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Suffering from EV ‘range anxiety’? A new bill could bring some relief

If the idea of driving an electric vehicle gives you some so-called ‘range-anxiety’, a new bill which was signed into law this week, could bring some relief.
Caroline Feraday
/
KCLU
If the idea of driving an electric vehicle gives you some so-called ‘range anxiety’, a new state bill that was signed into law this week could bring some relief.

The law was signed into law this month.

A new California law aimed at enhancing the reliability and availability of electric vehicle chargers.

"Quite often these chargers aren't working and you don't see online that they're not working," said Democratic Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin of Thousand Oaks, who authored the bill. AB1423 was signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom this month.

Irwin said a barrier to installing chargers has been a requirement for them to have a credit card reader — and that requirement has been removed.

"It adds a significant portion to the cost of an EV charger," explained Irwin.

"When a driver has an experience where they're having range anxiety, it really is a leap of faith to purchase an electric vehicle the next time. Without these significant improvements that streamline the driver experience, we're going to be jeopardizing our clean transportation future."

Caroline joined KCLU in October 2020. She won LA Press Club's Audio Journalist of the Year Award for three consecutive years in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Since joining the station she's also won 11 Golden Mike Awards, 8 Los Angeles Press Club Journalism Awards, 4 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards and three Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for Excellence in Writing, Diversity and Use of Sound.

She started her broadcasting career in the UK, in both radio and television for BBC News, 95.8 Capital FM and Sky News and was awarded by Prince Philip for her services to radio and journalism in 2007.

She has lived in California for twelve years and is both an American and British citizen - and a very proud mom to her daughter, Elsie.