(a) (1) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(A) Advanced clean vehicles and fuels are needed to reduce petroleum use, to meet air quality standards, to improve public health, and to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.
(B) Widespread transportation electrification is needed to achieve the goals of the Charge Ahead California Initiative (Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 44258) of Part 5 of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code).
(C) Widespread transportation electrification requires increased access for disadvantaged communities, low- and moderate-income communities, and other consumers of zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles, and increased use of those vehicles in those communities and by other consumers to enhance air quality, lower greenhouse gases emissions, and promote overall benefits to those communities and other consumers.
(D) Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 will require widespread transportation electrification.
(E) Widespread transportation electrification requires electrical corporations to increase access to the use of electricity as a transportation fuel.
(F) Widespread transportation electrification should stimulate innovation and competition, enable consumer options in charging equipment and services, attract private capital investments, and create high-quality jobs for Californians, where technologically feasible.
(G) Deploying electric vehicles should assist in grid management, integrating generation from eligible renewable energy resources, and reducing fuel costs for vehicle drivers who charge in a manner consistent with electrical grid conditions.
(H) Deploying electric vehicle charging infrastructure should facilitate increased sales of electric vehicles by making charging easily accessible and should provide the opportunity to access electricity as a fuel that is cleaner and less costly than gasoline or other fossil fuels in public and private locations.
(I) According to the State Alternative Fuels Plan analysis by the Energy Commission and the State Air Resources Board, light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicle electrification results in approximately 70 percent fewer greenhouse gases emitted, over 85 percent fewer ozone-forming air pollutants emitted, and 100 percent fewer petroleum used. These reductions will become larger as renewable generation increases.
(2) It is the policy of the state and the intent of the Legislature to encourage transportation electrification as a means to achieve ambient air quality standards and the state’s climate goals. Agencies designing and implementing regulations, guidelines, plans, and funding programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions shall take the findings described in paragraph (1) into account.
(b) The commission, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board and the Energy Commission, shall direct electrical corporations to file applications for programs and investments to accelerate widespread transportation electrification to reduce dependence on petroleum, meet air quality standards, achieve the goals set forth in the Charge Ahead California Initiative (Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 44258) of Part 5 of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code), and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Programs proposed by electrical corporations shall seek to minimize overall costs and maximize overall benefits. The commission shall approve, or modify and approve, programs and investments in transportation electrification, including those that deploy charging infrastructure, via a reasonable cost recovery mechanism, if they are consistent with this section, do not unfairly compete with nonutility enterprises as required under Section 740.3, include performance accountability measures, and are in the interests of ratepayers as defined in Section 740.8. Not less than 35 percent of the investments pursuant to this subdivision shall be in underserved communities as that term is defined in Section 1601.
(c) The commission shall review data concerning current and future electric transportation adoption and charging infrastructure utilization prior to authorizing an electrical corporation to collect new program costs related to transportation electrification in customer rates. If market barriers unrelated to the investment made by an electric corporation prevent electric transportation from adequately utilizing available charging infrastructure, the commission shall not permit additional investments in transportation electrification without a reasonable showing that the investments would not result in long-term stranded costs recoverable from ratepayers.
(d) This section applies to an application to the commission for transportation electrification programs and investments if one of the following conditions is met:
(1) The application is filed on or after January 1, 2016.
(2) The application is filed before January 1, 2016, but has an evidentiary hearing scheduled on or after July 1, 2016.
(Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 372, Sec. 1. (AB 841) Effective January 1, 2021.)