It’s been weeks since the event, but I’m still reflecting on the 2024 Mobility 21 Southern California Transportation Summit in Anaheim, California. The mission of Mobility 21 is to pursue regional solutions to the transportation challenges facing Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties. The organization began holding summits in 2002, and now, decades later, they are a must-attend for me as a community planner and SoCal citizen.
A major takeaway I had from this year’s event, themed Authors of Innovation, is the growing and ever-present intersection of the clean-energy transition with transportation. Now I realize this is not necessarily news to many; agencies like California’s State Energy Commission have been investing in reducing the state’s dependence on petroleum for years, including a $1.4 billion plan for zero-emission transportation in approved in 2021. Nonetheless, I particularly enjoyed a panel discussion on the transformative impacts of new energy sources on California’s transportation sector, how these technologies could reshape mobility, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
The proverbial rubber is hitting the road. We are seeing continued investment in infrastructure to support EV charging stations throughout the country. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are more than 80,000 public charging stations across the country, with nearly 20 percent (16,000) of them in California. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration has earmarked $1 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for 2025 for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, so we can expect to see this grow into the future.
Much of the existing EV infrastructure has been geared towards privately owned automobiles and pick-up trucks. However, the largest positive impact we can make to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to decarbonize the transportation and freight sectors (an issue ESA recently helped the South Coast AQMD win a $500 million grant to address).
California Advanced Clean Truck regulations require that manufacturers of commercial vehicles start selling electric trucks starting in 2024 and sell only electric trucks by 2045 (ARB, 2023). It is expected that this regulation will result in 100,000 zero-emission trucks on California roadways by 2030, and 300,000 by 2035.
ESA is in the midst of environmental consulting for a landmark project in Sacramento to address this issue. Located near the Interstate 5 and State Route 99 interchange, the 140-acre facility would include direct current fast chargers and megawatt chargers powered by a new solar array and would serve shippers and transporters as well as public transportation and passenger vehicles. If built, this project would be the largest electrical truck charging station in the U.S.
While California continues to navigate the road to carbon neutrality by 2045 and with the growing convergence of mobility and energy, I am excited to see how ESA’s Energy and Surface Transportation & Ports market teams will continue to provide innovative client-focused solutions for mobility and energy projects throughout the project life cycle.
