Southern California Edison (SCE) has launched Charge Ready Transport, a program that aims to add charging stations for medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles at a minimum of 870 commercial sites within the utility’s 50,000 square-mile service area.

This program is specifically tailored to Southern California, where the goods movement industry is critical to the economy, but is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

—Katie Sloan, SCE director of eMobility

There will be a particular focus on targeting vehicle electrification in communities that are most impacted by pollution from medium- and heavy-duty transportation, Sloan said.

The $356-million program is modeled after SCE’s successful Charge Ready pilot for charging station infrastructure for electric passenger cars. (Earlier post.)

Through the new program, SCE plans to install infrastructure to support at least 8,490 industrial vehicles over a five-year period. For certain customers, such as school bus operators and transit agencies, the program also provides rebates to help with the purchase of charging stations.

Clean transportation and clean energy are becoming inextricably linked, so much so, in fact, that electrifying transportation is central in our vision for a clean energy future. Our vision calls for more than 7 million electric vehicles on California roads by 2030, but we need to electrify more than just passenger vehicles.

—Caroline Choi, senior vice president of Corporate Affairs for Edison International and SCE

Choi noted that the transportation sector has made tremendous progress, but it still accounts for half of California’s greenhouse gas emissions when the refining of fuel is included, and more than 80% of the state’s air pollution.

Charge Ready Transport is among a number of Charge Ready pilots and programs SCE is launching to support medium- and heavy-duty trucks, port equipment and other industrial vehicles, as well as public and home-based charging for cars.

SCE also has plans to expand its successful Charge Ready program for passenger cars to provide infrastructure for 48,000 EV chargers at workplaces, schools, community centers, destination centers and other locations where people park for extended periods of time.