Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
So says Matthew Broderick in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and he might as well be talking about California these days. As the planet continues to heat up, the state’s landscapes, watersheds and weather are shifting so fast it can be difficult to keep track.
The demand for electric vehicles is surging in the U.S., sparked in part by the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and the subsidies it offers. But a looming supply shortage of lithium threatens to stall the EV transition.
The Helix Water District has expanded its ongoing sustainability efforts with the addition of its first all-electric, zero-emission, Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck.
“Converting public and private fleets to zero-emission trucks is a big part of the governor’s plan to have five million zero-emission vehicles in California by 2030,” said Helix Water District Director of Operations Kevin D. Miller. “This is a small step, but Helix is heading in the right direction.”
Left to right: Board President Kathleen Coates Hedberg, Director Dan McMillan, Director Mark Gracyk, Board Vice President De Ana Verbeke and Director Joel Scalzitti. Photo: Helix Water District
The district dispatches 80 light- and heavy-duty trucks throughout its 50-square-mile service area daily to maintain the district’s pipelines, pump stations, and reservoir tanks, and also in response to customer calls. Field operations crews drive up to 100 miles per day.
The Ford F-150 Lightning has over a 200-mile range. Ordering the vehicle prior to recent manufacturer price increases and taking advantage of rebates offset the price difference between the electric and gas-powered models. Electric trucks are also anticipated to save maintenance costs due to fewer moving parts to replace than comparable internal combustion engine models.
Avoiding fuel costs generates more savings. The district’s light-duty gasoline trucks have a fuel efficiency of about 20 miles to the gallon and cost 25 cents per mile to drive. Thanks to the district’s power purchase agreements and other investments, the electric trucks will cost less than 10 cents per mile.
The Helix Water District partnered with SDG&E and received grant funding to install on-site charging stations at two of its facilities. Photo: Helix Water District
Helix began transitioning to a sustainable fleet in 2017 when it replaced inefficient light-duty work trucks with seven Toyota Prius plug-in hybrids. The hybrids are 400% more fuel efficient than the trucks they replaced. The district also partnered with SDG&E and received grant funding to install on-site charging stations at two of its facilities.
“We welcome our first fully electric work vehicle,” said Helix Water District Board President Kathleen Coates Hedberg. “The technology has come a very long way, and zero-emission trucks benefit the cities and communities we serve by reducing operational costs, improving air quality, and reducing our environmental footprint. Whether developing new water sources or advancing toward a cleaner fleet, I am proud of the district’s sustainability efforts.”
In 2020, the district switched from diesel to renewable diesel, resulting in decreased emissions, particulates, and a noticeable increase in vehicle performance.
Additional sustainability efforts include:
Each of these programs reduces energy use and reduces costs, which helps reduce operational costs for Helix Water District customers.
(Editor’s note: The Helix Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
Chula Vista, Calif. – Yesterday, the Sweetwater Authority Governing Board gathered to see and celebrate the agency’s new electric vehicles (EVs). The purchase of these clean energy vehicles demonstrates the Authority’s commitment to sustainability.
Mayor Todd Gloria signed into law an update to the city’s Climate Action Plan Wednesday, which includes setting a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.
The San Diego City Council approved the update last week 8-0, with Councilman Chris Cate absent. City staff will bring a full implementation plan back to the council by February 2023.
As the world transitions away from fossil fuels, electric vehicles are becoming more ubiquitous. But despite their environmental benefits, they still have a price. The batteries that power them rely on a limited resource: lithium.
But some say California’s so-called “Lithium Valley” could be a vast powerhouse for the next century’s battery needs. A team of scientists is planning to map out deep-earth lithium to see if it can sustainably supply America’s insatiable demand for the element.
As the Imperial Valley begins its transformation into what some are calling Lithium Valley, one company says it could have lithium production at commercial scale by 2026, President Joe Biden said Tuesday at an event with Gov. Gavin Newsom, industry executives, community representatives and labor leaders.
Biden met with the group to announce several investments in domestic production of critical minerals and materials, including lithium extraction in Imperial County.
Two San Diego-area lawmakers previewed on Monday the local improvements that will come from the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by Congress last year.
Rep. Scott Peters vowed to help San Diego secure significant funding from the $7.5 billion earmarked in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for a national network of chargers for clean electric vehicles.
“The success of this landmark bill depends on focused federal, state, and local coordination to use these funds and ultimately improve San Diegans’ quality of life,” said Peters at a press conference with city and county leaders in Liberty Station.
Deep in the Southern California desert, a massive drill rig taps into what could be the energy of the future.
Temperatures in the region can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and residents live under the threat of toxic dust caused by decades of agricultural runoff depositing chemicals into the Salton Sea, a saltwater lake.
But in the brine lies lithium, a key ingredient for electric vehicle batteries, and the billion-dollar drilling project promises to not only transform an impoverished region, but also help the United States gain energy independence.
Developing a lithium industry in California’s Salton Sea, an area that experts think could supply more than a third of lithium demand in the world today, could help set up a multi-billion dollar domestic supply chain for electric vehicle batteries, according to a new report from New Energy Nexus.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
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