Greening Vehicles
For nearly two decades, PG&E has pushed for cleaner, more efficient vehicles for our customers. We have also demonstrated leadership with our own vehicles — currently operating the nation’s largest natural gas utility fleet.
Driving Innovation
PG&E is a leader in plug-in hybrid vehicle technology. Not yet commercially available, these innovative vehicles differ from conventional hybrids because they contain a larger battery that can be plugged into a standard outlet. This increases fuel efficiency and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. We are currently testing a Plug-In Prius, which can achieve 100 miles per gallon when fully charged.
PG&E is proud to work with Plug-In Partners, Plug-In Bay Area, and other organizations to promote plug-in hybrid and dedicated electric vehicles.
PG&E’s fleet of natural gas vehicles is the largest owned and operated by any utility in the country and, last year, became the first to include liquefied natural gas heavy-duty vehicles. PG&E also continues to test a new diesel-electric hybrid service truck in San Francisco that creates a quiet and emissions-free work site, reduces brake wear by using regenerative braking, and is expected to decrease fuel use by 40 to 60 percent. We have also begun testing a converted Ford Escape PHEV as part of a technology research project led by Idaho National Laboratory.
PG&E is testing a new hybrid utility service truck in San Francisco, where it performs routine and emergency overhead line work.
PG&E was also the first utility to demonstrate Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology. This new concept turns each PHEV or electric vehicle into a potential energy storage system. We showcased this technology with Google and have partnered with EPRI to develop communications protocols needed for "smart charging" of plug-in hybrids and dedicated electric vehicles and to explore vehicle-to-home and future V2G.
This year, we plan to add two diesel-electric hybrid bucket trucks to our fleet, conduct a field trial of smart charging technology and wireless communications to control how two AC Propulsion electric vehicles can interact with the grid, and purchase two series plug-in hybrid SUVs for testing.
Partnering with Customers
PG&E's Clean Air Transportation Program continues to support the use of alternative fuel vehicles by our customers with fleet vehicles. For example, we helped fund the purchase of California's first plug-in hybrid diesel-electric school bus in the Napa Valley Unified School District, which operates an entirely natural gas-powered school bus fleet. PG&E also provides extensive support to a Port of Oakland-based trucking firm, which applied for state funding for 30 new compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks and 30 more conversion systems. In doing this, we are helping an underserved community achieve its clean air goals.
Providing a Fueling Network
Utilizing 37 PG&E-owned-and-operated CNG fueling stations, we supply natural gas to more than 300 commercial and private fleets throughout the PG&E system. This includes transit districts, private refuse haulers, school districts, municipalities, air/seaports and other operators (taxi, package delivery, military and personal-vehicle owners).
Getting Results
The combined use of natural gas in PG&E's vehicle fleet, along with the fleets of our customers, avoided the use of more than 16.6 million gallons of petroleum in 2007, which equals the avoidance of approximately 800 tons of NOx, 60 tons of particulate matter, and 60,330 tons of CO2.
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2008
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