This California County is the State's Worst EV Charging Desert
6/7/2024 | 2mVideo has Closed Captions
A lack of electric charging stations has made California's Imperial Valley slow to convert to EVs.
California is attempting to fight air pollution and climate change by phasing out gas-powered cars and electrifying vehicles — but in the state's remote Imperial Valley, the rural and low-income community struggles for access to EV chargers. CalMatters' Alejandro Lazo reports on a new multi-million-dollar effort to install free charging stations throughout the vast region.
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SoCal Matters is a local public television program presented by PBS SoCal
This California County is the State's Worst EV Charging Desert
6/7/2024 | 2mVideo has Closed Captions
California is attempting to fight air pollution and climate change by phasing out gas-powered cars and electrifying vehicles — but in the state's remote Imperial Valley, the rural and low-income community struggles for access to EV chargers. CalMatters' Alejandro Lazo reports on a new multi-million-dollar effort to install free charging stations throughout the vast region.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipLuis Olmedo is the Executive Director of El Comite Civico del Valle, a nonprofit advocating for environmental justice.
For years, he has been advocating for cleaner air in the Imperial Valley.
In his latest efforts to combat emissions, Olmedo wants to become the region's go-to supplier for electric vehicle charging stations.
His group has embarked on a $5 million crusade to build 40 fast chargers at various locations, an effort that expects to receive funding from the California Energy Commission, and has received funding from the Waverley Street Foundation, the United Auto Workers, and General Motors.
-There it is.
We committed to 40 chargers and probably people are thinking then, "How the hell are they going to pull it off?"
-According to the US Department of Energy, only four fast charging public stations are spread across the valley's vast 4,500 square miles just north of the US-Mexico border.
People living in rural, low-income regions like the Imperial Valley have the least access to electric car chargers, according to a state Energy Commission analysis.
More than two-thirds of California's low-income residents are a 10 minute drive or longer from a publicly available fast charger.
-We'll keep them free as long as we can.
It's actually rare to find a free charger.
Now, we pay for the base system.
We could actually charge full price, but we choose not to.
-California's electric charging deserts, like the Imperial Valley, pose one of the biggest barriers to the state's efforts to combat climate change and air pollution by electrifying cars and trucks.
Experts say the slow installation of chargers in California's remote regions could jeopardize the state's phase-out of new gas-powered cars.
Imperial County ranks dead last in electric car ownership among California counties with populations of 100,000 or more.
Whether Olmedo's somewhat quixotic endeavor will succeed remains to be seen.
For Olmedo, electric car chargers are an opportunity to be able to breathe cleaner air.
For CalMatters, I'm Alejandro Lazo.
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SoCal Matters is a local public television program presented by PBS SoCal