Specific to California and Washington, Direct Current Fast Charging Infrastructure (FCI) crediting provisions within the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and Washington Clean Fuel Standard (CFS) allow for station owners of publically available charging stations to recoup major portions, if not the entirety, of costs of procuring, installing, and maintaining DC fast chargers.
Unlike the typical process of the LCFS and CFS, where credits are accrued relative to the quantity of energy consumed, FCI allows for credits to be issued relative to the size of the changing units deployed. Anything over 50kW is permitted, as long as the station remains publically accessible.
For a site to be eligible, certain criteria must be met, including:
The site must be publicly accessible, though can be restricted (accessibility less than 24 hours/day reduces the site’s infrastructure credits)
Must be able to accept major credit/debit cards at a point-of-sale terminal
Must not be installed as a result of a CA/Fed settlement or CEQA mitigation measure
Refueling infrastructure intended for light-duty vehicle refueling stations only
There is a 2,500 kW Max (up to 6,000 kW with approval), each charger must be a minimum of 50 kW
Must have started operating after 1/1/2019