This week is National Drive Electric Week, and to celebrate we are highlighting Corey Permann, one of the integral members of SDG&E's clean transportation team. Permann and his team are working to meet our commitment to California’s clean transportation goal of getting 8 million zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) on the road by 2030-- a goal which will be reliant on SDG&E's electric vehicle charging stations and infrastructure. Learn more about Permann and his critical work in advancing the global energy transition.

Tell us about yourself!

I’m Corey Permann and I am the clean transportation customer engagement manager at SDG&E. I have been with the company for almost two years and have collaborated with the clean transportation team as a partner with other organizations since 2011.

What do you love the most about your job?

I have the privilege of collaborating with so many talented folks both internally and externally. Not only do I get to work on projects with our clean transportation team, but I also have the opportunity to work with other teams such as communications, marketing, regional public affairs, business services, customer programs and community relations. Externally, I get to work with our automotive partners, municipalities and our other stakeholders in the clean transportation space.

What’s the best thing that has happened to you recently? 

I was part of the team that helped launch Accelerate to Zero Emissions (A2Z), which is the first-of-its-kind regional collaborative project dedicated to curbing air pollution and climate change through clean transportation. The coalition consists of a diverse group of 13 regional public, private and nonprofit organizations focused on making it easier for local residents and businesses to transition to electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

A critical part of our work was developing a San Diego Regional EV Gap Analysis report, which identified barriers to widespread adoption of EVs and ZEVs, particularly in underserved and marginalized communities. The report also quantified, for the first time, how many chargers and hydrogen fueling stations are needed in order for our region to meet our commitment to California’s clean transportation goal of 8 million ZEVs on the road by 2030. You can learn more about the coalition and read the report at a2zsandiego.com. 

Which one of our values, do the right thing, champion people and shape the future, do you relate to the most and why?

Our company empowers us to champion people, and this is top of mind for my team when developing our outreach efforts. Next year, we plan to host the first-ever adaptive EV ride and drive. At this event, we will equip electric vehicles with various hand controls and other devices which will allow the drivers to accelerate and/or brake on a vehicle manually, meaning drivers who need adaptive technology will be able to use their hand rather than their foot to accelerate and/or brake.

We hope this adaptive ride and drive will allow many who were previously unable to experience an EV to test drive a vehicle and consider purchasing one. My team is also working on a children’s book centered around EVs and diversity and inclusion with a plan to create a braille version when it launches.    

This week is National Drive Electric Week. What role does electric vehicle infrastructure play in advancing the energy transition?

At both the regional and state level, the transportation sector is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions – a key driver behind climate change and a major source of air pollution. To address this, California has set a goal of having 5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030 and to phase out the sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

To enable this transition, we have been working to aggressively expand the charging infrastructure in our region to support cars, buses, trucks, shuttles and more, while also simultaneously upgrading our own company fleet to drive down emissions.