Let's Green CA with EV Charging SB 823

The Let's Green CA! team has introduced a new bill, SB 832, which will be presented to the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee on April 24th. The team successfully passed a previous bill, SB 1230, which was signed into law by Governor Newsom last year. Their focus is to make California a more sustainable and eco-friendly place to live.

Their latest bill, SB 823, aims to provide affordable electric vehicle (EV) charging for low- and moderate-income households. Let's Green CA has collaborated with Senator Smallwood-Cuevas to introduce the bill, which seeks to overcome the obstacles to EV adoption. Studies have shown that affordable EV charging is critical to ensure fair access across all income and racial demographics.

SB823 would create a program called the 'Discounted EV Charging Payment Card' for EV drivers with household incomes below 400% of the federal poverty level and who are unable to charge at home. Customers would receive affordable rates at public chargers and be granted additional discounts if they qualify for their utility's income-qualified discounts. The bill would also mandate increased EV charger uptime in underserved communities.

In short, SB823 would: 

• Create a ‘Discounted EV Charging Payment Card’ program for EV drivers with household incomes below 400% of the federal poverty level and who are unable to charge at home

• Allow customers to receive the same affordable rates that those with at-home chargers benefit from, but at public chargers

• Grant additional discounts to customers who would qualify for their utility’s CARE or FERA program (these income-qualified discounts generally range from 15%-30%) 

• Mandate increased EV charger uptime in underserved communities 

Supporters can show their support for the bill by signing on to the support letter via a form provided on their website: https://action.greencal.org/action/sb823-support-letter