Data Needed for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment
Matthew McKerley is an attorney at Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger who represents IREC in regulatory proceedings.
California has set the ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. Meeting this target will require a major shift from fossil-fueled vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs), since transportation generates more carbon emissions than any other sector. Fortunately, Californians have embraced the transition to EVs. In the first quarter of 2025, twenty-three percent of all new vehicles sold were EVs, and in late 2024, California surpassed two million total EV sales.
To achieve net-zero emissions by 2045, California must also electrify hundreds of thousands of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, which include delivery trucks, small school buses, semi-trucks, construction equipment, etc. California is leading the nation in that transition, as well.
It’s clear that California wants and needs to put more EVs on the road. The big question is whether the state is adding enough electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) where it’s most needed and making the necessary investments in the electric grid to support the unprecedented scale of the EV transition.
A massive investment will be needed, as some have calculated that the increased energy requirements for EVSE will mean the biggest change to our country’s power system needs since the advent of air conditioning.