electric/hybrid

San Diego Gas & Electric to install thousands of EV charging stations

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved a project by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) to install electric vehicle charging points in San Diego and South Orange counties.
San Diego Gas & Electric to install thousands of EV charging stations

SDG&E will install thousands of EV charging stations at businesses and multi-family communities throughout San Diego and South Orange Counties as part of the company’s Electric Vehicle Grid-Integration pilot project. Some of the charging stations will be installed in currently underserved neighbourhoods and the aim of the project as a whole is to maximise the use of renewable energy to charge electric vehicles, thereby minimizing the need for new fossil-fuel power plants.

“Today’s decision not only creates an exciting new opportunity for us to better serve our customers, it also delivers a real solution to achieving California’s ambitious climate goals” said Jim Avery, chief development officer of SDG&E. “This pilot program will provide us with a unique opportunity to support the increased adoption of zero-emission vehicles to reduce smog and other pollutants created by the transportation sector in California.”

In 2012, California Governor Jerry Brown set a bold vision of having 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road in California by 2025. In order for the San Diego region to meet a mere 10 percent of that target (150,000 electric vehicles), EV growth and supporting infrastructure must increase at a much quicker pace.

The region currently has only 19,000 EVs and fifty percent of SDG&E’s customers live in multi-family communities. Without access to vehicle charging, there is virtually no way for these residents to ever become part of the solution to significantly reduce air pollution or to create real personal savings by eliminating gasoline bills.

SDG&E is now poised and positioned to accelerate the EV race by helping to address gaps in the market and ensure charging is accessible to all customers. The company will install 10 chargers at each of 350 business locations and multi-family communities, thereby deploying a total of 3,500 separate chargers. At least 10 percent of the chargers will be installed in disadvantaged communities.  

In addition to expanding access to EVs, the project will feature special rates that encourage EV drivers to charge their cars when electricity supply, including renewable energy, is plentiful and energy prices are low. With rates encouraging off-peak charging, vehicles will be efficiently integrated onto the grid, helping to avoid on-peak charging that drives the need to build more power plants and other electric infrastructure.

Over the last few decades, California has led the way in the decarbonisation of electricity in the US, helping to pave the way for the modernisation of the transport sector. Renewable energy will form 33 percent of SDG&E’s energy portfolio, with no contribution from coal, meaning that drivers will be able to plug into one of the cleanest electric grids in the country. The pilot project’s special rate will also encourage drivers to charge their vehicles at those times of the day when solar power is at its height, enabling solar energy to be fed straight into the vehicles.

SDG&E has an extensive track record of promoting electric vehicles, both in the community and for its employees. Last year, the company launched the “Race to 500,” a clean transportation programme that will help the company to become one of the first businesses in Southern California to have 500 employees driving EVs as their primary form of transportation. Thus far, 200 employees have purchased or leased an EV, with the company offering incentives paid for by shareholders and easy access to workplace charging to encourage the transition. The company has also installed more than 158 electric charging stations at company facilities, the largest number of stations of any location in San Diego. It is also adding 163 more plug-in EVs to its fleet as part of a five-year purchase plan.

For additional information:

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)

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