Northern California utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has broken ground on the first of its 130 EV charging ports at 22 schools in its area, with the first installation underway at the Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto.
The EV Charge Schools pilot program aims to fill the gaps in charging infrastructure at these locations and support the state’s clean transportation and decarbonization goals.
Under the program, PG&E will install level 2 charging stations at school facilities and educational institutions for parents, staff and students to charge their EVs. The utility will fund the purchasing and installation costs for the equipment and networking fees at the schools. It will also fund the maintenance and operations of the installations.
Additionally, PG&E will develop EV and sustainability curriculum for schools in its service area and offer teacher training options.
“By increasing charging access at schools, we strive to make electric vehicles a viable option for more Californians. Expanding the use of clean transportation and reducing vehicle emissions is good for our state, our customers and the environment,” said PG&E’s Aaron August, Vice President, Business Development and Customer Engagement.
Such clean transportation efforts are part of the utility’s Climate Strategy Report which outlines the plans to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2040. It intends to prepare its grid to fuel a minimum of 3 million EVs by 2030 that will result in reducing 58 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
