Finding the best places for zero-emissions charging and hydrogen fueling stations to improve the lives of people living in Northern California is the goal of a study by three regional planning agencies.

Representatives from the San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG), Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) make up the Megaregion Working Group formed to improve how people and goods move throughout the 16-county Northern California Megaregion. The goal of the group’s Megaregion Zero Emission Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicle Study is to create a realistic plan that enables economic development and equity in communities most affected by vehicle emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, poor air quality, noise, safety, and other traffic-related impacts.

The study will be used to place as many as 15 direct current fast chargers (DCFC) or hydrogen fueling stations to encourage zero-emission freight, goods movement and transit in the region that stretches from the San Francisco Bay Area to the San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento and into the Sierra Nevada. That will mean lower vehicle and greenhouse gas emissions and better air quality in those communities.

The study is funded by a $500,000 Caltrans Partnership Planning Grant and SACOG is leading the study.

SJCOG, SACOG and MTC share management of the Megaregion Working Group on a rotating annual basis with SACOG the current administrator. Learn more about SJCOG's participation in the Megaregion Working Group by visiting https://www.sjcog.org/554/Megaregion-Working-Group. 

Related story: “Joining forces in a megaregion scale transportation collaboration.”