SAN DIEGO, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, San Diego Gas
& Electric (SDG&E) announced it will invest $7.5 million over the next five years to develop
a bold new education campaign to create awareness, expand electric
vehicle (EV) ownership and lead the charge among large cities to
electrify the transportation sector. The desired result: to reduce
harmful air emissions, promote the use of EV charging with power
from the wind and sun, and to establish San Diego and south Orange Counties as America's EV and clean
energy capital.
The education campaign will complement the $45-million pilot program recently approved by
the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to install 3,500
charging stations at 350 local businesses, multi-family communities
and disadvantaged neighborhoods. This combined $52.5 million comprehensive effort is expected to
increase the use of clean energy as a fuel for transportation and
help consumers overcome any obstacles to EV ownership.
"California is known for new
ideas and innovation, and development of life-changing
technologies. Now, we are leading the U.S. in creating the leading
standard for de-carbonizing electricity and advancing clean
transportation," said Jeff Martin,
SDG&E's chairman, president and CEO. "Some problems are solved
by looking to the future, not the past, and this is one of them,"
said Martin. "That is why we are reducing carbon in the
transportation sector by installing charging infrastructure
throughout the communities we serve, and maximizing the use of
renewable energy to charge vehicles."
Martin announced the comprehensive campaign at a news conference
alongside San Diego Mayor
Kevin L. Faulconer, Chula Vista Mayor Mary
Casillas Salas, San Diego
Councilman Mark Kersey, and other
local leaders.
"San Diego is a national leader
in developing innovative solutions to reduce emissions and protect
our environment," said San Diego
Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. "I am
happy to see SDG&E working to strengthen our reputation in this
field by installing thousands of new electric vehicle charging
stations at apartments, condos, businesses and underserved
neighborhoods throughout our great city.
"San Diegans will not only save money on their gasoline bills,
it will also help San Diego
achieve its Climate Action Plan goals by cleaning up our air and
reducing emission in the crucial transportation sector," Mayor
Faulconer added. "Power Your Drive demonstrates once again why the
nation looks to San Diego for
leadership in urban sustainability."
SDG&E also introduced 20 multifamily communities and
businesses that are committed to the growth of electric vehicles
and charging stations under the company's innovative Power Your
Drive pilot program. Taken together, these developments signal a
watershed moment for promoting growth in EVs.
"California is a leader in
setting policy supporting the widespread deployment of electric
vehicles," said CPUC Commissioner Carla
Peterman. "The SDG&E pilot program will not only make EV
charging more available, which is important for driving the sale of
cars, but it will test how charging can benefit the power grid and
bring down electricity costs for all ratepayers."
Among the participants to step forward and pledge to promote EV
growth and charging included: American Lung Association,
Bayview Baptist Church, Circulate
San Diego, City of Chula Vista,
City of National City,
City of San Diego, County of
San Diego, Cuyamaca College, Escondido Union High School
District, Gildred Co., H.G. Fenton Company, I Love A Clean San
Diego, Jewish Family Services, Menlo Equities, Palomar College, San Diego Housing Federation, Sea
World, Sony, UCSD, and UTC Aerospace.
SDG&E is working to sign up 200 participants by the end of
the year, in locations throughout all 26 cities in the region. At
least 10 percent of the chargers will be in disadvantaged
communities.
"Chula Vista is proud to
partner with SDG&E to provide clean air to our communities,"
said City of Chula Vista Mayor
Mary Casillas Salas. "Continuing our
record of environmental leadership we are looking at electrifying
our City fleet and are pleased to partner with SDG&E to install
60 charging stations at City facilities and more throughout our
city."
SDG&E's new education campaign will include EV
ride-and-drives in every geographical area of the region. These
events allow customers to test drive EVs from all the major car
manufacturers at one location, familiarize themselves with the many
benefits of driving an EV such as tax credits and rebates of up to
$10,000, low "fueling" costs and
environmental protection. The campaign will also provide funding to
community groups that will promote electric vehicles and other
benefits. These education initiatives are intended to inspire the
next wave of new drivers to switch to an electric vehicle and
expand the use of EVs to all geographic and socio-economic
areas.
All of these initiatives demonstrate that residents live in a
special place at a special moment for the growth of clean
transportation in San Diego. In
2012, Gov. Jerry Brown set a bold
vision of having 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road in
California by 2025. With the
education campaign and thousands of new chargers dotting the
community, SDG&E believes it's possible to quadruple the
current 20,000 EVs on San Diego's
roads by 2020, bringing the region ever closer to meeting its share
of the state's eventual goal. This will accelerate the EV race in
San Diego and forge a path to a
future where electric vehicles become the majority on local roads,
not just the exception.
For those interested in learning more about the education
campaign and EV charging station program, visit
sdge.com/poweryourdrive or email EV@sdge.com.
SDG&E is an innovative San
Diego-based energy company that provides safe, reliable,
clean energy to better the lives of the people it serves in
San Diego and southern
Orange counties. More than 4,300
employees work to provide the most reliable and clean energy in the
West. The company has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency for leadership in addressing climate change, was
the first to meet California's
goal of delivering 33 percent of energy from renewable sources, has
fueled the adoption of electric vehicles and energy efficiency
through unique customer programs, and supports more than 600
non-profit partners. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy
(NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in
San Diego. For more information
visit sdge.com/newsroom or connect with SDG&E on Twitter
(@SDGE), Instagram (@SDGE) and Facebook.
Photo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110106/MM26476LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sdge-injects-75m-in-education-push-to-inspire-drivers-to-switch-to-cleaner-electric-drive-300269454.html
SOURCE San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)