San Diego Gas & Electric achieves 20 percent over-the-road fleet electrification
Deploying more fully electric trucks to polluted areas and gradually replacing its traditional fleet, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) announced this week that as 2022 winds to a close, it achieved 20 percent over-the-road fleet electrification and is on track to full electrification by 2030.
Full electrification would entail a complete transition of passenger cars, pickup trucks, and sport utility vehicles. This year, the electrification included eight Ford F-150 Lightning trucks and a no-emissions hydrogen fuel cell car, along with an array of plug-in and non-plug-in hybrids and vehicles with idle mitigation technologies. Beyond this, SDG&E intends to operate a zero-emissions fleet by 2035 – a full ten years ahead of California state goals.
“Our service trucks are out in our community daily, doing everything from routine appliance checks to equipment repairs to keep energy flowing safely and reliably to our customers,” Jennifer Jett, SDG&E vice president of operations support, said. “Our goal is for our fleet vehicles to leave no trace of pollution behind.“
According to the California Air Resources Board, transportation accounts for nearly 40 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Historically, these emissions particularly impact low-income communities located near busy roads and industrial facilities.
With this in mind, SDG&E created a new analytical tool known as the Community Impact Platform to prioritize vehicle replacements in neighborhoods most affected by air pollution and climate change based on company vehicles’ daily trips and socioeconomic metrics. These data points are combined into a heat map of emissions in the region’s most vulnerable communities, which SDG&E uses to present a variety of scenarios for vehicle replacements. Using this information, the company deployed half of its recently acquired Ford Lightning trucks to the Metro District, which contains homes and businesses along regional transportation hubs like the airport, port and downtown area.
