Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Conference and Expo - This year’s ACT Conference and Expo was held May 1- 4, 2023. It showcased the latest in commercial transportation technology providers, products and solutions designed to decarbonize transport and pave the road to a cleaner future. Over 185 low- and zero-emission advanced technology commercial and transportation vehicles were exhibited. The event brought together over 13,000 experts and stakeholders from all transportation sectors to discuss and learn more about clean transportation technologies, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, alternative fuels and energy storage. South Coast AQMD’s Executive Officer Wayne Nastri provided opening remarks, pointing out that clean transportation technologies, a robust power grid, infrastructure resiliency, funding and public and private partnerships are very important and needed to transition to zero-emission as quickly as possible. Agency staff moderated a panel discussion on “Economies of Scale – How to Grow an Electric Fleet” which provided perspectives and lessons learned from large scale battery electric Class 8 truck deployments.
Working With Communities Assisted in Home Building Project - On May 20, 2023 South Coast AQMD’s employee volunteer program, Working with Communities, hosted its second Team Build Day in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity (HFH) Orange County. The event was in the city of Santa Ana’s Historic French Park District. South Coast AQMD’s dedicated volunteers donated their Saturday and their skills to help construct homes intended for moderate-income families eligible for HFH’s homeownership program. Tasks included painting, siding installation, and other construction-related activities. This volunteer effort marks the sixth successful Working with Communities volunteer event. For additional details about the program and upcoming events, please visit our Community Events webpage.
South Coast AQMD Partnership Assists Opening of a Large-scale Battery-Electric Truck (BET) Charging Depot in South El Monte - On June 7, 2023, Schneider National Inc. and JETSI project partners hosted a ribbon cutting event to kick off the start of their BETs deployment and 4,900-square-foot state-of-the-art charging hub. The site will allow up to 32 trucks to charge simultaneously. By year’s end, Schneider National Inc. will have nearly 100 Freightliner eCascadias operating from their South El Monte facility, including the 50 funded through the JETSI project. JETSI is a private-public partnership with support coming from state and local agencies including CARB, California Energy Commission, Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC), South Coast AQMD, and the San Pedro Bay Ports, to increase the number of zero emission heavy-duty trucks on the roads. For more information on the JETSI project, visit https://www.jetsiproject.com/.