Electric vehicles charging ahead at Port of San Diego

California’s progressive zero-emission vehicles’ regulations, robust public funding and incentive ecosystem are jolting the Port of San Diego into action. The San Diego Port Tenants Association (SDPTA) is demonstrating 7 of 10 electric vehicles (EV) by Port Tenants: Dole Fresh Fruit, Marine Group Boat Works and Pasha Automotive Services. Advanced technologies are expensive and full commercialization of operations are years away, therefore the California Energy Commission (CEC) granted $5.9 million as an incentive to the SDPTA members to prove the feasibility by this demonstration project.

The Port of San Diego is at the forefront of California’s initiative over the past eleven years to control the air pollution associated with the movement of goods. In 2011-2012, California’s freight sector accounted for nearly half of diesel particulate matter, 45% of the nitrogen oxides (NOx), six percent of the green-house gas emissions in the State, according to the California Energy Commission. In order to mitigate these environmental hazards, CEC’s Clean Energy Program, known as Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP), began in 2008 by AB 118 (Nunez, 2007).