EV charging infrastructure to expand in Ventura County. Here's what you need to know

• By 2035, 100% of new cars and light trucks sold in California to be zero-emission vehicles.
• A $12 million federal grant will install 190 new charging stations in Ventura County.
• From 2018 to 2022, EV ownership rose from over 8,500 to 29,000 in Ventura County.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified a vehicle. It should have said Chevrolet Volt. Also, a charging station at an assisted-living facility offers market-rate charging.

Thousand Oaks resident Clint Fultz will "never buy a gas-powered car again." He switched to an electric vehicle, or EV, last year when he bought a Chevrolet Bolt EUV.

He and the growing number of EV owners will need more chargers to keep up with demand. EV drivers who are homeowners can typically charge at home but those who live in apartment complexes, condominiums or other housing may not have that option.

Fultz is a caregiver who lives in an apartment building that doesn’t have charging ports for residents. He often uses chargers at an assisted-living facility where he works a few days a week, which are available at market rate for people who live and work there. But he mostly relies on paid fast chargers available nearby like at The Oaks mall.

Ventura County needs 3,241 chargers by 2025, according to the 2019 report EV Ready Blueprint. Local officials say they are in the process of updating the number of charging ports needed in the county, but they don't have the new figures yet.

New state mandates are adding pressure for more options to charge the vehicles. By 2035, California aims to have 100% of new cars and light trucks sold to be zero-emission vehicles and phase out gasoline-powered cars.

Ventura County currently has 871 chargers, which include 165 public DC fast chargers and the rest being public and shared private Level 1 and Level 2 chargers, according to the California Energy Commission. Shared private chargers refer to ports installed for employees, tenants or visitors at workplaces and multifamily residences.

Level 1 chargers take 40 hours for a full charge, Level 2 chargers take 4.5 hours and DC fast chargers, also known as Level 3 chargers, take 30 minutes. 

More chargers are a 'positive thing'

Last month, a $12 million federal grant for EV charging infrastructure was announced that will install 190 new charging stations, including 42 DC fast-charging ports, at 33 different locations spread across the county.

In October, the Star reported on a $4.8 million project by the Clean Power Alliance to install 443 charging stations. County officials said that there are other similar projects in the pipeline but could not provide an estimate of how many more chargers may be coming.

Fultz welcomed more chargers as "a positive thing."

“For people who don't have EVs yet or people considering EVs, the more chargers they see and the easier it is for them to charge, the more likely they are to make the switch," he said. 

Construction is also planned for two EV charging centers: one at the Ventura County Government Center and one at the Thousand Oaks Transit Center.

Additionally, the grant covers e-bike charging projects, EV-related outreach and programs to train people in installing, maintaining and operating EV equipment. Whether the new charging stations will be free or paid to use for the public may vary depending on the site host. 

In January, Reps. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, and Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village, celebrated the funding they helped secure through the U.S. Department of Transportation at an event at the Thousand Oaks Transit Center.

Thousand Oaks will receive around $5.6 million of the grant money. At the event, Thousand Oaks Mayor Al Adam said that part of the plan is to identify transportation disadvantaged and underserved communities.

The proposed east and west county charging centers will be equipped with both solar and battery storage to allow first responders and the public to be able to utilize EV charging during emergencies as well.

"I can't believe how many disasters we've had in the last seven years," Ventura County Supervisor Kelly Long said. "Adding this infrastructure will allow us to keep our communities safe."

Long said she also appreciated the Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance, or VCREA, team, who prepared the EV Ready Blueprint and laid the groundwork for the grant to implement it. The alliance is made up of public agencies working to create a more sustainable future.

“We needed to get charging infrastructure in our county because people are going to be purchasing more and more electric vehicles,” said VCREA Program Administrator Heather Allen in an interview after the event.

From 2018 to 2022, the county saw a significant increase in EV ownership from over 8,500 to 29,000 EVs, according to Allen.

Many of these EVs are Teslas, and the company has its own supercharger network with over 50,000 fast chargers spread across the world. An adapter for newer models allowed some Tesla drivers to charge at other stations as well but the reverse was not possible for a long time.

Last year, Tesla pledged to open a portion of its network to non-Tesla EVs, which will make at least 7,500 chargers across the U.S. available for all EVs by the end of 2024.

What about upkeep?

As charging infrastructure expands in Ventura County, efficient maintenance for new and old charging ports is a matter in question as well.

Maintenance for the chargers depends upon each grant’s specific requirements. Much of the infrastructure is funded through grant money, according to Allen, and while some come with a 10-year maintenance plan, some may only have five years or even a single year of maintenance built in.

So, the county is working with different organizations to help with repairs and maintenance training for workers. 

Allen added that due to supply-chain problems during the pandemic, certain replacement parts were on backorder for a while and several out-of-order charging stations were left unrepaired for up to five months.

For the planned charging stations, the county will also collaborate with the site hosts to streamline maintenance.

Location, location, location

Ventura resident Kent Bullard believes that the location of new charging ports is key to their success. Convenience, safety and mobility also need to be considered.

“If you're sitting next to a Denny's, you go in and get something to eat or go to the bathroom,” he said. “No one wants to be parked in the back of a warehouse.”

Bullard is one of the leaders of a community group of around 700 county residents called the Electric Vehicle Advocates of Ventura County. He currently drives a Tesla Model 3 and also owns a Chevrolet Volt, which is a plug-in hybrid.

Bullard noted that when you’re charging, you're plugged in and you can’t exactly drive away. He shared that Tesla has developed a breakaway adaptor that allows the car to unlock and release if the car needs to be driven away while charging.

“If you're sitting in your car and someone comes (along) and starts banging on your window, you're not gonna feel real safe," he said.

Bullard has also worked with the county in the past, most recently as a volunteer for the development of the EV Ready Blueprint and as a short-term contractor, providing technical support to the VCREA.

Another member of the EV advocates group, Brian Pletcher, echoed the importance of location selection. 

“It doesn't make a lot of sense to have a Level 2 charger at a fast food place because typically you're in and out of there in 20 minutes or so,” he said. “It does make sense to have them where maybe you're going to have students at a library where they are going to be able to spend three or four hours and get a full charge.” 

A Thousand Oaks resident, Pletcher works in information technology at the Bank of America. He started driving electric in 2017 with a Chevrolet Bolt and now drives a Hyundai Ioniq 5. His wife liked the Bolt so much that she decided that would be her car. Their 25-year-old son also drives another Bolt now. 

The high price point of EVs may be a barrier to purchasing one for many consumers, but a 2020 Consumer Reports study notes that EV drivers spend about 60% less each year on fuel costs.

The county also has an EV coach whose job is to help cities, any community member business or resident with questions about EVs and charging infrastructure — an “electrified transportation resource for our community,” according to Allen.

County staff will soon meet with Department of Transportation staff to go over the grant’s details including timelines.

Dua Anjum is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at dua.anjum@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism.