To lower building costs, California wrongly takes aim at EV chargers for new apartments

California's Legislature is weighing a bill to roll back electric vehicle charging requirements in new affordable housing. Assembly Bill 2748 would allow developers to use older building standards, aiming to cut construction costs. CalMatters reports that advocates argue the move would backfire. The 2025 building code actually doubles charging access compared to 2022 standards while keeping costs essentially the same or lower. Charging infrastructure is less than one percent of affordable housing construction costs—far less than labor, lumber, and land. But for residents without home charging access, the impact is real: public chargers cost six times more than residential rates. And retrofitting charging after construction costs three times as much. The bill's savings today mean higher costs tomorrow—and that burden falls on those who can afford it least.

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