Helix Water District Builds Model EV Charging Hub by Helix Water District Mar 30, 2026 Helix Water District has transformed its operations center in San Diego’s east county suburbs into one of California’s most advanced electric fleet charging hubs. The $11 million project, funded almost entirely by grants, features 87 high‑capacity chargers and nearly six megawatts of power. Designed to meet state vehicle emission mandates and maintain 24/7 emergency readiness, the project is a model for public‑sector fleet electrification across California. The project positions Helix as one of the first public agencies in California to fully build out charging infrastructure in response to the California Air Resources Board’s Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation. The regulation requires local and state public agencies to replace medium- and heavy-duty trucks and equipment with zero emissions models. By 2030, all new vehicle purchases must be zero emissions. Twenty-eight counties, cities, water districts and other public agencies came to Helix’s Nat L. Eggert Operations Center on March 27 to see what compliance with the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation looks like. The trade show following the ribbon cutting offered the opportunity to tour the facility and charging infrastructure, talk with the Helix project team and each of the companies involved in construction, and check out the electric, medium- and heavy-duty trucks and equipment manufacturers now have available. According to the California Air Resources Board, trucks make up just 6% of vehicles on California roads but generate more than 35% of nitrogen oxide emissions and 25% of on‑road greenhouse gas emissions.[AW1.1] While the regulation mandates fleet conversion, it does not provide funding for the necessary charging infrastructure. “When we evaluated the regulation, we discovered that finding available vehicles wasn’t the only challenge—the infrastructure was, too,” said Helix Water District Board President Kathleen Coates Hedberg. “We had to protect our water rates and the 279,000 people we serve while figuring out how to comply.” Collaboration Reduced Costs Helix decided its best option was to be the first local agency in California to build charging infrastructure and reach out to stakeholders – the government agencies responsible for clean air in California and the companies with the expertise to build charging infrastructure. The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District, San Diego Gas and Electric and the California Energy Commission provided more than $10.2 million in grants and rebates, ensuring the project would have minimal impact on water rates. The grant funding enabled Helix to build the full charging system upfront, which is less expensive than a phased approach. Additional savings will come from shared use of the charging system by neighboring cities and public agencies, with software automatically tracking, allocating and recovering costs. Helix also expects to see continued cost savings from a zero emissions fleet. “The data from our current fleet show that fuel costs for an electric vehicle are one-fifth the fuel costs of a gas or diesel vehicle,” said Helix Water District Operations Director Kevin Miller. The Charging Infrastructure is Designed for 24/7 Operations Helix operates a fleet of 100 light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, from Toyota Prius to Ford F-150 to F-750 pickups and platforms, International crew cabs, 3-axle dump trucks, backhoes and skip loaders. The charging infrastructure is designed and engineered around four core operational requirements common to many public agencies: • 24/7 emergency response – Helix responds 24/7 to water main breaks, natural disasters and mutual aid requests. Every class of vehicle must be charged and ready at all hours. • Power take-offs – Charging and batteries must support power take-offs, which convert a truck engine’s power to drive external tools like pumps, winches and pneumatic tools. • No additional vehicles – Helix stipulated that it would not add vehicles or staff to compensate for vehicle charging times. • Limited charging during peak hours – Helix reduces operations costs by prioritizing [mc3.1]pumping water in off-peak hours when electricity rates are lower. It applied the same rule to vehicle charging. The infrastructure includes 87 chargers, from 40 to 640 kilowatts, manufactured by Heliox and Autel. Most are installed overhead. This allowed crews to build the new infrastructure without interrupting daily operations. Overhead chargers and conduit also minimize trenching and construction costs and build flexibility into daily operations and parking. The 5.9 megawatt system has the capacity to power3,000 to 5,000 homes. Autel’s 640 kilowatt MaxiCharger can recharge medium- and heavy-duty trucks in an hour. BetterFleet software recognizes each vehicle and optimizes charging. “The software will prioritize which vehicle to charge first and when it is most cost effective to do so based on time-of-use electricity rates. It adapts to a dynamic schedule,” said Miller. [MU4.1] A Blueprint for Statewide Adoption The collaborative approach that worked well for Helix – seeking partners and outside funding, identifying construction strategies to minimize disruption of daily operations, and sharing charging infrastructure with neighboring agencies– are a roadmap for other public agencies planning their own compliance with the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation. The design and construction of the district’s charging infrastructure also provide insights for reducing construction costs and building a user-friendly system employees will embrace. “We’re not just meeting the mandate,” said Miller. “We’re helping define how public‑sector electrification can be done statewide.” About Helix Water District Helix provides water treatment for 500,000 people in San Diego’s east county suburbs and distributes drinking water to 279,000 people in the cities of La Mesa, El Cajon and Lemon Grove and the Spring Valley, Mt. Helix and Lakeside communities. “At Helix, we like to say that fiscal responsibility and sustainability go hand in hand,” said Hedberg. From 2009 to 2019, the district reduced its electricity use by 15% and its greenhouse gas emissions by 40%. The Climate Registry recognized Helix Water District as a Water-Energy Leader Gold organization in 2023 and the district was named a Certified Green Business by the Green Business Network in 2025. Helix buys electricity from San Diego-based Calpine Energy Solutions. The district has seen double-digit cost savings as high as 18% on electricity commodity costs and has secured the renewable energy supply it needs through 2030.
