San Diego Gas & Electric, along with tribal leaders from the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, commemorated the addition of 10 new electric vehicle chargers at tribal ballfields.
The Level 2 — or 208-240 volt — chargers, two of which are ADA accessible, are available for use by the general public and will remain powered during Public Safety Power Shutoffs because they are connected to underground power lines, a statement from the utility company read.
These are the first public chargers SDG&E has installed on tribal lands and are located next to popular ballfields that are used for intertribal sports events.
"Environmental stewardship has always been a big part of our tribal culture," San Pasqual Tribal Council Chair Stephen Cope said. "Over the years, we have implemented a host of initiatives to improve the sustainability of our tribal operations, our homes, and our overall community. And in the process, we've also strengthened our community resilience against the effects of climate change."
SDG&E built the chargers as part of its "Power Your Drive for Parks and Beaches" program. Combined with chargers funded by other programs, San Pasqual now has more chargers than gasoline pumps. Altogether, tribal facilities are equipped with nearly 100 chargers — outnumbering its gas pumps two to one — as well as solar canopies and a microgrid.
"Ensuring the clean energy transition is just and equitable is a high priority for SDG&E," SDG&E Chief Commercial Officer Miguel Romero said. "We want to make sure everyone — regardless of where they live — has access to infrastructure that enables them to make the switch to clean energy technologies.
"But we can't do this alone. We greatly value our collaboration with tribal nations like San Pasqual to advance our shared climate goals," Romero said.
According to the company, through its EV infrastructure programs, SDG&E has installed around 3,600 chargers throughout the region to support light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles at businesses, apartments, the port, airport and school districts among other locations.
Last month, SDG&E completed other projects in rural San Diego County — two energy storage facilities totaling 171 megawatts in Fallbrook and Imperial Valley.
The facilities have the capability to power nearly 130,000 homes for four hours, the utility company said in a statement.
