Innovation in Electric Transportation
"Mile for mile, electric vehicles fueled in California emit 70% fewer greenhouse gases than gasoline vehicles. They reduce emissions that lead to smog to essentially zero."
— California Air Resources Board
FACTS AT A GLANCE
COST/GALLON EQUIV (OFF-PEAK)
1
dollar
REDUCTION IN GREENHOUSE GASES
70
percent
SHARE OF ELECTRICITY IMPORTED
0
percent
CALIFORNIANS GO ELECTRIC
260,000
evs in 2017
Decades at the Forefront
At Edison International, we’ve been at the forefront of electric transportation technology advances for many years. Today, we support customers who choose plug-in electric vehicles, and we partner with automakers, the United States Department of Energy, and others to demonstrate and advance clean electric transportation.
2017 Transportation Electrification Filing
Our utility, Southern California Edison, has filed with the California Public Utilities Commission a wide-ranging plan for expanding electric transportation in its service area. The plan aims to increase electrification of cars, buses, medium- and heavy-duty trucks and industrial vehicles and equipment. In addition to innovative programs for passenger vehicle adoption, the plan is tailored to Southern California, where 40 percent of the goods entering the nation are moved through the region’s ports and over its highways. This immense goods movement industry is crucial to the state and local economy, but it is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from heavy commercial and industrial vehicles at ports, warehouses and along freeway corridors.
Our Pilot Projects
Charge Ready Pilot
Charge Ready is a collaboration with cities, employers, apartment owners and other business site owners to deploy approximately 1,000 charging stations at locations where cars are parked for extended periods of time. Through the program, SCE builds, owns and maintains electric infrastructure serving charging stations. We also offer participating site hosts a rebate toward the cost of the charging stations and their installation. By giving electric vehicle drivers more options to charge their vehicles, Charge Ready supports and helps to accelerate the EV charging market in Southern California.
Vehicle-to-Grid Pilot
We are partnering with the U.S. Department of Defense and the state of California on a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology pilot to test whether electric vehicle owners can benefit by selling energy storage from their idle, plugged-in electric vehicle batteries back to the grid. If successful, the pilot could be the “proof of concept” that helps establish the viability and scalability of vehicle-to-grid technology.
Workplace Charging Pilot
With the help of its employees, SCE has recently completed a Workplace Charging Pilot to examine the need for electric vehicle charging stations at work and how drivers respond to dynamic pricing and power-saving events when charging their EVs.
EV Tech Center
Our Electric Vehicle Tech Center is unique in the electricity industry. It’s where we — in collaboration with automakers, battery producers, charging equipment manufacturers, the U.S. Department of Energy and others — help evaluate electric transportation technologies, from plug-in hybrids to fast chargers.
Fleet Electrification
SCE spent 15 to 20 percent of its annual fleet acquisition budget on fleet electrification in 2016 and has committed to the Edison Electric Institute utility goal, which is a minimum of 5 percent annually. We currently have more than 600 electric or electrified vehicles in our fleet ranging from hybrid-electric cars to non-electric trucks that use lithium-ion batteries to power their lifts, air conditioning, lights and two-way radios while the engine is turned off. We are also partnering with the Electric Power Research Institute to make heavy-duty trucks cleaner.
Market Education
Because lack of awareness is a major barrier to electric vehicle adoption and other transportation electrification opportunities, we actively reach out to our customers to let them know about the benefits of electric vehicles and fueling from the grid, paying particular attention to customers in disadvantaged communities. Through marketing and education campaigns, we highlight the personal, economic and environmental advantages of dumping the gas pump and plugging in.
Supporting Customer Choice in Electric Vehicles
As of 2017, there were 87,000 EVs in the 50,000 square mile territory served by SCE. They can benefit from very attractive cost-based electricity rates for customers by charging their vehicles at night during off-peak hours when costs are lower. SCE is working closely with auto makers, car dealerships, electric contractors and local cities to help streamline the process of charger installation. For utility customers who are ready to buy an electric car, SCE offers comprehensive information on home fueling choices and rate options, and specially trained “Home Fuel Advisors” at 1-800-FOREVINFO.
Looking for a Letter of Support or Commitment?
Our utility, Southern California Edison, collaborates with many organizations to support innovation in the areas of renewable sources of energy, grid optimization, and energy storage. If you are working on a project of this nature and need a letter of support or commitment for a California Energy Commission EPIC proposal, DOE or other funding source proposal, we may be able to help. Please review our instructions, then complete a request form and submit it to us at collaborations@sce.com.
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