The California Public Utilities Commission, which authorised Southern California Edison to install 1,500 charging points in January, has now granted permission for San Diego Gas & Electric to launch a similar pilot.

Set to be installed in clusters of ten at 350 businesses and multi-family communities across San Diego and Orange County, the units are aimed at offering accessible local charging facilities and enabling residents to switch to plug-in vehicles.

Via reduced rates, users will be encouraged to charge at off-peak times, when the grid is mostly running on renewable energy. It’s hoped this will also balance the load on the grid, reducing the need for additional power stations to keep up with demand.