Transportation Electrification - California Climate and Energy Collaborative

Barrier 1: Transportation Electrification

Barrier Statement

Lack of coordination between vehicle electrification, charging infrastructure, building systems, and the grid limits the resilience and energy benefits of transportation decarbonization, leaving communities unable to fully realize the potential of clean mobility investments and emission reductions.

Filterable Database

How communities are experiencing this barrier

View the details on what communities have shared with SLECC from across the state.

Key challenge discussed in - San Francisco Bay Area, Inland Deserts

Charging infrastructure remains inconsistent, insufficient, and poorly located, leaving many communities—especially low-income and rural areas—without reliable access to EV charging. This limits EV adoption and increases range anxiety for prospective users. One example of this is in the Inland Southern California desert region where EV adoption and charging remain well below the state average, reflecting geographic and equity disparities in clean transportation investment.

Key challenge discussed in - Inland Deserts

Transportation is the single largest contributor to Palm Springs’ greenhouse gas emissions, and addressing this requires both infrastructure and behavioral strategies to promote clean mobility under extreme climate conditions. Palm Springs’ geography and extreme heat create added challenges for mode shifts, as walking, biking, and transit use become difficult during long periods of 110°F+ temperatures

Key challenge discussed in - Los Angeles

Need for sophisticated management: Programs that rely on EVs and stationary batteries must carefully “piece out” capacity for multiple uses (mobility, building demand, backup). Without strong operational systems, complexity discourages projects from moving forward .

Key challenge discussed in - Los Angeles

Fleet battery management: While many municipal and school buses use only part of their daily range, leaving untapped storage capacity, coordinating fleet use for both mobility and grid support requires sophisticated day-to-day planning. Current policies, demand-response penalties, and lack of management tools make it risky and difficult to rely on EVs for critical backup power.

Local Solution Opportunities

SLECC stakeholders have brainstormed the following solution opportunities that can be taken by local leaders. Existing examples of progress or pathways to make further progress are highlighted if known.

Local Solution

Integrate charging equity into local climate and mobility plans, ensuring chargers are installed where residents live and gather, not just along highways.

Existing Examples of Progress:

Further Progress Pathways

Region(s): Inland Deserts

Local Solution

Engage private sector partners to expand EV charging network.

Existing Examples of Progress:

The city of Palm Springs is exploring partnerships with retail centers, grocery stores, and other destinations to host chargers, creating a more distributed and convenient network for EV users

Further Progress Pathways

Region(s): Inland Deserts

Local Solution

Integrate active transportation with heat adaptation.

Existing Examples of Progress:

Palm Springs received a grant to study the impact of heat and shade on transportation, which will inform infrastructure design, such as shaded walkways and cooling corridors, to make walking and biking viable even in hot months.

Further Progress Pathways

Region(s): Inland Deserts

State Solution Opportunities

SLECC stakeholders have brainstormed the following solution opportunities that can be taken by state leaders. Existing examples of progress or pathways to make further progress are highlighted if known.

State Solution

Allow non-IOUs to be Program Administrators under the Transportation Electrification Framework

Existing Examples of Progress:

Further Progress Pathways

Region(s): Statewide

State Solution

Prioritize equity metrics that direct rebates and charging investments to areas with high pollution burdens and low EV ownership rates.

Existing Examples of Progress:

1. The Center for Sustainable Energy’s public dashboards tracking EV incentives and charger installations statewide, which help local agencies see where funding has (and hasn’t) flowed, providing a data-driven foundation for equitable infrastructure planning. 2. “Communities in Charge” Level 2 charging program—administered by CalSTART and funded by CEC—was highlighted as an example of how targeted programs can expand charging access in disadvantaged and tribal communities when equity metrics are applied

Further Progress Pathways

Region(s): Inland Deserts

State Solution

Target incentives to underserved desert regions by allocating a higher share of funds to Inland Empire and Coachella Valley communities under programs like CSE’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Project and Communities in Charge.

Existing Examples of Progress:

Further Progress Pathways

Region(s): Inland Deserts

Solution Spotlight

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Additional Resources

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