California Approves Sacramento-Area Electric Car Share Program

Partnership will be announced at a press event Wednesday, August 2

Today, Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna are excited to announce that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved Volkswagen subsidiary Electrify America’s proposal to designate Sacramento as its first Green City. The investment will bring $44 million to the City of Sacramento which will include Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure designed to increase access to ZEV technology in metro areas, and in particular, disadvantaged communities.

Mayor Steinberg and Supervisor Serna along with Electrify America representatives, and community stakeholders will make an official announcement about the partnership at a press event on Wednesday, August 2 at 9:30 a.m. at the Alder Grove Housing Community located at 816 Revere Street.

“We are thrilled to be approved and selected as the first Green City in Electrify America’s proposal to help improve air quality and public health through increased access and use of electric vehicles,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. “We have both the need and ability to leverage this significant investment to serve our disadvantaged communities, to push forward on our tech industry recruitment, and to continue creating public-private-partnerships that uplift our entire city.”

“With today’s unanimous vote, Sacramento has been granted an incredible opportunity to further advance zero-emission mobility, and to do so by investing in neighborhoods that need help the most,” said Sacramento County Supervisor and California Air Resources Board member Phil Serna. “This isn’t just about the $44 million we’ll receive as a designated ‘Green City’, it’s also about doing all we can to ensure environmental justice remains at the forefront of our agenda.”

“Electrify America selected Sacramento as a Green City to demonstrate the potential of ZEV adoption within metro areas and to increase affordable mobility options,” said Mark McNabb, CEO of Electrify America. “We appreciate the City’s partnership in these efforts and we look forward to starting the work to implement these new programs.”

Sacramento has already initiated a car sharing service that serves low-income communities as a result of a CARB grant, and Electrify America intends to build on that work. A key component of the $44 million Green City investment will provide access to ZEVs to those who do not own ZEVs, or cannot afford to own ZEVs, and represent an underserved population.

In Sacramento, almost 50 percent of households earn less than 80 percent of the area median income, and some of the lowest earners like older adults and large families also have some of the greatest transportation challenges.

Overall, Electrify America will invest $800 million in California over the next 10 years — with a significant first investment coming to Sacramento — to support the increased use of ZEV technology with more ZEV infrastructure and education. When the investment is fully implemented, Electrify America hopes to grow California’s ZEV refueling infrastructure while contributing to improved air quality and public health, and helping to transform California’s ZEV market.