San Francisco-based Public Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) recently announced the development of new projects with the goal of helping residential and fleet customers simplify electric vehicle (EV) charging.
By simplifying recharging, PG&E hopes it will encourage more drivers to adopt EVs. This will, in turn, reduce air pollution. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California.
“By connecting underserved communities to the necessary infrastructure and making clean energy transportation more accessible, PG&E ensures all customers can participate in that future while helping the state and our communities meet their clean air and greenhouse gas emission reduction goals,” Geisha Williams, PG&E president and CEO, said.
PG&E’s projects were approved by the California Public Utilities Commission. They include developing online resources to assist residential customers in the purchase and installation of home chargers, testing new ways to charge school buses such as by using solar panels, showing how technology can eliminate heavy duty fleets’ engine idling, and partnering with a transit agency to determine how recharging and battery storage can reduce costs.
PG&E’s next step is to find fleet customers who are willing to partner in vehicle demonstrations. These customers must be located in disadvantaged communities.
PG&E also will be installing 7,500 EV chargers in Northern and Central California as part of its EV Charge Network program.