SAN DIEGO — A new program in San Diego will help companies switch their fleets over to all electric vehicles, helping to protect the environment with better options for transportation.

What You Need To Know

  • San Diego Gas & Electric just launched their Transportation Electrification Advisory Services program

  • The TEAS program helps companies electrify their fleets, provide education, guidance, and consultation – all for free

  • The Environmental Protection Agency just passed new standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty vehicles

  • The EPA says medium- and heavy-duty trucks are one of the largest transportation-related sources of greenhouse gas emissions every year

Natasha Contreras is the Clean Transportation Customer Engagement Manager for San Diego Gas & Electric.  

She says their annual EV Fleet Day, which showcases electric vehicles, feels like the Coachella of sustainable transportation.

The event displayed more than 40 electric vehicles, including SDGE’s brand new and first 55-foot fully electric bucket truck.

“In the middle of the night when a repair is needed, you no longer have to be woken up by a stinky, loud generator,” Contreras said. “They’re going to pull up in your neighborhood and you’re not even going to notice that something is going on outside your front door.”

The Environmental Protection Agency just passed new standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty vehicles starting in 2027, which will require many fleets to transition to hybrid, battery or electric vehicles.

Contreras says SDGE just launched their Transportation Electrification Advisory Services (TEAS) to help companies electrify their fleets and provide education, guidance, and consultation — all for free.

Juan Baez owns Bali Express Services, a binational cargo company. He says they are part of the TEAS program and are working to switch their 400 trucks to electric with guidance from SDGE. Right now, he says they have 11 electric vehicles in their fleet.  

“We’re using it to do border crossing between Tijuana and San Diego so that way we can help the communities to get better air quality,” Baez said.  

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, medium and heavy-duty trucks are among the largest transportation-related sources of greenhouse gas emissions yearly.

Baez says Bali Express recently made history by becoming the first carrier to use electric trucks to cross the border hauling goods. He hopes that by adding electric freight trucks, they will reduce their carbon footprint and create a more sustainable future for freight transportation on both sides of the border.

“We are doing it to fight against climate change, to uphold our border communities, to have less pollution,” he said.  

Contrera says SDGE will help anyone make the zero-emissions transition, whether their fleet vehicles are garbage trucks or school buses.

“Yes, it has all kinds of benefits for sustainability, but it really impacts our neighborhoods and communities, so it’s so important to have these things on the road,” she said.