with gasoline,” De Haan told The Epoch Times in an email.

California taxpayers foot the bill for California’s laws and incentives designed to shift the state’s infrastructure toward alternative fuels and vehicles, for example, vouchers to a trucking company that wants to switch to a low-emission fleet.

California already has the highest gas tax in the country, at more than 68 cents per gallon when including other taxes and fees, according to the Tax Foundation.

A legislative analysis predicted that by 2035, gas tax collections would fall by $5 billion—that is, 64 percent—if the state reaches its climate goals, suggesting further tax hikes on gasoline users.

State Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones says Californians should continue to prepare for a gas price hike of up to 90 cents per gallon in 2025, basing his warning on a study by the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. The increase would come in the form of taxes, fees, and producers passing regulatory costs onto consumers.

The study cites public policy, in particular, as reasons for the hike—not only at the gas pump but for retail purchases as well.

“And that does not include any increases in crude oil prices and the price of wholesale gasoline,” the study says. This could cost Californians an extra $222 to $449 per year for regular grade fuel, and even higher for premium grade.

“The increase contributes to inflation, the high cost of living in California, and has a disproportionate and adverse impact on lower income Californians,” according to the study. “To compensate for the increases, the average Californian driving an internal combustion vehicle will have to earn an additional $600 to $1,000 a year in pre-tax income in order to ‘break even’ with 2024 prices, depending on the grade of gas they purchase.”

CARB in November 2024 passed new special blend mandates under California’s Low Carbon Fuels Standard. CARB, which admits the new special blend would likely take the retail price of gasoline higher by 47 cents per gallon, is requiring that refiners produce and retail gas stations offer the new California special blend in 2025.

The new mandate is in line with the state’s carbon and methane emission reduction targets, including the 2035 mandate to eliminate the sale of new internal combustion engine cars.

Contradicting CARB’s numbers, a University of Pennsylvania Kleinman Center for Energy Policy study found that CARB’s new policy will increase retail prices by  65 cents a gallon in 2025, 85 cents a gallon in 2030, and $1.50 a gallon in 2035.

The new regulations don’t stop there.

In October 2024, California passed ABX2-1, which requires that California oil refineries maintain a ready stock of finished gasoline, representing new costs for producers that will crop up in prices at the pump. The USC study places the cost increase from ABX2-1 alone to be anywhere from five to 27 cents per gallon.

Just 72 hours after ABX2-1’s passing, Phillips 66 announced it would close its Los Angeles refinery, which constitutes 8.3 percent of total refinery capacity in California.