SDG&E Power Your Drive Program Benefits Businesses, Residents and the Environment

California leads the way in electric vehicles (EV’s) accounting for nearly half of all sales in the United States. Of those EV’s about 25,000 are roaming the streets of San Diego. EV’s are becoming more accessible with rapid technological advances and lower prices, and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) is working to set the groundwork for this increase in EV’s with electric charging stations.

SDG&E along with the City of San Diego, GE, UC San Diego and Cleantech San Diego installed the ten solar canopies and five EV charging stations located in the San Diego Zoo’s parking lot through the Smart City San Diego collaborative in 2012. These stations are available for visitors and have the following benefits.

• 90 kilowatts of solar generated
• 59 homes worth of energy generation at peak production
• 50 cars can park under the canopies for shade
• 100 kilowatts of battery storage
• Provide renewable energy to the surrounding community

The carbon dioxide saved by this project is equal to:

• Removing 189,216 lbs. of CO2 from the atmosphere
• Planting 2,788 trees each year
• Removing 21 cars from the road each year

With SDG&E’s Power Your Drive program, EV charging stations can now be installed at apartments, condos and businesses at no or low cost. The program offers:

• No maintenance – SDG&E covers it
• No billing to manage – drivers can be billed on their SDG&E bill
• No impact to your facility’s electric panel – chargers come directly off an SDG&E service
• No public charging – the charging stations are just for your EV drivers’ use

As San Diegans purchase more low emission EV’s, they can rest assured that charging stations will become conveniently available. With SDG&E’s Power Your Drive program, private residences and businesses can now easily accommodate EV charging stations that will appeal to EV drivers, promote sustainability and a cleaner environment. If you would like to learn more about the program visit sdge.com/PowerYourDrive.

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[1] Source EPA calculator:www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html