For the average resident, an electric vehicle may not seem like a practical solution for commuting. But the City wants to change that narrative.
“The City is looking for ways to enable all residents of Sacramento to get to where they need to go in the cleanest and most affordable way possible. This includes a special focus on how we can provide access to clean vehicle technology benefits to all our communities, with a focus on low-income and disadvantaged community residents,” said Jennifer Venema Sustainability Manager.
As the next step in furthering the City’s early EV efforts, the City is asking residents to take a survey about their daily commute as well as general knowledge and opinions about electric vehicles. The deadline to take this survey is June 7.
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“By gaining insight from residents on their commuting patterns and opinions on electric vehicles, it will help the City develop an appropriate plan to accelerate electric vehicle adoption and awareness,” said Venema.
The City adopted an Electric Vehicle Strategy in Dec. 2017 and is working to increase equitable access to zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV), expand ZEV technology use, and prepare Sacramento for a future of electric vehicles.
The City’s existing program supports car share, access to EV charging, and partnerships that incentivize zero-emission vehicle adoption. In 2017, Electrify America chose Sacramento to launch its first “Green City” initiative, known as “Sac-to-Zero,” which aims to accelerate the use of shared “clean mobility” transportation. Electrify America committed to investing $44 million in the Sacramento program, which includes electric vehicle infrastructure and programs such as EV car share.
Part of Electrify America’s investment included funding for two electric car share companies – Gig and Envoy – to deploy electric vehicles in Sacramento. Gig, Sacramento’s first free floating car share program, has released more than 250 electric Gigs for public use, and Envoy currently operates approximately 35 Volkswagen e-Golfs at 18 properties.
In addition to Electrify America’s programs, the Sacramento Air Quality Management District operates “Our Community CarShare” with Zipcar. This program is funded by the California Air Resources Board to provide a free, all-electric zero-emission membership transportation service with 14 EVs at seven communities.
Most recently, the City in partnership with EVgo, an EV charging station operator, unveiled the City’s first-ever curbside high-powered charging plaza for electric vehicles at Southside Park.