AB 1423 bars electric vehicle charging stations from gating access behind subscriptions or memberships and requires transparent, point-of-sale disclosure of total charges. For chargers first installed or made public on or after July 10, 2023, the bill imposes minimum pay‑at‑the‑pump capabilities (contactless card payments and either an automated toll‑free number or SMS payment) and phases in ISO 15118 Plug and Charge on new DC fast chargers.
The measure also requires service providers to publish station location, fees, accepted payment methods, and roaming charges to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, directs labeling and signage expectations, and gives the state commission authority to adopt network roaming standards that apply to "major" charging network providers (defined as those operating at least 100 public stations). The law forces transparency and basic interoperability while leaving the technical details and thresholds to later regulatory action — a consequential mix of consumer protection and market-shaping rules for charging networks and site hosts.
At a Glance
What It Does
The bill prohibits subscription or membership as a condition of accessing a paid EV charger and requires disclosure of total actual charges at point of sale. For chargers first made available on or after July 10, 2023, it mandates contactless card acceptance and either an automated toll‑free number or SMS payment; DC fast chargers get ISO 15118 Plug and Charge by July 10, 2024.
Who It Affects
Public charging site operators, EV network providers, automakers implementing Plug and Charge, arena operators with app‑only access, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as the recipient of station data. Regulators (the commission) gain authority to set roaming standards for large network providers.
Why It Matters
It fixes practical barriers that keep drivers off chargers (no card readers, requirement to join a network) and pushes the market toward standardized, credential‑free payments and roaming among large providers. That changes procurement and operating requirements for hosts and networks and creates a data stream to NREL that planners and policymakers will use.
More articles like this one.
A weekly email with all the latest developments on this topic.
What This Bill Actually Does
The bill focuses on making paid EV charging stations usable by drivers who do not want or cannot use a subscription. It flatly says operators cannot force users to pay a subscription or join a club to access a charger and must show the full, actual cost of a session at the point where the customer pays.
That disclosure obligation covers any additional network roaming charges that nonmembers would face.
For any charging station first installed or opened to the public on or after July 10, 2023, the bill sets a baseline of payment capability: a contactless payment method that takes major credit and debit cards using RFID or NFC, and either an automated toll‑free phone line or an SMS option to start a session and accept payment. The statute gives an extra technical push to DC fast chargers by requiring them to support Plug and Charge consistent with ISO 15118 no later than July 10, 2024, which automates authentication and billing between vehicle and charger.The law also creates transparency and labeling duties.
Service providers (or their designees) must report each station’s geographic location, fee schedule, accepted payment methods, and any roaming charges to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, producing a public‑use dataset for analysis and trip planning. Chargers must comply with federal labeling rules (Part 309, Title 16 CFR) and, where commercially sensible, be marked with directional signage.Finally, the bill contemplates larger interoperability work: if national interoperability billing standards don’t exist, the state commission may adopt billing and network roaming standards and apply them to “major” providers — defined as networks managing at least 100 public stations (with the commission able to raise that threshold).
Those standards must let major providers accept payments from users of multiple other major providers and automakers, while preserving the choice between bilateral or hub‑based roaming arrangements.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill forbids requiring a subscription or membership to use a paid EV charging station and requires disclosure of the total actual charge at the point of sale, including roaming fees for nonmembers.
Chargers first installed or opened on or after July 10, 2023 must accept contactless payments (RFID/NFC card readers) and provide either an automated toll‑free phone option or an SMS payment initiation method.
DC fast chargers first made public on or after July 10, 2023 must implement ISO 15118 Plug and Charge functionality no later than July 10, 2024.
Service providers must report each station’s location, fee schedule, accepted payment methods, and any network roaming charges to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
The commission can adopt interoperability billing standards applying to “major” network providers — initially defined as those operating at least 100 public stations — and require those providers to accept payments from users of other major providers and automakers.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
No subscription or membership as condition of use; price disclosure
This subsection makes it unlawful to require a subscription fee or membership to use a paid public EV charger and obligates stations to display the total actual session charge at point of sale. Practically, site operators must ensure any nonmember roaming fees are included in what users see before completing payment; that affects UI on charge‑point screens, receipts, and third‑party payment flows.
Subscription‑only services allowed with payment fallback
The statute permits operators to offer subscription‑only tiers, but only if they simultaneously provide a way for nonsubscribers to use the station through the payment options required in (a)(3). This preserves business models that monetize subscriptions while preventing de facto lockouts of casual users; operators must therefore implement both membership functions and open payment rails.
Minimum payment capabilities for new stations
For chargers first installed or publicly activated on or after July 10, 2023, the bill mandates two basic payment channels: a contactless card reader accepting major credit/debit cards using RFID/NFC, and at least one remote initiation/payment channel (toll‑free automated phone or SMS). This forces hardware and software upgrades for sites that previously relied solely on app‑based or membership systems and affects procurement specifications for new builds.
Plug and Charge requirement for new DC fast chargers
DC fast charging stations first made public on or after July 10, 2023 must implement Plug and Charge under ISO 15118 by July 10, 2024. That creates a short compliance window for fast‑charger operators and effectively requires coordination with automakers and charge‑point vendors to enable vehicle‑initiated authentication and automatic billing.
Regulator flexibility on evolving payment tech
The commission (the statute’s delegated regulator) can add, remove, or modify required payment methods to reflect technological change or cost concerns. That clause is an explicit safety valve to avoid locking in obsolete standards but vests significant discretion in the regulator to balance cost and interoperability over time.
Arena exception for app‑only access
An exception allows an arena with at least 15,000 seats that can only be accessed via an internet‑based application to require payment through that app. This preserves venue security and access controls but creates a narrow carve‑out where consumers must use a single digital channel to charge while on the venue premises.
Data reporting, labeling, and potential interoperability standards
Service providers must disclose location, fees, payment methods, and roaming charges to NREL, establishing a public dataset. Chargers must meet federal labeling rules and, if feasible, display directional signage. If no national interoperability billing standards existed by Jan 1, 2015, the commission may adopt billing/roaming standards and apply them within one year to major providers (initial threshold: 100 public stations), requiring acceptance of payments from other major providers and automakers while allowing bilateral or hub roaming architectures.
This bill is one of many.
Codify tracks hundreds of bills on Transportation across all five countries.
Explore Transportation in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Drivers and occasional users — gain card‑and‑phone/SMS payment options and upfront disclosure of total costs, removing the barrier of mandatory subscriptions or hidden roaming fees that previously blocked casual access.
- Automakers and Plug and Charge adopters — benefit from a statutory push toward ISO 15118 implementation on DC fast chargers, which reduces friction for vehicle‑initiated authentication and billing.
- Trip planners, state and local planners, and researchers — receive standardized, machine‑readable station data (location, fees, payment methods, roaming charges) via NREL for grid planning, equity analysis, and public mapping.
- Consumers without smartphones or bank apps — gain a non‑app payment path (contactless cards, phone/SMS) so chargers are accessible to a broader set of users.
- Municipalities and site hosts — obtain clearer labeling and signage expectations that reduce customer confusion and potential complaints at public facilities.
Who Bears the Cost
- Charging site owners and hosts — must install contactless card readers, implement toll‑free or SMS payment links, and possibly upgrade systems to support roaming settlement and Plug and Charge, increasing capital and operational expenses.
- Smaller network providers and independent site hosts — face compliance costs that may be proportionally higher than for large networks, particularly if the commission raises roaming standards or enforcement begins without subsidies.
- Major network providers and automakers — will bear technical integration costs to support roaming acceptance and ISO 15118 Plug and Charge capabilities, plus potential settlement and clearing changes.
- Service providers and NREL — must build and maintain the reporting pipeline, validate submissions, and handle sensitive location/fee data, imposing administrative burdens and potential privacy/security obligations.
- State regulator/commission — tasked with defining, adopting, and enforcing interoperability billing standards and payment‑method updates, which requires staff expertise and resources.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The bill pits two legitimate but competing goals: expand immediate, subscription‑free access and transparent pricing for drivers versus the technical, operational, and financial burden of retrofitting or integrating chargers, networks, and automaker systems to meet minimum payment, Plug and Charge, and roaming standards — a trade‑off between short‑term usability gains for consumers and medium‑term costs and complexity for operators and smaller network competitors.
The bill reconciles consumer access and market operation by mandating minimum payment channels and transparency while deferring detailed interoperability work to the commission. That delegation is practical but raises implementation risk: the real customer experience will depend heavily on how quickly and precisely the commission defines standards, enforcement mechanisms, and thresholds for who counts as a "major" provider.
The statute’s built‑in deadlines (e.g., Plug and Charge by July 10, 2024) create a short runway for hardware and software rollouts on technically complex fast chargers.
Several operational ambiguities could create uneven outcomes. "First made publicly available" and the 100‑station threshold invite strategic timing and network design choices that could be used to avoid or delay obligations. The arena exception preserves venue control but could produce a patchwork of access rules in high‑demand locations.
Reporting to NREL improves visibility but raises questions about data validation, update cadence, proprietary pricing, and potential privacy/security considerations for station operators and users.
Lastly, the law leaves unresolved how roaming settlement, fraud prevention, and consumer dispute resolution will work in practice. Allowing bilateral or hub roaming preserves business flexibility but may prolong fragmentation if commercial incentives favor closed networks; conversely, aggressive standardization will raise costs for smaller players and could accelerate consolidation in the charging market.
Try it yourself.
Ask a question in plain English, or pick a topic below. Results in seconds.