KPBS Midday Edition

3,000 Charging Stations For Electric Trucks And Buses Coming To San Diego

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Brooke Ruth / Senior Producer, Radio News

Published August 21, 2019 at 11:15 AM PDT

This story was published more than 4 years ago.

Electric engine sits where a diesel engine used to be in this cargo hauling truck at TransPower headquarters, on Feb. 28, 2018.

The electric station program is part of the state’s Climate Action Plan mandate. It’s also hoped that electrifying transport trucks will improve the chronically polluted air in the neighborhoods near the Port of San Diego, including Barrio Logan, Logan Heights and Sherman Heights.

State regulators have approved a program to build 3,000 charging stations for electric trucks and buses in San Diego County.

SDG&E will spend more than $107 million over the next five years on the effort. The utility said the cost will be shouldered by ratepayers who will see an increase in their monthly bills totaling an estimated $4.57 a year for the average residential customer, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The electric station program is part of the state’s Climate Action Plan mandate. One goal of the program is that electrifying transport trucks will improve the chronically polluted air in the neighborhoods near the Port of San Diego, including Barrio Logan, Logan Heights and Sherman Heights.

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Union-Tribune energy reporter Rob Nikolewski wrote about the program and joins Midday Edition on Wednesday to discuss the details.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Brooke Ruth

Brooke Ruth is the senior producer for KPBS Radio News. She previously served as a producer for "KPBS Midday Edition" and a web producer. Before joining KPBS, Brooke was a web editor for four newspapers and a local television station. She began her career in news at the Imperial Valley Press. She has also been part of the web teams at the Napa Valley Register, North County Times, and U-T San Diego. While pursuing her undergraduate degree at UCLA in psychology, she worked on the student newspaper, the Daily Bruin.

See stories by Brooke Ruth