Electro-drive technologies can play a critical role not only in efforts to improve air quality, but also in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. Southern California Edison is working closely with government agencies, as well as public and private organizations, to provide a safe, efficient and reliable power infrastructure to support these technologies.

Climate Change Impacts

According to a wide range of scientific studies, temperature increases from rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere– due to heavy reliance on fossil fuels – can have major long-term impacts around the world. In California, these impacts can include:

• Greater ozone formation, leading to increased smog levels and worse air quality.
• More respiratory diseases and heat-related illnesses.
• A decline in the state’s water supply due to reduced snow pack runoff.
• Coastal damage from rising sea levels.
• Changes in vegetation and crop patterns that can impact California’s public health, economy and ecology.

Climate Change and Transportation

The California Energy Commission indicates California’s transportation sector is the single largest contributor of greenhouse gases in the state, producing more than 40% of all such emissions.

Electro-drive technologies, though, can make a difference. In an analysis completed in 2005, TIAX LLC, a collaborative research and development firm, found that these technologies: 

• Can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 65% to 100% (depending on the source of the electricity).
• Are expected to displace up to 4 million tons per year of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Every million tons of greenhouse emissions removed equates to retiring 129,000 2005 model year gasoline vehicles in California.

To help address concerns over transportation’s contributions to climate change, in 2004 the California Air Resources Board (ARB) approved a landmark regulation that requires automakers to begin selling vehicles with reduced greenhouse gas emissions by model year 2009.

ARB data indicates that the fully phased-in near-term standards (2009-2012) will result in about a 22% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the 2002 fleet, while the mid-term standards (2013-2016) will result in about a 30% reduction. The ARB data also shows that higher initial vehicle costs will be more than offset by operational cost savings.

SCE’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Role

SCE’s electro-drive fleet demonstrates the significant greenhouse gas reduction benefits of electric transportation. Through mid-2006, use of our nearly 300 electric vehicles had avoided the emission of more than 6,500 tons of tailpipe carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas).

But there’s more. At SCE we show our commitment to greenhouse gas reductions on a daily basis in other ways, through our residential and business energy efficiency programs that help lower electricity use (and, by extension, electricity generation); through our leadership in use of renewable resources; through our “Waste Not” program focused on waste prevention, green purchases, reuse and recycling; and much more.

For additional information on SCE’s environmental leadership, visit www.sce.com.

To learn more about climate change and California’s efforts to address this important issue, visit the California Air Resources Board website at www.arb.ca.gov/cc/cc.htm and the California Energy Commission website at www.energy.ca.gov/global_climate_change/index.html.

Details on the TIAX LLC report, titled “Electric Transportation and Goods-Movement Technologies: Expected and Achievable Growth and Related Benefits/Impacts in California,” are available by logging onto www.sce.com/PowerandEnvironment/ElectricTransportation/Newsletter/ and clicking on Winter 2005-06, Volume 10, Issue 3 of SCE’s Current electro-drive newsletter.