San Diego County is getting into the driver’s seat to advance clean transportation in order to create a more sustainable future.
By a unanimous vote on Wednesday, the County Board of Supervisors directed county staff to develop an electric vehicle (EV) roadmap by August 2019. The roadmap would include strategies to help expand EV charging infrastructure and increase EV ownership, including more EVs in the county fleet.
The proposal to develop a roadmap was brought forth by Supervisor Nathan Fletcher.
“It is time to chart a new course for increasing the county’s use of electric vehicle and expanding the accessibility of charging stations,” Fletcher said in a statement. “The decision by the Board to support creating an electric vehicle roadmap for San Diego County propels us closer to an environmentally sustainable future.”
As a long-time advocate of clean transportation, we applaud Supervisor Fletcher and his colleagues for their leadership to advance wider adoption of electric vehicles.
Transportation a Major Source of Pollution
In California, the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) is the transportation sector – the movement of goods and people in cars and trucks; transportation accounts for 41 percent of carbon emissions. While GHG emissions associated with other sources, such as power generation, has declined, carbon emissions from tailpipes continues to grow.
Locally, the County’s Climate Action Plan identifies the transportation sector as accounting for 45% of GHG emissions in the unincorporated communities. Electrifying the transportation sector is widely considered to be key in meeting local, regional and statewide climate action goals.
Where are We Today?
Today our region is home to more than 36,000 electric cars today. To help California meet its ambitious GHG reduction goals, former Gov. Jerry Brown had called for having 5 million electric vehicles on the road in California by 2030. Our region’s share of that goal would be 500,000 electric vehicles.
To make it easy for residents and businesses to make the switch to electric vehicles, SDG&E has several initiatives underway to expand the charging infrastructure locally. Through Power Your Drive, we are adding 3,000 chargers to workplaces, apartments, and condo complexes. We are also working on bringing charging equipment to the Port of San Diego’s 10th Avenue Marine Terminal, Park & Ride lots, delivery fleet facilities, and the San Diego International Airport.
More Information
Interested in EVs and don’t know where to start, visit sdge.com/its-on for comprehensive resources on buying, driving and charging an EV, including information on local, state and federal incentives.