Clean Power Alliance (CPA) joined with Ventura County and City of Moorpark officials to celebrate the largest single electric vehicle charging infrastructure investment in Ventura County history. A total of $4.8 million has been allocated for publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging stations throughout the county. Funding comes through the state’s California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP), CPA, and the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (VCAPCD).
In 2020, after Ventura County led a study identifying the need for thousands of electric vehicle charging stations to make clean mobility options more widely available, CPA led an advocacy effort to secure state and other local funding in addition to providing $533,000 in funding of its own. Half of the overall $4.8 million infrastructure investment is dedicated to EV chargers located in low-income and disadvantaged communities – areas that generally have fewer home charging options and where publicly accessible charging infrastructure provides opportunity.
“This expansion of electrical vehicle charging infrastructure in Ventura County sets us on the course to improve public health, sustainability, and access to clean vehicles for all members of the communities we serve,” said Ted Bardacke, CEO of Clean Power Alliance.
The project promotes access to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in commercial spaces by providing sizable rebates for both DC Fast and Level 2 chargers. Rebates are highest for installations in low-income and disadvantaged communities – providing up to $80,000 per publicly available DC fast charger and up to $6,000 per Level 2 connector.
Thus far, there have been 146 Level 2 chargers and 8 DC fast chargers installed throughout Ventura County with CALeVIP funding. Funding for an additional 259 Level 2 connectors and 30 DC Fast chargers in Ventura County has been reserved and is expected to be used for installations over the next 17 months.
The celebration took place at Arroyo Vista Community Park in the City of Moorpark, where publicly accessible EV charging stations funded through the program have now been fully operational for a year.
From July through September 2023, the park’s stations had 125 charging sessions. Based on this sample of three months of activity, Moorpark’s EV installations can expect to have 500 unique charging sessions over the course of a year, showing the significant demand among the area’s population for public charging station infrastructure. These chargers can add more than 25 miles of range per hour of charging. The City of Moorpark has also installed EV chargers at the Metrolink station located within the city, which had 179 charging sessions over the past year.
“We appreciate that Moorpark can take advantage of grant funding to offer new services like EV chargers in our parks,” said City of Moorpark Mayor Chris Enegren. “Whether someone is at the park for a walk or from out of town for a weekend sports tournament at the park, we are glad we can offer EV charging now.”
The VCAPCD also provided funding for the project. Thus far, VCAPCD’s more than $1.3 million investment has resulted in 18 DC Fast Chargers with 36 connectors. These charging stations are located within the cities of Moorpark, Oxnard, and Thousand Oaks; including 14 located within low-income and disadvantaged communities which are at great risk of air pollution from transportation sources.
“This project is important to Ventura County’s progression toward zero-emission transportation technology. The number of charging stations being installed will help expedite the use of all-electric and hybrid vehicles throughout our county. As a stakeholder contributor to this project, we take pride in joining with CPA, and look forward to many more opportunities for electric vehicle adoption to unfold,” said Ali Reza Ghasemi, Executive Officer for the VCAPCD.
Ventura County Supervisor Janice Parvin represents District 4 of Ventura County which includes the City of Moorpark. Parvin served as Mayor of the City of Moorpark for 14 years and on the city council for an additional six years prior to being elected County Supervisor.
“I’m very proud that Ventura County has benefitted from this historic investment that is providing residents easy access to clean energy innovations that brighten the future of our communities,” said Parvin. “It’s imperative that we continue working together to bring more opportunities such as this to improve the lives of all our stakeholders.”