Dominion Energy commits to EVs following IPCC report

An electric vehicle charging. Photo: Dominion Energy

RICHMOND, Virginia — On Tuesday, Dominion Energy announced that they plan to convert thousands of company vehicles to electric or clean-burning alternative fuels by 2030.

The company provides natural gas to more than a million customers in Utah.

Below are Dominion’s full commitments:

• 75% of passenger vehicles, including sedans and SUVs, will be converted to electric power by 2030.
• 50% of work vehicles – from full-size pickups and bucket trucks to forklifts and ATVs – will be converted by 2030 to plug-ins, battery electric vehicles, or vehicles fueled by cleaner-burning alternatives, such as hydrogen, renewable natural gas, and compressed natural gas. In the transition, the company will make use of trucks equipped with emissions-reducing ePTO (Electric Power Takeoff) systems.
• 100% of all new vehicles – from sedans to heavy-duty vehicles – purchased will be powered either by electricity or alternative fuels, after 2030.

The company has said that it can reach net-zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions by 2050 for its power generation and gas infrastructure sector.

The announcement comes just a day after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a dark report about the world’s climate.

“Nearly all of the warming that has happened on Earth can be blamed on emissions of heat-trapping gases such as carbon dioxide and methane,” the article in AP states.

Scientists are urging for quick action, saying in the report that commitments to net-zero emissions are essential.

“We know our customers and shareholders have heightened expectations about our role in society,” said Wendy Wellener, Dominion Energy’s vice president of shared services. “They are telling us that they want a company that is mindful of its impact on the world around us. They want a company that leads on clean energy. But they also want safe, reliable and affordable service. We are listening. And we believe this initiative, which drives change across the states where we do business, meets those expectations.”