©2025 Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Industry Leaders Drive Home What’s Needed To Accelerate State’s EV Goals

SACRAMENTO — Electric transportation took center stage in California’s capital as Sacramento hosted the 36 Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exposition. The event brings together industry experts and thought leaders and showcases the latest Electric Vehicle (EV) technology.
PG&E’s Jason Glickman, Executive Vice President of Engineering, Planning and Strategy, participated in a plenary session panel discussion on driving the E-mobility transition, and its inflection and pain points. Leaders from Daimler Trucks North America, Eaton, and Toyota also participated on the panel.
There has been a major paradigm shift, Glickman noted, from nearly zero load growth for 20 years, to electric transportation driving 70 to 80% of future load growth over the next few decades.
“It’s a reality we’re excited to be able to help push the envelope and lead the industry,” said Glickman.
And this paradigm shift is happening rapidly.
In 2020, Governor Newsom issued an Executive Order requiring all new cars and passenger trucks sold in the state be zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
In PG&E’s service area, there are now over 475,000 EVs on the road, up from less than 300,000 two years ago.
Accelerating and supporting EV growth to meet the state’s bold clean energy goals requires utility planning and expanding capacity, as well as policy and regulatory support.
“The ability to be more forward-looking in terms of making the needed capacity investments and approval for cost recovery is critical,” said Glickman. “We need the flexibility to adapt and work with our customers to make those investments, because we hear them asking for it.”
Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles
One of key pieces of a successful E-mobility transition is electrifying fleet and long-haul vehicles, which will greatly reduce emissions and improve air quality.
PG&E’s large service area, which extends from near the Oregon border south to Kern County, includes major north-south thoroughfares Interstate 5 and Highway 99.
Glickman raised the importance of collaboration, especially with large fleet customers, on timing and siting of charging infrastructure to serve growing EV fleets, and encouraged active and continued collaboration and flexibility.
“We’re very focused on those north-south corridors, and how we dramatically expand our transmission and substation capacity in those thoroughfares,” Glickman said.
Hydrogen-powered vehicles
The panel also touched on alternative clean fuels, such as hydrogen, as another critical element to delivering on the state’s clean transportation goals.
“There is no zero- or net-zero future without decarbonized gases. If there are applications in the transportation sector, we’re all for it, as this can also help with making necessary investments to create, store and distribute hydrogen more affordably to all users,” Glickman said.
Panelists closed noting the importance of a consistent and effective policy and regulatory landscape, flexibility, and continued collaboration among industry and customers will help make the clean transportation future possible.