Electric vehicle charging stations: arenas: payments: internet-based applications.

Senator Richardson’s measure reconfigures California’s EV charging payments by preserving core consumer protections against subscription-only access while enabling a narrowly scoped arena-based payment option. The centerpiece is a carve-out that would allow an internet-based application to be the sole payment method for charging services on the premises of a qualifying arena with at least 15,000 seats, where access to the charging site is possible only through that app. Outside of this context, the bill maintains requirements that publicly available stations offer non-subscription payment options and disclose total charges at the point of sale, with additional payment methods evolving over time. For newer stations, the measure requires a contactless payment method that accepts major cards and an option to initiate and pay via an automated toll-free line or SMS, and it requires Plug and Charge capabilities for DC fast charging by a specified deadline, subject to regulatory adjustment in light of changing technologies.

The bill preserves and clarifies several mechanisms governing payments and access. It requires service providers to disclose to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory the station’s geographic location, fee schedule, accepted payment methods, and any roaming charges for nonmembers. It mandates labeling consistent with federal regulations and, where feasible, directional signage in the parking area. A framework for interoperability and roaming among major charging network providers remains, with a threshold defining a “major provider” (initially those managing 100 publicly available stations, subject to possible adjustment) and requirements that such providers accept payments from users of other major providers and automakers. The roaming regime would allow either bilateral or hub-based roaming agreements, and regulators may adopt interoperability standards if none exist via a national standards process, with performance expectations for major providers to meet those standards within a defined period.

The measure introduces a conditional operative structure that ties several amendments to the enactment and sequencing of a companion measure. An administrative provision specifies that the arena-based exception and the related amendments to the statute become operative only if both measures are enacted and effective by a defined date, with additional sequencing rules depending on which measure is enacted first. It also contemplates regulatory timing for broader payment-method adjustments, with a mechanism for the commission to adjust requirements as technologies and costs evolve, including a not-earlier-than date for such regulatory changes. Notably, the measure states that there is no new appropriation, leaving regulatory activities to existing agency resources, and it does not specify penalties or explicit enforcement provisions within the text.

Together, the proposals aim to modernize payment options and data transparency in California’s EV charging ecosystem while preserving broad protections against subscription-only access, and they introduce a narrowly tailored arena-specific exception that would rely on a single internet-based app for payments in that context. The policy architecture foregrounds consumer pricing transparency, data-sharing with a national lab, federal labeling alignment, and cross-network interoperability, but also raises questions about definitions, implementation sequencing with companion legislation, and the practical and enforcement implications for arena operators, charging networks, and drivers.