San Joaquin Expands Electric Carsharing Services

The authorities are working towards providing disadvantaged communities with clean and affordable transport options

The San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) in California is expanding its non-profit electric carsharing services to provide more residents of disadvantaged communities access to clean, affordable and convenient transportation options. The SJCOG is partnering with the Housing Authority of the County of San Joaquin to launch the latest programme at its Tracy Homes site.

All-electric car-sharing service

Míocar, a non-profit all-electric carsharing service in San Joaquin Valley that already manages electric carsharing services for SJCOG’s Stockton Mobility Collective, will manage the expanded service paid for by the state’s Clean Mobility Options (CMO) Voucher Pilot Programme. “Adding more cars and locations to our electric carsharing services means we’re reaching more people in the communities where the need is greatest,” said Escalon mayor and SJCOG board chair David Bellinger. “We’re providing even more people with vital services they can use in their everyday lives to get to school, job interviews, medical appointments and other destinations that are important to them.”

SJCOG executive director Diane Nguyen said, “These expanded carsharing services will help us achieve some substantial and beneficial goals for the region. We’ll be able to increase zero emissions vehicle use, reduce vehicle miles travelled, and improve air quality, which advances our sustainable development and transportation goals.”

The benefits of expanding the overall non-profit electric carshare fleet go even beyond the 195 single family households at Tracy Homes where the Housing Authority is hosting the cars and providing the charging stations. “Through collaboration with trusted community partners, this innovative electric carsharing programme is making the latest clean car technology available to low-income residents in the San Joaquin Valley so that no one is left behind in a zero-emissions future,” said CARB chair Liane Randolph. “Beyond cleaner air and public health benefits, the programme also makes sure residents have reliable transportation to access everyday needs, improving their quality of life and economic opportunities.”

Partnering with the Housing Authority, which already hosts charging stations and electric carshare vehicles at three of its sites for the Stockton Mobility Collective, is a natural fit since CMO projects must benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities. The SJCOG was awarded nearly $1.5 million from the CMO programme and formed the Stockton Electric Vehicle Carsharing Service that will include 11 battery-electric vehicles and five charging units and stations throughout the region. Future hosting and charging sites could include other Housing Authority sites or City of Stockton sites such as libraries and community centres.

The CMO-funded project is similar to SJCOG’s Stockton Mobility Collective, which will provide 30 electric vehicles at six or seven stations centred in Downtown Stockton at separate sites. The Stockton Mobility Collective is funded by a California Air Resources Board Sustainable Transportation Equity Project. The Stockton Electric Vehicle Service project is part of the California Climate Investments (CCI) and California Energy Commission’s (CEC) Clean Transportation Programme.

CCI is a statewide initiative that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment, particularly in disadvantaged communities. The Clean Transportation Programme is investing more than $1 billion to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission transportation infrastructure and support in-state manufacturing and workforce training and development.