California now has more electric vehicle charging stations than petrol stations

California has officially become the state where charging stations for electric cars have surpassed petrol stations in number. According to Governor Gavin Newsom's office, California already has 48% more chargers than petrol pumps.

Here's What We Know

The California Energy Commission (CEC) estimates that there are about 120,000 petrol stations in the state, while the number of public and shared private charging stations has reached 178,000.

It's true that the majority of charging stations - 162,000 - are slow Level 2s, which are far inferior to petrol charging. And high-speed DC chargers, which can be compared to a regular petrol station, are only 17,000. These, however, are best for long trips or drivers who don't have the option of charging at home.

The number of charging stations in California. Illustration: gov.ca

California's charging infrastructure is growing at a record pace. In 2024 alone, the number of charging stations nearly doubled, which makes sense given that a quarter of new cars in the state are electric vehicles.

However, the growth in electric car sales has started to slow. And there's also a political component to the state, with Newsom accusing the federal government of trying to make life harder for electric car owners, referring to the Trump administration's decision to cut funding for public charging stations and eliminate the electric vehicle tax credit.

To compensate for these changes, California has launched a $1.4 billion investment plan to expand its network of charging and hydrogen stations. The state is also working to improve the reliability of chargers and speed up their installation.

Source: gov.ca