Newsom Signs Six EV Charging, Incentive Bills
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed six bills aimed at speeding up electric vehicle charger deployment and expanding zero-emission vehicle access, according to a statement from the governor’s office. The office announced the package Sunday.
The package includes SB 969, by Democratic State Sen. Eloise Gómez Reyes, which lets manufacturer-tested public chargers begin operating sooner under a revised inspection process. SB 1283, by Democratic State Sen. Angelique Ashby, extends streamline permitting related charger work such as trenching, electrical upgrades, solar canopies and battery storage.
AB 1820, by Democratic Assembly Member Pilar Schiavo, lowers permitting barriers and fees for charging at apartments and mixed-use developments. SB 1213, by Democratic State Sen. Eloise Reyes, and SB 1267 and SB 615, by Democratic State Sen. Ben Allen, address transparency in zero-emission truck incentives, charger access in homeowner associations and EV battery disclosures.
Newsom said President Donald Trump “has failed to protect American families from paying skyrocketing costs at the pump.” He tied higher fuel prices to foreign conflicts and oil company profits, according to the statement.
The California average retail gasoline price was $6.08/gal on Sept. 17, according to AAA. That was up 19cts/gal from a week earlier and $1.43/gal from a year earlier. The state average was 36cts/gal below its record of $6.44/gal set June 15, 2022.
The bills build on the state’s MyFirstEV program, which offers first-time buyers an instant rebate of up to $3,500 on a qualifying new ZEV or up to $1,750 on a used one. The state committed $135.5 million to the program, matched by participating automakers for $271 million in point-of-sale savings, the governor’s office said.
MyFirstEV is part of a $600 million clean-vehicle package funded through the Cap-and-Invest revenue and smog-abatement fees. The California Energy Commission allocated $98.5 million in light-duty ZEV infrastructure funding for fiscal 2025-26.
Californians bought 86,857 new ZEVs in the second quarter of 2026, or 19.1% of new vehicle sales in the state, according to the governor’s office. Cumulative ZEV sales exceed 2.7 million, above the state’s original goal of 1.5 million by 2025.
The state has more than 216,445 public and shared charging plugs, including more than 20,000 DC fast-charging ports, the statement said.
Reporting by My Nguyen, mynguyen@opisnet.com; Editing by Dean Visser, dean.visser@dowjones.com