SoCalGas earned bragging rights at the 2022 Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, North America’s largest advanced transportation and clean fleet event. The utility won the “Leading Private Fleet” award, it recognizes leadership that goes beyond what is required to achieve sustainability in a company’s fleet operations.
This award specifically acknowledges SoCalGas’ critical investments towards our ASPIRE 2045 sustainability goals which includes working to replace 50% of our over-the-road fleet with clean fuel vehicles by 2025 and operating a zero-emission fleet by 2035. Currently, a third of SoCalGas’ fleet already operates on clean fuels.
“This is exciting news for SoCalGas as we continue to make strides to decarbonize one of the hardest to abate sectors of the economy,” said Jawaad Malik vice president of strategy and sustainability, and chief environmental officer. “We continue to invest in a diverse set of innovative and advanced fleet technology such as hydrogen fuel cell, electric, and renewable natural gas-powered vehicles. Adopting new, cleaner technologies and leading the fleet industry with our closed-loop recycling program will help SoCalGas and California reach our shared climate and air quality goals.”
This year there were more than 250 nominees across all award categories. Finalists in the “Leading Private Fleet” category included Genentech, Iron Mountain, McAbee Trucking Incorporated, Sysco, and United Natural Foods Incorporated.
“We had a record-breaking number of submissions this year and it was difficult to choose just one winner per category given the impressive initiatives we saw from each nominee,” said Erik Neandross, CEO at Gladstein, Neandross & Associates (GNA), a clean transportation firm and energy consulting firm and the host of ACT Expo.
Neandross added, “The annual ACT Expo Fleet Awards are such a great showcase of the hard work and dedication being put in by so many of our nation’s most progressive and sustainable fleets, and a fantastic way to recognize these leaders and the important work they are doing to drive the market for clean fuels and technology forward.”
Our efforts to replace 50% of its over-the-road fleet with clean fuel vehicles by 2025, include an announcement back in March that we plan to install 1,500 electric vehicle chargers at 67 company facilities by the end of 2024.
Earlier this year, we rolled out 50 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCEV), making SoCalGas among the first utilities in the nation to start transitioning to hydrogen-powered vehicles. And last year, SoCalGas converted 200 new Ford F-250 service pickup trucks to run on renewable natural gas (RNG). The service trucks are outfitted with the newest Landi Renzo Eco Ready™ equipment, a California Air Resource Board certified ultra-low emissions vehicles system.
Altogether, we manage a fleet of more than 5,000, which includes, light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles as well as trailers and equipment. SoCalGas has been at the forefront of fleet sustainability with early implementation of natural gas as a vehicle fuel more than 40 years ago. And for over 30 years, we have supported the alternative fuel transportation industry by offering public compressed natural gas refueling stations at our operating bases. Since September 2020, SoCalGas refueling stations have been supplied with carbon negative RNG.
