The San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) is expanding its popular nonprofit electric carsharing services to provide more residents of disadvantaged communities access to clean, affordable and convenient transportation options.
SJCOG is again partnering with the Housing Authority of the County of San Joaquin to launch the latest electric carsharing station at noon Tuesday, Jan. 16, at its Tracy Homes site, 340 W. Fourth St., Tracy. Míocar, a nonprofit all-electric carsharing service in San Joaquin Valley that already manages electric carsharing services for SJCOG’s Stockton Mobility Collective, will manage the expanded service paid for by the state’s Clean Mobility Options (CMO) Voucher Pilot Program.
“Adding more cars and locations to our electric carsharing services means we’re reaching more people in the communities where the need is greatest,” Escalon Mayor and SJCOG Board Chair David Bellinger said. “We’re providing even more people with vital services they can use in their everyday lives to get to school, job interviews, medical appointments and other destinations that are important to them.”
Public-private partnerships are valuable in delivering services and helping to advance the SJCOG mission.
“These expanded carsharing services will help us achieve some substantial and beneficial goals for the region,” SJCOG Executive Director Diane Nguyen said. “We’ll be able to increase zero emissions vehicle use, reduce vehicle miles traveled and improve air quality, which advances our sustainable development and transportation goals.”
The benefits of expanding the overall nonprofit electric carshare fleet go even beyond the 195 single-family households at Tracy Homes, where the Housing Authority is hosting the cars and providing the charging stations.
“Through collaboration with trusted community partners, this innovative electric car-sharing program is making the latest clean car technology available to low-income residents in the San Joaquin Valley so that no one is left behind in a zero-emissions future,” said CARB Chair Liane Randolph. “Beyond cleaner air and public health benefits, the program also makes sure residents have reliable transportation to access everyday needs, improving their quality of life and economic opportunities.”
Partnering with the Housing Authority, which already hosts charging stations and electric carshare vehicles at three of its sites for the Stockton Mobility Collective, is a natural fit since CMO projects must benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities.
SJCOG was awarded nearly $1.5 million from the CMO program and formed the Stockton Electric Vehicle Carsharing Service, which will include 11 battery-electric vehicles and five charging units and stations throughout the region. Future hosting and charging sites could include other Housing Authority sites or City of Stockton sites such as libraries and community centers. The CMO-funded project is similar to SJCOG’s Stockton Mobility Collective, which will provide 30 electric vehicles at six or seven stations centered in Downtown Stockton at separate sites. The Stockton Mobility Collective is funded by a California Air Resources Board Sustainable Transportation Equity Project.
The Stockton Electric Vehicle Service project is part of the California Climate Investments (CCI) and California Energy Commission’s (CEC) Clean Transportation Program. CCI is a statewide initiative that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health, particularly in disadvantaged communities. The Clean Transportation Program is investing more than $1 billion to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission transportation infrastructure and support in-state manufacturing and workforce training and development.
About San Joaquin Council of Governments
The San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) is the planning, financing and coordinating agency for the San Joaquin region overseeing transportation, housing and habitat conservation. SJCOG is a joint-powers authority comprised of representatives from San Joaquin County and
the cities of Stockton, Lodi, Manteca, Tracy, Ripon, Escalon and Lathrop. SJCOG’s broad range of responsibilities includes managing the Measure K transportation sales tax program, collecting county demographic and economic data, airport land use planning and regional air quality. SJCOG partners with a network of local governments, private organizations and community groups to deliver a variety of local, state and federal programs that support the streets, roads, highways, public transit and other transportation resources that help our residents get where they need to be. It is also responsible for assigning each city and the County its fair share of affordable housing. Visit the SJCOG website for more information.