Many of us have heard of the saying "Be the change that you wish to see in the world." One change many of us in the region want to see is a significant reduction in transportation-related pollution. Less emissions coming out of tailpipes means cleaner air for all of us to breathe.
To help drive that change, more than 1,000 SDG&E employees have made the switch to driving electric vehicles, surpassing the goal set in our "It's on to 1,000" initiative." We recently marked this milestone with an employee celebration.
The journey of the "It's On to 1,000" program began in 2015, when it was called the "Race to 500" program and had the initial goal of transitioning 500 employees to electric vehicles. Thanks to strong employee support, this goal was reached by 2018, leading to the establishment of a new target of 1,000.
Leading With a Clean Fleet
Aside from employee adoption of EVs, our Fleet Services Group is also leading the change. Today, about 25% of our company's over-the-road fleet is electric. Our goal is to reach 100% electrification of passenger cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs by 2030, ahead of state mandates.
"I am extremely proud of our team for believing in our mission and ensuring that we're creating change from within," said Miguel Romero, Chief Commercial Officer. "Our employees embraced this program from the beginning, and we could not have reached this milestone without them and their commitment to being ambassadors for clean air and cleaner transportation."
Why Transportation Electrification Is Needed
Gas-powered vehicles represent the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California (around 40%), and a growing number of Californians are making the switch to driving electric. By embracing electric vehicles on a large scale, SDG&E is significantly reducing its carbon footprint.
To date, SDG&E has installed more than 3,600 EV chargers throughout the region at a variety of places, ranging from multi-family housing and workplaces to the port, airport and school districts, to service a range of vehicles, from electric cars and buses to trucks and forklifts. About a third of SDG&E's chargers are in underserved communities.
Learn more about our effort to meet our climate goals by transitioning to electric: Electrification Projects | San Diego Gas & Electric (sdge.com).
