TO: Napa County Climate Action Committee
FROM: Brian D. Bordona, Director of Planning, Building, & Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Ryan Melendez, Planner II - Sustainability
SUBJECT: Electric Vehicle Charging Implementation Update and MCE Technical Assistance Program Participation
RECOMMENDATION
title
Receive a presentation from Staff regarding the status of EV charging infrastructure in County and a joint application to the MCE EV Charging Technical Assistance and Rebate Program.
body
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California
Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
At the November 2021 Climate Action Committee (CAC) meeting, staff reported on the status of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, including current numbers and future projections. At that time, there were 312 Level 2 charging spaces and 43 DC Fast Charger spaces. An update was provided at the September 2023 CAC meeting, based on National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) data, showing 399 Level 2 charging spaces and 42 DC Fast Charger spaces, representing an increase of 87 Level 2 chargers and a decrease of one functional DC Fast Charger over the two-year period.
As of November 2025, NREL data show that there are 561 Level 2 chargers and 72 DC Fast Chargers countywide. The breakdown of chargers by jurisdiction include:
- American Canyon: 26 Level 2 chargers; 0 DC Fast Chargers
- Calistoga: 28 Level 2 chargers; 0 DC Fast Chargers
- City of Napa: 191 Level 2 Chargers; 58 DC Fast Chargers
- Napa County: 274 Level 2 Chargers; 14 DC Fast Chargers
- St. Helena: 24 Level 2 Chargers; 0 DC Fast Chargers
- Yountville 18 Level 2 Chargers; 0 DC Fast Chargers
While additional chargers have been installed in the past two years, there is still a large gap in the number of public charging spaces needed within Napa County. According to a projection by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), Napa County and the jurisdictions within would need 727 additional Level 2 chargers (1288 total) by 2025 to meet the increased energy demand of more electric vehicles on the road. Countywide, the number of DC Fast Chargers installed surpasses the need according to CARB analysis by 9 chargers; however, when specified by jurisdictional population data, several jurisdictions are behind their projected needed DC Fast Chargers.
County staff have begun working with other jurisdictional staff to participate in the MCE EV Charging Technical Assistance and Rebate program. Using the UC Berkeley EV Equity Mapping Tool which the CAC previously approved funding for, staff identified 11 initial sites to include in a joint application to the MCE program. Initial sites were chosen using the following criteria: (1) publicly-owned parcels, (2) near multifamily housing or commercial properties, (3) sites currently have no, or low access to public charging, (4) parks & recreational sites, and (5) jurisdictions which hadn’t recently submitted an MCE program application. Staff arrived at 11 sites owned by the City of American Canyon, the City of Calistoga, and Napa County.
After initial site selection, staff engaged with Department of Public Works (DPW) staff at each of the jurisdictions in which sites were identified to verify if there was interest in participating in a joint program application. DPW staff provided insight into the properties identified, and the list of sites was refined to eight (8) sites.
Once these sites were confirmed, County staff submitted a Master Application for the MCE program and served as the primary point of contact for coordinating with MCE, CLEAResult (program implementation consultant), and DPW staff. CLEAResult provided site questionnaire documents to each jurisdiction’s DPW staff to provide site details including location of electrical infrastructure, the number of parking spaces, and the desired number of EV chargers to include in a site evaluation.
After the questionnaires were completed, CLEAResult staff scheduled site visits with each jurisdiction’s DPW staff to confirm the electrical capacity of each site, the location and proximity of electrical infrastructure to existing or planned parking spaces, and any other needed information to develop site reports and cost estimates for EV charging solutions at each site.
After the site visits were completed, CLEAResult technical assistance staff provided Site Reports and Cost Estimates for each site’s charging solution(s).
At the time of this presentation, the two (2) sites in Calistoga have completed the program processes and received Site Reports and Cost Estimates. Two (2) sites in American Canyon and one (1) site in Napa County jurisdiction have completed the site visits and are awaiting receipt of the Site Reports and Cost Estimates. And lastly, three (3) sites in American Canyon have completed the site questionnaire and are awaiting scheduling for site visits.
Once Site Reports and Cost Estimate reports are completed, jurisdictional staff can use these documents to plan and budget for these EV Charging solutions, including applying for external funding opportunities.
Staff have identified a few EV Charging funding options including:
1. MCE EV Charging Rebates: <https://mcecleanenergy.org/ev-charging/>
- $750 per Level 1 port (up to 40) for Light Green customers
- $850 per Level 1 port for Deep Green customers (all CAC jurisdictions)
- $4,000 per Level 2 port (up to 20) for Light Green customers
- $4,500 per Level 2 port for Deep Green customers
2. Communities in Charge Incentives <https://thecommunitiesincharge.org/>
- Multifamily housing sites (w/in 1/8 mile), student housing, workforce housing, and entities that serve these categories are eligible
- $2,000 per Level 1 port + $800 for multifamily housing project site for tribal government, tribal entity, or non-governmental orgs. serving tribal communities
- $8,500 per Level 2 port + $3,500 for multifamily housing project site for tribal government, tribal entity, or non-governmental orgs. serving tribal communities
3. ’Bay Area Air Districts Charge! Program <https://www.baaqmd.gov/funding-and-incentives/businesses-and-fleets/charge> (Fiscal Year Ending 2025 is closed, may renew future funding)
- $2,000 per charging port for Level 1 and Low-voltage Level 2 chargers (1.4-5.99 kW) (Multifamily sites only)
- $5,000 per charging port for Higher-voltage Level 2 chargers (6+ kW)
- $35K per port for 50-149.99 kW DCFC
- $45K per port for 150+ kW
- Kicker incentives for Priority Population Areas and Multifamily project sites
4. CALeVIP Fast Charge California Project <https://calevip.org/fast-charge-california-project>
- For only DC Fast Chargers (DCFC)
- Up to $100,000 per charging port
- Application deadline: January 29, 2026
By taking a regional approach to applying for external funding or grant programs, applications might be more competitive; however, jurisdictions can move forward with installing EV Charging solutions independently.