With its vast reserves of lithium, a key mineral in modern battery technology, Imperial County has high hopes of becoming an important hub for the shift to electric vehicles.
But if you own an electric car or truck, it's a challenge to get it charged within the county’s borders.
Imperial County is near the bottom of the list in California when it comes to access to electric vehicle charging stations, Calmatters reported last month. In March, the region had just 24 public fast chargers, according to the state energy commission.
The environmental justice organization Comite Civico del Valle is working to change that. The group has an ambitious plan to build 40 new charging stations across the county, with 18 coming by the end of the year.
They unveiled their most recent station last week in Calipatria, a small city at the north end of the county.
“It’s about environmental justice and providing equitable access to clean energy solutions,” said Luis Olmedo, executive director of Comite Civico, in a statement. “We are committed to making sure that rural and underserved communities are not left behind in the transition to electric vehicles.”
Calipatria Mayor Sylvia Chavez said the new charging station would add to the economic health of the city and thanked Olmedo and Comite Civico for their efforts.
“Your ongoing investment is a tremendous source of joy,” she said at a press conference last week.
The shift from gas vehicles to electric ones will be one of California’s most powerful tools for slowing climate change. Cars and other forms of transportation produce around half of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the state has set a goal of getting 5 million electric cars on the road by 2030.
California will need to add just over a million chargers to support those new electric vehicles over the next six years, according to the state Energy Commission. In the Imperial Valley region, Energy Commision officials said that would mean adding 370 new chargers by 2030.
Several state officials said Comite Civico is moving that goal closer to reality.
“This is meaningful,” said California Secretary of Environmental Protection Yana Garcia at Thursday’s press conference. “This means that we can actually begin to address the charging desert that we're in.”
Comite Civico began the project last year with some funding from the state Energy Commission. The group said it also received philanthropic support from General Motors, The Waverley Street Foundation and the United Auto Workers.
Tommy Rea, president of El Centro-based Five Star Electric, said Comite Civico had also prioritized working with local electricians and union workers on the Calipatria station.
“Luis and the Comite, they went out of their way to make sure that this was done by local labor,” Rea said. “He was there every step of the way.”
The charging stations could be part of a much larger transformation. Last year, researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy confirmed that large reserves of lithium — a key element in electric car batteries — are stored deep below the Salton Sea.
Some hope it could turn the region into a hub for the electric vehicle supply chain and bring a new wave of well-paying jobs with good benefits.
California Energy Commissioner Patricia Monahan said Comite Civico’s approach could be a model for state regulators and lithium companies to follow.
“We want Lithium Valley to be the same job creation opportunity as these chargers with money staying here in Imperial County,” she said.
