Funding: Total: $4,800,000. Maximum awards: $500K-$1.6M, depending on project.
Dates: Pre-Application Workshop: January 5, 2022 at 10AM. Deadline for Written Questions: January 19, 2022. Deadline to Submit Applications: March 11, 2022.
Summary:
The CEC announces the availability of up to $4,800,000 in grant funds. The purpose of the Rural Electric Vehicle (REV) Charging solicitation is to: Demonstrate replicable and scalable business and technology models that can deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to serve rural EV drivers; Support travel by rural EV drivers, especially those from low-income or disadvantaged communities; Provide EV charging access in rural areas that are not served or inadequately served by charging stations; Provide support and maintenance services to ensure reliable and readily accessible chargers; and Engage local rural communities and businesses to increase charger awareness and promote EV adoption.
Project Topic Areas:
Eligible projects will provide EV charging infrastructure to support travel by rural drivers and may include engagement and outreach activities to increase infrastructure awareness and promote EV adoption. Projects must include deployment and installation of chargers. For example, projects may include DERs and energy storage systems if the applicant demonstrates they are a necessary component of the system to address charging requirements. Examples of project types that may qualify for this grant funding include, but are not limited to, any combination of the following:
- Widespread Strategic Deployment Models – Examples include small-scale charging infrastructure installations and mobile charging alternatives spread widely throughout rural regions to fill major gaps in the charging network. Deployment should support rural residents and their daily travel and make charging convenient for visitors contributing to the economic development of rural communities.
- Fast Charging Corridors – Direct Current (DC) fast charging along critical rural travel corridors to enable long-distance EV trips and enhance range confidence. Locations along corridors should reduce fast charging gaps and may include, but are not limited to, gas stations, truck stops, and restaurants. Proposed projects should identify site security measures and amenities.
- Charging in Rural Community Centers – Charging at population centers. Proposed project locations for chargers within communities should demonstrate the ability to attract many rural drivers and identify on-site or nearby amenities. Locations may include, but are not limited to, town centers, shopping centers, grocery stores, and recreation centers.
- Low-power On-Site Charging – Level 1 and Level 2 charging at locations where drivers commonly park for several hours, including, but not limited to hotels and lodges, local shops, healthcare facilities, schools, libraries, parks, transit hubs, park and rides, and places of worship.
- Streetlight or Utility Pole Charging – Charging that leverages existing lighting, electrical, or communications infrastructure fixtures to minimize ground excavation and electrical grid upgrades.
- Mobile Chargers – Self-contained portable charging units that can be moved to the EV.
- Renewable Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and Energy Storage Systems –Renewable DERs or energy storage systems can provide power at charging stations independent of the electric power grid. DERs and energy storage systems may support rapid charging in locations without reliable electrical capacity.
Funding:
A total of $4,800,000 is available for awards under this solicitation. The CEC, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to increase or decrease the amount of funds available under this solicitation. The minimum CEC award amount is $500,000. The maximum CEC award amount is 80% of the total project costs or $1,600,000, whichever is less. Applications must include a minimum match of 20 percent of the total project costs. Cash match is not required under this solicitation. Proposed projects must be wholly contained within the project region for which the application is being submitted. The CEC reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to increase or decrease the amount of funding allocated in each region. In addition, if an insufficient number of passing projects are received in a given region, the CEC reserves the right to reallocate funding to a different region. It is CEC’s intent to fund at least one project per region.
| Project Region | Counties | Minimum CEC Award Amount | Total Available for Project Region |
| Northern California | Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity | $500,000 per project | $1,600,000 |
| Central California | Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Inyo, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Placer, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo, Yuba | $500,000 per project | $1,600,000 |
| Southern California | Imperial, Kern, Monterey, Riverside, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura | $500,000 per project | $1,600,000 |
Project Requirements:
The following requirements apply to charging equipment in the proposed project:
All public chargers must meet applicable requirements, including those of Senate Bill 454, the California Air Resources Board Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Standards, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture Division of Measurement Standards. A networked charger must include the following three abilities: Have network connectivity with one of the following: IEEE 802.11n for high-bandwidth wireless networking, or IEEE 802.3 for Ethernet for local- or wide-area network applications; Be able to receive remote software updates, real-time protocol translation, encryption, and decryption, including: Internet Protocol (IP)-based processor which must support multiple protocols, and Compliance with Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/IP and IPv6; and Be able to connect to a network’s back-end software. All public DC fast chargers must be networked. For each DC fast charging site, at least 50% of the connectors must be SAE CCS standard. Tesla and CHAdeMO connectors are eligible. Grid-connected DC fast chargers must have a minimum charging rate of 50 kW. At least 50% of the Level 2 connectors must be SAE standard J1772. Level 2 Tesla connectors are eligible. DC fast charging sites must have at least one Level 2 charger with SAE standard J1772 connector. Level 1 chargers are not required to have an attached cord and connector. If a Level 1 charger is equipped with an attached cord, the connector must be a SAE standard J1772 connector. The equipment must be able to withstand extreme weather conditions associated with the deployment area, including extreme temperature, heavy rains, and high winds. Display screens must be protected from malfunctions due to condensation and any local area weather conditions.
Costs incurred for the following are eligible for CEC reimbursement or as the Applicant’s match share: EVSE; Transformers; Electric panels; Conduit; Wiring; Meters; Distributed energy resources or energy storage equipment/systems capable of providing independent or supplemental power to the EV chargers; Photovoltaic solar panels separately metered for electric charging; Installation costs; Planning and engineering design costs; Stub-outs; Demand management equipment; Equipment warranties for during the term of the agreement; Maintenance, or maintenance agreement; or Local engagement and outreach related to rural EV charging. All electric vehicle charging infrastructure and equipment located on the customer side of the electrical meter shall be installed by a contractor with the appropriate license classification, as determined by the Contractors’ State License Board, and at least one electrician on each crew, at any given time, who holds an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP) certification. Projects that include installation of a charging port supplying 25 kilowatts or more to a vehicle must have at least 25 percent of the total electricians working on the crew for the project, at any given time, who hold EVITP certification.
The equipment must be operational at least 97 percent of the standard operating hours of the charging facility for a period of 5 years from commissioning. It will be the recipient’s responsibility to demonstrate this uptime requirement is met. The project must provide customer support service that is accessible during all standard operating hours of the charger via a toll-free telephone number, an email address clearly posted near the charging equipment, and through the online portal that is available to EV drivers accessing the charging equipment. The customer support service must be capable of providing or dispatching services to address customer concerns at the charging station. Customer support must be available in English and Spanish.
Certain cities and counties are ineligible locations under this grant funding opportunity. All project locations must be within California and in areas that will support rural EV drivers. The ineligible counties are those with charger densities (public Level 2 and DCFC combined) of higher than 0.3 per square mile. Ineligible cities are those with populations of greater than 50,000. A minimum of 50 percent of total project costs must be applied in disadvantaged or low-income communities. Disadvantaged communities are census tracts that score within the top 25th percentile of California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) CalEnviroScreen 4.0 scores. Low-income communities are census tracts with median household incomes at or below 80 percent of the statewide median income or with household incomes at or below the threshold designated as low income.
Eligible Applicants:
This solicitation is open to all public and private entities. Project teams may include, but are not limited to: Community-based organizations (defined for this solicitation as an organization that (a) is place-based, with an explicit geographic focus area that includes the proposed project area(s), (b) has staff members, volunteers, or Board members that reside in the community where the project is located or intended to serve, (c) has a demonstrated track record of at least one year providing services in the proposed project area); California Native American Tribes and California Tribal Organizations; Transportation planning agencies including rural county transportation commissions and regional transportation planning agencies; Cities and counties; Utilities; Non-profit organizations (for example public schools, public charities, volunteer organizations, workforce development entities, places of worship, and some governmental agencies); Public housing agencies; Environmental or environmental justice organizations; and Businesses. There is no restriction on the number of applications an applicant may submit. Applicants may submit applications for one or more project regions. Each proposed project must be separate and distinct and adhere to all requirements contained in this solicitation. Applicants submitting multiple applications are eligible for no more than two-thirds of the total funding available under this solicitation.