​​​​​​​GFO-25-604 – California’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program - Solicitation 4

GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

California’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program - Solicitation 4 (North / Central)

Addendum 02

Disclaimer: Added language appears in bold underline, and deleted language appears in [strikethrough] and within square brackets.

GFO-25-604

Solicitation Information

https://www.energy.ca.gov/funding-opportunities/solicitations

State of California

California Energy Commission

[January 2026]

April 2026

Table of Contents

Attachments

1 – Project Narrative

2 – Schedule of Products and Due Dates

3 – Proposal Budget

4 – Letters of Commitment

5 – Preliminary Site Plan

6 – California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Worksheet

7 – National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Preliminary Environmental Study (PES) Form

8 – Utility Verification Form

9 – Resumes

10 – Contact List

11 – Past Performance Reference Form

12 – Applicant Declaration

13 – Letters of Support (optional)

14 – Restricted Access Letters or Agreements (if required)

15 – Scope of Work (informational only)

16 – Right of Way Certification Form 13B (NEVI) (informational only)

I. Introduction

A. Purpose of Solicitation

This is a competitive grant solicitation. The California Energy Commission (CEC) announces the availability of up to $69,500,000 in grant funds for projects that will strategically deploy high-powered, direct current (DC) fast charging infrastructure to support medium- and heavy-duty (MDHD) electric vehicle (EV) travel along major corridors of the state highway system in northern and central parts of California. The purpose of this solicitation is to significantly expand the MDHD EV charging infrastructure along these corridors per National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program requirements, contributing to the national charging network being built under this program.

Submitted projects should be for installation and operation of DC fast chargers, using commercially available technology, within a previously disturbed or developed area such that the projects will qualify for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) categorical exclusion for electric vehicle charging stations codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Chapter X, Part 1021, Appendix B, Categorical Exclusion B5.23, as explained in the Federal Register notice of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s adoption of the electric vehicle charging stations categorical exclusion (see https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/09/20/2023-20238/notice-of-adoption-of-electric-vehicle-charging-stations-categorical-exclusion-under-the-national).

B. Background

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (Public Law 117-58) authorizes hundreds of billions of dollars in new investments in a wide array of infrastructure categories, including roads and bridges, water infrastructure, passenger rail, energy, and broadband internet. The IIJA includes $5 billion to accelerate EV infrastructure deployment nationally under the NEVI formula program. California’s share is expected to be $384 million allocated over 5 years.

NEVI is an initiative to create a coast-to-coast network of EV chargers focused on major highways that support the majority of long-distance trips. This national network will give drivers confidence that they can always find a place to charge, and jump start private investment in charging infrastructure.

The CEC is collaborating with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) on charging infrastructure deployment under an interagency agreement in which the CEC is charged with implementing and administering California’s NEVI formula program.

The CEC and Caltrans prepare NEVI deployment plans as required by the NEVI formula program. The most recent California NEVI Plan is found at https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/sustainability/documents/transportation-electrification/nevi/2025-ca-nevi-plan-update-a11y.pdf. Information about the state’s implementation of the NEVI program is found at https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/federal-ev-infrastructure-programs.

C. Key Activities and Dates

Key activities including dates and times for this solicitation are presented below. An addendum will be released if the dates change for the asterisked (*) activities. Times listed are Pacific Standard Time or Pacific Daylight Time, whichever is being observed.

ACTIVITY	ACTION DATE
Solicitation Release	January 21, 2026
Pre-Application Workshop*	February 4, 2026
Deadline for Written Questions*	February 12, 2026
Anticipated Distribution of Questions/Answers	[Week of] April 20 [6], 2026
ACTIVITY	ACTION DATE
Support for Application Submission in the Energy Commission Agreement Management System (ECAMS) until 5:00 p.m.	Ongoing until May 28 [13], 2026
Deadline to Submit Applications by 11:59 p.m.*	May 28 [13], 2026
Anticipated Notice of Proposed Awards Posting	Week of August 10 [July 27], 2026
Anticipated CEC Business Meeting	November [October] 2026

D. How Award Is Determined

Awards will be determined in the following manner:

i. Applications must pass screening.

Applications must first pass the administrative screening and technical screening discussed in Section IV.A.1-4. Applicants that pass these screenings will proceed to Technical Evaluation, discussed in Section IV.A.6.

ii. Applications must achieve at least the minimum scores required in Technical Evaluation.

Applications will be evaluated separately using the scoring scale shown in Section IV.D. and the Technical Evaluation Criteria listed in Section IV.E. A minimum score of 70 percent is required for the application to be eligible for funding. Also, each application must additionally receive a minimum score of 70 percent on both Technical Evaluation Criterion 2, Project Readiness, and Technical Evaluation Criterion 4, Project Budget and Finances, to be eligible for funding.

iii. Applications will be ranked based on Cost Evaluation in their respective Project Regions.

Applications that pass Administrative and Technical screening and score at least 70 percent in Technical Evaluation (as described in i. and ii. above), will advance to Cost Evaluation, discussed in Section IV.A.7. and Section IV.F., wherein the cost efficiency metrics of Cost-per-new-Combined Charging System (CCS)-Port and Cost-per-kW of New Capacity will be calculated for each application:

• Cost-per-new-CCS-Port

• Cost-per-kW of New Capacity

Each metric is scored out of 50 points, for a total of 100 points. The applications with the lowest Cost-per-new-CCS-Port and lowest Cost-per-kW of new capacity will receive the highest scores. Unless the CEC exercises any of its other rights regarding this solicitation (e.g., to cancel the solicitation or reduce funding), each application’s proposed charging station will be ranked according to the combined score of its Cost-per-new-CCS-Port and Cost-per-kW of new capacity against other proposed charging stations in each Project Region as described in Section IV.A.7. and Section IV.F. Applications within each Project Region will be recommended for funding in order of highest to lowest combined score.

iv. Additional awards if funding is still available.

The CEC will recommend funding proposed projects in rank order based on their combined cost evaluation scores in each Project Region, as described in Section II.B.3.

If an application proposes an EV charging station location that is within 50 miles, measured in driving distance, of a higher-ranked application proposed for award under this solicitation, the CEC may, at its sole discretion, select the next ranked application for award to ensure adequate geographic distribution of funded stations.

The CEC reserves the right to modify the funding allocated to each Project Region. For example, if all eligible projects within a given Project Region have been proposed for award, or the geographic distribution of proposed awards is not adequate as described in the paragraph above, the CEC may opt to shift the remaining funds dedicated to that Project Region into a different Project Region(s).

If the funds available under this solicitation (or within a given Project Region) are insufficient to fully fund a grant proposal, CEC reserves the right to recommend partially funding that proposal. In this event, the proposed Applicant/Awardee and Commission Agreement Manager (CAM) shall meet and attempt to reach agreement on a reduced scope of work commensurate with the level of available funding.

E. Availability of Funds

A total of $69,500,000 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.

F. Maximum Award Amounts

Projects are eligible for 80 percent of the total allowable project cost, or $8 million, whichever is less. “Total allowable project cost” is the sum of the CEC’s reimbursable share and Applicant’s match share of the project costs.

There is no maximum award amount per charging port. The Cost-per-New-CCS-Port includes all CEC reimbursable costs associated with the capital expenditure required for the EV charging port. This includes, but is not limited to, administrative, installation, operations and maintenance, and equipment costs.

Projects will be evaluated on the degree to which the proposed infrastructure demonstrates a highly cost-effective use of CEC funds, with a low Cost-per-New-CCS-Port relative to the power level. Projects will be evaluated on both the Cost-per-new-CCS-Port and the Cost-per-kW of new capacity.

On-site renewable distributed energy resources and stationary battery energy storage systems related to the charging of EVs are eligible for CEC reimbursement; however, such costs may not exceed 50 percent of CEC grant funds. Additionally, these costs will be included in the calculation of Cost-per-New-CCS-Port for evaluation purposes.

G. Maximum Number of Applications

Applicants may submit up to five (5) applications per Project Region as defined in Section II.B.3. Each application must be for a different project site, be separate and distinct, and adhere to all requirements contained in this solicitation. Each application must propose one project that must consist of one EV charging station (in other words, one site) and install a minimum combined EV charging nameplate capacity of three (3) megawatts (MW) and eight (8) EV charging ports. Other project requirements are defined in Section II.B. of this manual.

If an Applicant is proposed for multiple awards, the CEC reserves the right to, in its sole discretion, combine those awards into a single grant agreement for ease of administration.

H. Applicant Award Cap

Applicants submitting multiple applications are eligible for no more than 20 percent of the total funding available under this solicitation. If an Applicant requests and is proposed to be awarded more than 20 percent of the funds available, the CEC intends to propose awards to the Applicant using the Cost Evaluation score for each application. If some of the Applicant’s applications received the same score, the tie breaker criteria listed in Section IV.G. will be used to determine which applications are proposed for award.

If the highest-scoring application within a Project Region is not eligible because the Applicant has exceeded the applicant award cap, the CEC may award the next-highest-scoring application for that Project Region.

The CEC reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify or eliminate the applicant award cap.

I. Agreements Contingent on Funding Availability

Without limitation to any other of the CEC’s rights and remedies, if any of the Clean Transportation Program funds used for agreements resulting from this solicitation, or any of the federal funds for the NEVI program, become unavailable; are reduced; or are deleted, for any reason including but not limited to FHWA’s failure to obligate funds, de-obligation of previously obligated funds, or failure to provide sufficient funds to reimburse the state of California for the work identified in agreements’ scopes of work, or for CEC administrative costs to oversee and implement resulting agreements, as the CEC may in its sole discretion determine, without limitation to all other rights and remedies available to it, the CEC shall have the option to either: (1) cancel agreements resulting from this solicitation with no liability occurring to the CEC; or (2) offer agreement amendments to Recipients to reflect a reduced amount of funds. Should the CEC choose to cancel any resulting agreements, the CEC shall have no liability to pay any funds whatsoever to Recipients, any subrecipients, and any vendors; nor to furnish any other consideration under the agreements; and the Recipients shall not be obligated to perform any provisions of the agreements.

J. Pre-Application Workshop

There will be one Pre-Application Workshop; participation in this meeting is optional but encouraged. The Pre-Application Workshop will be held remotely through Zoom at the date, time and location listed below. Please call the Commission Agreement Officer (CAO) listed below or refer to CEC's solicitation information website at https://www.energy.ca.gov/funding-opportunities/solicitations to confirm the date and time.

February 4, 2026

9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Via Zoom

K. Participation Through Zoom

Zoom is the CEC's online meeting service. When attending remotely, presentations will appear on your computer/laptop/mobile device screen, and audio may be heard via the device or telephone. Please be aware that the Zoom meeting will be recorded.

Zoom Instructions:

To join this workshop, go to Zoom at: https://energy.zoom.us/j/87945249916?pwd=MWpTyXfJHqLQnZX2sFzYOV52w2rO0Y.1 . You may also access the workshop by going to the Zoom webpage at https://join.zoom.us and enter the unique meeting ID and password below:

Meeting ID: 879 4524 9916

Meeting Password: 693600

Topic: Pre-Application Workshop for GFO-25-604 California’s NEVI Solicitation 4

Telephone Access Only:

Call (888) 853-5257 or (888) 475-4499 (toll-free). When prompted, enter the unique meeting ID number above. To comment over the telephone, dial *9 to “raise your hand” and *6 to mute/unmute your phone line.

Access by Mobile Device:

Download the application from the Zoom Download Center at https://energy.zoom.us/download.

Technical Support:

For assistance with problems or questions about joining or attending the meeting, please call Zoom technical support at (888) 799-9666 ext. 2, or you may contact the CEC’s Public Advisor’s Office at publicadvisor@energy.ca.gov , or (916) 957-7910.

To determine whether your computer is compatible with Zoom, visit:

this website : https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362023-System-requirements-for-Windows-macOS-and-Linux.

L. Questions

During the solicitation process, for questions only related to submission of applications in ECAMS, please contact ECAMS.SalesforceSupport@energy.ca.gov . By contacting this email address, Applicants will be able to access a team of technical assistants who can answer questions about application submission. Please also see Section III for additional information about ECAMS.

Applicants may ask questions at the Pre-Application Workshop and may submit written questions via e-mail to the CAO listed in the following section. However, all technical questions must be received by the deadline listed in the “Key Activities and Dates” table above. Questions received after the deadline may be answered at the CEC's discretion. Non-technical questions (e.g., questions concerning application format requirements or attachment instructions) may be submitted to the CAO at any time prior to 5:00 p.m. of the application deadline date. Similarly, questions related to submission of applications in ECAMS may be submitted to ECAMS.SalesforceSupport@energy.ca.gov at any time prior to 5:00 p.m. of the application deadline date.

The question-and-answer set will be posted on the CEC’s solicitation information website at www.energy.ca.gov/funding-opportunities/solicitations.

Any verbal communication with a CEC employee concerning this solicitation is not binding on the State and shall in no way alter a specification, term, or condition of the solicitation. All communication must be directed in writing to the CAO assigned to the solicitation.

M. Contact Information

Laura Williams, Commission Agreement Officer

California Energy Commission

715 P Street, MS-18

Sacramento, California 95814

Telephone: (916) 879-1383

E-mail: laura.williams@energy.ca.gov

N. Reference Documents

Applicants responding to this solicitation may want to familiarize themselves with the following documents:

• California Energy Commission. Energy Commission Agreement Management System (ECAMS) . https://www.energy.ca.gov/funding-opportunities/funding-resources/ecams-resources.

• California Energy Commission. National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program . https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/national-electric-vehicle-infrastructure-nevi-formula-program.

• California Energy Commission. California’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Funding Program Map . https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/135c0da4b70f4717b4664ad2e427d2bc.

• Caltrans. Local Assistance Procedures Manual . https://dot.ca.gov/programs/local-assistance/guidelines-and-procedures/local-assistance-procedures-manual-lapm.

• Caltrans. Local Assistance Guidelines and Procedures . https://dot.ca.gov/programs/local-assistance/guidelines-and-procedures.

• Caltrans. Right of Way Manual . https://dot.ca.gov/programs/right-of-way/right-of-way-manual.

• National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Standards and Requirements . https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/02/28/2023-03500/national-electric-vehicle-infrastructure-standards-and-requirements.

• U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program . https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/nevi/.

• California Energy Commission and Caltrans. California's Deployment Plan for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program – 2025 Annual Update . https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/sustainability/documents/transportation-electrification/nevi/2025-ca-nevi-plan-update-a11y.pdf .

• Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. Technical Assistance . https://driveelectric.gov/technical-assistance/.

• National Archives – Federal Register. Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Electric Vehicle Chargers . https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/02/21/2023-03498/waiver-of-buy-america-requirements-for-electric-vehicle-chargers.

• California Energy Commission. National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Funding Program, Docket Log 22-EVI-05 . https://efiling.energy.ca.gov/Lists/DocketLog.aspx?docketnumber=22-EVI-05.

• Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program . https://evitp.org/.

• California Energy Commission. Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Assessment – SB 1000 . https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/clean-transportation-program/electric-vehicle-infrastructure.

• California Energy Commission. Electric Vehicles Charging Infrastructure Assessment – AB 2127 . https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/electric-vehicle-charging-infrastructure-assessment-ab-2127.

• California Air Resources Board. Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Standards. https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/electric-vehicle-supply-equipment-evse-standards.

• California Department of Food and Agriculture, Division of Measurement Standards. Zero-Emission Vehicle Projects. https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/dms/programs/zevfuels/.

II. Eligibility Requirements

A. Applicant Requirements

1. Eligibility

This solicitation is open to all private entities, excluding investor-owned utilities, and is also open to California Tribal Organizations serving California Native American Tribes.

Eligible Applicants must have less than or equal to fifty (50) active projects across all CEC-funded zero-emission vehicle infrastructure grant agreements, including block grants, at the time of agreement execution. A project is considered “active” if it has been awarded under one of CEC’s grants or block grant programs and construction has not finished on the project; a request for final reimbursement has not been submitted; final reimbursement is pending; or the agreement term has not expired. The CEC reserves the right to modify this requirement.

2. Terms and Conditions

Each grant agreement resulting from this solicitation will include terms and conditions that set forth the grant recipient’s rights and responsibilities. By providing the authorizations and certifications required under this solicitation, each Applicant agrees to enter into an agreement, if awarded, with the CEC to conduct the proposed project according to the terms and conditions for this solicitation, the NEVI Standard Terms and Conditions , found at https://www.energy.ca.gov/media/11964, the NEVI Special Terms and Conditions , found at https://www.energy.ca.gov/media/11963, and, if applicable, the Special Terms and Conditions for California Tribal Organizations serving California Native American Tribes with Sovereign Immunity , found at https://www.energy.ca.gov/media/12259, without negotiation.

Failure to agree to the terms and conditions by taking actions such as failing to provide the required authorizations and certifications or indicating that acceptance is based on modification of the terms may result in rejection of the application. Applicants must read the terms and conditions carefully. The CEC reserves the right to modify the terms and conditions prior to executing grant agreements.

If a California Tribal Organization (Tribal Organization) with sovereign immunity serving a California Native American Tribe (Tribe) with sovereign immunity is listed as a proposed awardee in the Notice of Proposed Awards (NOPA), before bringing the proposed award to a Business Meeting, CEC staff must receive (a) resolution(s) or other authorizing document(s) by the governing body of the Tribe and/or Tribal Organization (as applicable) which:

i. Authorizes the Tribal Organization to enter into the proposed agreement, including accepting the Special Terms and Conditions for California Tribal Organizations with Sovereign Immunity Serving California Native American Tribes with Sovereign Immunity, including the Limited Waiver of Sovereign Immunity and Consent to Jurisdiction; and

ii. Approves a limited waiver of the Tribal Organization’s sovereign immunity, to the extent that any such sovereign immunity exists, for any and all claims by the CEC that may arise relating to this Agreement and any remedies therefore under the laws of the state of California and the laws of the United States of America; and

iii. Consents to personal jurisdiction over the Tribal Organization, and consents to venue in any court of the State of California and any federal court sitting in the State of California; and waives any and all claim that the Tribal Organization may have, including without limitation that such court is an inconvenient forum, for the purposes of any proceeding related to this Agreement; and, with respect to a proceeding in a court of the State of California or a federal court sitting in the State of California, any requirement that tribal remedies must be exhausted; and

iv. Delegates authority to execute the proposed agreement to an appropriate individual.

The above requirements may be provided in one or more documents. The document(s) will be included as an exhibit to the resulting grant agreement.

Delay in award. Any delay in the Tribe or Tribal Organization’s ability to provide the documentation specified in sections (i)-(iv) above may result in a delayed award of the grant agreement.

Reservation of right to cancel proposed award. Funds available under this solicitation have encumbrance deadlines that the CEC must meet in order to avoid expiration of the funds. In addition to any other rights reserved to it under this solicitation or that it otherwise has, the CEC reserves the right to cancel a proposed award for an EV charging station at any time if it determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that the documentation described in sections (i)-(iv) above would likely not be provided prior to an encumbrance deadline, and that the CEC’s ability to meet its encumbrance deadline may thereby be jeopardized. In this instance, the CEC may cancel the proposed award and award funds to the next highest ranked application for that Project Region according to the evaluation process discussed in Section I.D. How Award is Determined.

3. California Secretary of State Registration

All corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), limited partnerships (LPs) and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) that conduct intrastate business in California are required to be registered and in good standing with the California Secretary of State prior to its project being recommended for approval at a CEC Business Meeting. If not currently registered with the California Secretary of State, Applicants and project team members (e.g. subrecipients and even match fund partners) are encouraged to contact the Secretary of State’s Office as soon as possible to avoid potential delays in beginning the proposed project(s) (should the application be proposed for funding).

For more information, contact the Secretary of State’s Office via the Secretary of State Office’s website at www.sos.ca.gov. Sole proprietors using a fictitious business name must be registered with the appropriate county and provide evidence of registration to the CEC prior to their project being recommended for approval at a CEC Business Meeting.

B. Project Requirements

Each application is considered one project and must propose to install one EV charging station that will support MDHD EVs at an eligible location, as described in Section II.B.2, adjacent to one of the state’s Alternative Fuel Corridors. The charging station may also support light-duty (LD) EVs, but the purpose and configuration of the station must prioritize MDHD EVs. Any costs associated foremost with LD EV charging will not be eligible for reimbursement by the CEC, nor counted toward match funding requirements. The project must develop, install, and operate the proposed EV charging station for at least five years as specified in the Scope of Work (Attachment 15).

The proposed EV charging station must install a minimum combined EV charging nameplate capacity of 3 MW and install a minimum of 8 new EV charging ports. See Section II.B.4. Megawatts Per EV Charging Station, Number of EV Charging Ports, and Connector Types for additional requirements.

For purposes of this solicitation, an EV charging station refers to the area in the immediate vicinity of a group of chargers and includes the chargers, supporting equipment, parking areas adjacent to the chargers, and lanes for vehicle ingress and egress. An EV charging station could comprise only part of the property on which it is located. Multiple chargers may be associated with one EV charging station.

MDHD EVs are defined as EVs with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 10,000 pounds and include vans, buses, and trucks. LD EVs are those with GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less.

The state’s Alternative Fuel Corridors are shown in California’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Funding Pr o gram Map at https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/national-electric-vehicle-infrastructure-nevi-formula-program-0.

1. Compliance with Requirements Applicable to NEVI Projects

Project selection and grant administration shall be consistent with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), (Pub. L. 117-58). The NEVI formula program is authorized under Paragraph (2) under the Highway Infrastructure Program heading in title VIII of division J of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Applicants should take note that there are special requirements associated with the federal NEVI formula program that will apply to projects awarded under this grant. Those requirements are described in detail in the terms and conditions that will be required for grants awarded under this solicitation, which are referenced in Section II.A.2.

Without limitation to those terms or any other provision of this solicitation or resultant grant agreements, Applicants should in particular note that all work must comply with the Build America Buy America Act enacted as part of the IIJA, Davis Bacon Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, all applicable requirements of Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Act [49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 24 et seq.], and the requirements of the federal NEVI Program, including the requirements of United States Code (USC) Title 23, Chapter 1; and 2 CFR part 200; and 23 CFR parts 35 and 36; any promulgated regulations for the federal NEVI Program; and California’s NEVI Deployment Plan, as amended from time to time.

The Federal Uniform Act must be followed on all federal-aid, local assistance projects, which is how all projects resulting from this solicitation will be categorized. This Act applies if federal funds are used in any phase of a project.

2. Project Location

• The proposed EV charging station must be located within California, along any corridor group or corridor segment of one (1) of the state’s Alternative Fuel Corridors, which are shown in California’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Funding Program Map at https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/national-electric-vehicle-infrastructure-nevi-formula-program-0.

• The proposed EV charging station must be sited within one (1) mile, as a vehicle drives by the shortest route, of the Alternative Fuel Corridor’s nearest off-ramp or intersection where a vehicle can leave the corridor. Applicants must show their calculation of the driving distance between the nearest exit of the Alternative Fuel Corridor to the proposed station in their Project Narrative (Attachment 1). The EV charging station must be easily accessible via a route that can safely and conveniently accommodate the expected MDHD EVs traveling to the facility, entering and leaving the facility, returning to the highway, and continuing in the original direction of travel.

• Proposed EV charging stations must be sited on previously disturbed or developed areas. “Previously disturbed or developed” refers to land that has been changed such that its functioning ecological processes have been and remain altered by human activity. The phrase encompasses areas that have been transformed from natural cover to non-native species or a managed state, including, but not limited to, utility and electric power transmission corridors and rights-of-way, and other areas where active utilities and currently used roads are readily available ( 10 CFR 1021.102(g)(1) , found at https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-10/chapter-X/part-1021/section-1021.102#p-1021.102(g)(1)).

• Access and parking must be in accordance with applicable requirements (such as local land use and zoning requirements) in the proposed project area and incorporate appropriate control technologies and best management practices as further described in the Federal Register notice of the Department of Transportation’s adoption of the EV charging stations categorical exclusion under NEPA (see https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/09/20/2023-20238/notice-of-adoption-of-electric-vehicle-charging-stations-categorical-exclusion-under-the-national).

• The proposed EV charging station must not be sited on property owned by Caltrans.

3. Project Regions

This solicitation identifies three project regions covering counties in central and northern California as listed below in Table 1 with funding allocated to each Project Region. The CEC reserves the right to modify the funding allocated to each Project Region.

Projects will be scored and ranked by Project Region, designated by the county in which the project’s proposed EV charging station is located. Projects will be ranked and awarded based on their Cost Evaluation within their respective Project Regions, as discussed in Section I. D., until the funding allocation has been reached for that Project Region, or until all passing projects in that Project Region are proposed for award, whichever is first.

If an application proposes an EV charging station location that is within 50 miles, measured in driving distance, of a higher-ranked application proposed for award under this solicitation, the CEC may, at its sole discretion, select the next ranked application to ensure adequate geographic distribution of funded stations.

The CEC reserves the right to modify the funding allocated to each Project Region. For example, if all eligible projects within a given Project Region have been proposed for award, or have been skipped over due to geographic proximity to a higher-ranked project as described in the paragraph above, the CEC may opt to shift the remaining funds dedicated to that Project Region into a different Project Region(s).

Table 1: Project Regions and Funding Allocations

Project Region	Counties	Funding Allocation
1	Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, Yuba	$9,845,000
2	Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma	$28,290,000
3	Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Sacramento, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura	$31,365,000
	TOTAL	$69,500,000

4. Megawatts Per EV Charging Station, Number of EV Charging Ports, and Connector Types

The CEC reserves the right to modify the requirements described below, including, but not limited to, charging station capacity minimums, number of EV charging ports, and connector types, to align with federal requirements, funding availability, or technological developments. If any of these requirements are modified, the CEC will work with Recipients to adjust the awarded projects, as necessary.

• Each proposed EV charging station must install a minimum of 3 MW nameplate of new charging capacity. If the proposed project is an expansion of an existing EV charging station, the project must add at least 3 MW of additional nameplate capacity to the site.

• Each project must include the installation of at least 8 new EV charging ports.

• Each project must also make the proposed EV charging station “MW Ready,” meaning it must install the conduit, switchgear, and pad to enable the future installation of at least, one 1-MW charger (the charger itself is not required).

• Each direct current (DC) fast charging port must meet applicable industry standards and must be capable of charging any CCS-compliant vehicle. Each DC fast charging port must have at least one permanently attached CCS Type 1 connector.

• Each port may optionally include any other non-proprietary connector type, except for CHAdeMO, but must still include at least one permanently attached CCS Type 1 connector.

• A proposed EV charging port can have multiple connectors, but because only one connector is usable at a time, no extra capacity is granted if there is more than one connector on a single port.

• Each proposed DC fast charging port, and each connector attached to the port, must have a nameplate capacity to supply at least 150 kilowatts (kW) and be able to supply that power as described in Section II.B.8. Charging Equipment and Networking Requirements.

5. Compliance with Applicable Laws, Ordinances, Regulations, and Standards

All Applicants proposed for award must comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, regulations, and standards; federal, state, and local electrical and building codes for construction.

6. EV Charging Station Accessibility and Availability

EV charging stations funded under this solicitation must be accessible 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, year-round, to the applicable customers as described in a), b), or c) of this section. This does not prohibit isolated or temporary interruptions in service or access because of maintenance or repairs.

EV charging stations must be one of the following:

a) Public Access, defined as an EV charging station that is open to the general public, meaning all EV charging equipment is available to any customer without restriction. A station that restricts access to certain customers, tenants, or employees is not publicly accessible.

b) Restricted Access, defined as an EV charging station that is open to authorized commercial motor vehicle operators from more than one company (the station cannot be limited to one company’s sole use). Commercial motor vehicle operators are any entity that operates a motor vehicle designed or regularly used to carry freight, merchandise, or more than ten passengers, whether loaded or empty, including buses, but not including vehicles used for vanpools, or recreational vehicles operating under their own power.

c) Hybrid Access, defined as an EV charging station that is part Public Access and part Restricted Access. In other words, some EV charging infrastructure is open to the general public, and some EV charging infrastructure is limited to authorized commercial motor vehicle operators from more than one company (not limited to one company’s sole use).

For Public Access stations, as well as the Public Access portions of Hybrid Access stations, signage that limits who can use the chargers is strictly prohibited. For such stations (or portions of stations), signs and other actions cannot be used to limit access to guests, patrons, or otherwise that would cause a driver to believe they would be prohibited from, towed, or fined for using the charger.

For Restricted Access stations, as well as the Restricted Access portions of Hybrid Access stations, the Application must include signed agreements or letters of intent from more than one commercial motor vehicle operator, attesting to their intended use of the station (Attachment 14).

EV charging stations must have paved parking spaces available to render EV charging services. EV charging stations and parking areas must be well lit. The charger user must be able to easily read any instructions on the charger and the area around the vehicle must have adequate lighting to allow the driver to safely walk from the charger to the charging port on the vehicle.

Proposed EV charging stations may utilize a reservation system, allowing customers the option to reserve chargers in advance of charging. If utilizing a reservation system, the reservation system must be available to all intended customers (either the general public or restricted-access users, depending on if the proposed station will be Public Access, Restricted Access, or Hybrid Access, as defined earlier in this section).

...