Goodwill to test electric trucks in Bay Area

San Francisco Goodwill will start using electric trucks as part of a test project that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced Friday.

The project, which is product of the Goodwill’s partnership with the BAAQMD, the California Air Resources Board, the Center for Transportation and the Environment and BYD Corp., will bring 11 electric trucks to Goodwill locations in San Mateo, San Francisco and Marin counties.

The test project also aims to provide a national model for electrifying all of Goodwill’s truck fleet, according to BAAQMD officials.

The air district’s Executive Officer Jack Broadbent said in a statement:

“Diesel trucks are the largest source of unhealthy air pollution in the Bay Area. … Electric trucks reduce unhealthy diesel exhaust from our streets and neighborhoods providing the region with air quality benefits and greenhouse gas reductions.”

The cost of charging an electric vehicle costs a fraction of the cost of filling up a vehicle with diesel fuel and maintenance for electric vehicles is about 50 percent less, according to BAAQMD officials.

William Rogers, CEO and president of Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin, said in a statement:

“Collecting donated goods to create local jobs and take pressure off our landfills is integral to Goodwill’s mission. … This zero-emissions fleet of 11 electric trucks will reduce local emissions, improve air quality and demonstrate Goodwill’s commitment to improving the communities we serve.”

The $4.4 million project is funded by California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.