Learn how McSpirit Search and Young Professionals in Energy Philadelphia are bringing experts together to solve EV infrastructure challenges.
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ —
Collaboration.
That was the theme of PhillyEV’s inaugural networking event where electric vehicle and energy professionals came together to discuss the current and future landscape of electric vehicle infrastructure.
PhillyEV was founded when Raymond McSpirit, founder and CEO of McSpirit Search (EVRecruitment.com) an EV-focused recruiting firm and Steven Matthews, Development Chairman at Young Professionals in Energy Philadelphia, put their heads together to map out what their home city of Philadelphia needs to do to prepare for the EV revolution. From government, utilities, construction firms, contractors, automotive OEMS, EVSE, etc. working together and contributing their part to EV infrastructure…it’s enough to make your head spin.
“We need to get everyone in a room together”
And so they did.
They curated a list of 4 expert panelists and asked their 150 attendees for questions that pertained to EV infrastructure challenges and solutions. Here’s what we learned.
What are the biggest challenges with current EV Infrastructure?
When asked about the biggest challenges in EV infrastructure today, Brendan Kelly, Managing Partner at EnerKnol pointed out, “3 DC Fast Chargers pull the same amount of power as a 50-unit apartment building…and we need 10s of thousands (of chargers) in NYC”. Matt Leff, President at Lincoln electric added that there’s difficulty in finding the real estate needed to match the density of chargers we will require in highly-populated cities like Philadelphia and New York.
The conversation then shifted to regulation where Micah Gold-Markel, Founder of Solar States summed up frustration from everyone on the panel, “Everyone (manufacturers) wants to have a safe product, but the goalpost keeps moving about what it means to have a safe product…there’s a compromise to be had with safety, with EVs, with solar”. Leff and Torsten Gruhn, EV Division Head at Bender Inc., nodded along agreeing that it’s difficult to produce products that match all the diverse standards set by different utilities, automotive, and building regulators. Kelly, whose company (EnerKnol) specializes in regulatory data, called America a “regulatory moshpit”. However, he has a more optimistic tone claiming that “since everyone has the right to petition the government, it will (eventually) produce robust results.”
Gruhn also reminded everyone, “We just came out of the pandemic…if you need a utility-grade transformer, it might take 2 years to get…it’s a matter of time, we’re just impatient here (in the US).” It was a humbling reminder that while we all strive for innovation, there will always be some unforeseen external factors that interfere as hiccups along the way. We must control what we can control.
One of the last challenges discussed was about talent in the EV space. “There’s a lack of skilled labor in the installation area,” Gold-Markel mentioned. But that also means there is a ton of opportunity. “There’s such a wide range of jobs if you want to go to school for 20 years and nerd out, there’s room for that or if you get to work straight out of high school, there’s room for that.” Ray chimed in with his perspective as a recruiter, “we understand the challenges of hiring in the EV space. It’s so new that very few people have extensive EV experience. We’re always working with clients to identify strong candidates from adjacent markets who can create impact.”
What are some exciting solutions?
Gruhn suggested that there’s no one-size fits all solution and that customers will have many different solutions to choose from. He stated for example, “There’s all this talk about DC Fast Chargers…let’s say I park at the Philly airport, nobody stays at the airport for only a half hour…Does it make sense to use DC Fast Chargers? No, put 1,000 L1 chargers there.” He would later add that he believes every charger should come with a service agreement as well. Educating customers and giving them the tools to operate successfully is critical as we continue to venture into unknown territory.
We then covered one of the hottest topics in the EV space, batteries. Kelly referenced an article that stated over 80% of EV drivers could use a smaller battery based on their commute. He debunked this idea, claiming, “We don’t plan our grid for 80% capacity…the excess battery capacity is something that should be embraced.” He mentioned how exciting vehicle to grid technology is, not only for cars but specifically for school bus fleets. Gold-Markel chimed in discussing the vast amount of batteries they install for his solar panel clients, “We now have virtual power plants…we can release energy from batteries in homes all at once. Utilities will need to work to release this nascent energy to the grid.” Technologies like these help stabilize the grid and encourage the shift to cleaner energy sources. Gold-Markel also added that smaller batteries can be useful and aid in accessibility to EVs, “In China they are selling electric vehicles that are all shapes and sizes…the amount of (electric) transportation for lower income is incredible”
Victoria Korbonits, Director of Business Development at Botree then talked about her company’s effort in battery recycling, “End of life batteries are extremely valuable…45% of EV cost comes from the battery…there will be more and more battery recycling in the US”. End of life batteries can be reused to make new EV or LEV batteries. Extracting the raw materials can also then allow them to be used in a multitude of other battery applications outside the EV sector.
Where do we go from here?
“Everything that can move is being electrified”, claims Gruhn. Most of us in the industry would agree. “It takes time. Horse to vehicle took 50 years…this is the experimental, happy phase. It’s fun but a little bit like the wild west,” Gruhn would expand. What we need is continued communication and collaboration between all stakeholders. This will shift us from the “wild west” to a collective, pointed goal. Kelly also emphasized we need to continue to “do things like this, organize”, and in doing so we will move to a brighter, greener, electrified future.
We’d like to shoutout the sponsors of the PhillyEV event: Sikkema Electric, Evil Genius Brewing, Bean2Bean Coffee, and Billy Penn Studios
SOURCE McSpirit Search
