SEATTLE, July 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Big changes are afoot at the Alliance for Transportation Electrification as utilities continue to plan and build out charging infrastructure along with the private market of EV service providers, state and local governments, and many organizations. Moreover, the state Departments of Transportation are busy meeting the deadlines to submit each state’s EV charging station plans by August 1 for review and approval by the federal government expected in late September, in response to the pathbreaking and bipartisan Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act and the leadership of the Biden Administration through its new Joint Office between USDOT and USDOE. These investments should help fill in the gaps in interstate and state highway corridor charging in the 50 states, and supplement community charging in cities and towns.
At its recent Board meeting in Charlotte, NC, the Alliance welcomed three new Directors to its Board:
- Louis Tremblay, President and CEO of FLO, a leading EV charging network operator (Quebec City, Quebec, Canada)
- Hank Adams, Vice President of Corporate Development, Southern Company (Atlanta GA)
- Lon Huber, Senior Vice President, Pricing and Customer Solutions, Duke Energy (Charlotte NC)
Bentina Terry, recently promoted to Senior Vice President, Customer Strategy and Solutions of Georgia Power Company, will also join to complement the leadership of Chris Cummiskey of the Southern Company, sharing that company’s board seat and vote.
“Our new board members bring a wealth of knowledge and passion that will help propel the industry forward at this pivotal time in electric vehicle adoption,” said Mark Fronmuller, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Innovation for Ameren Corporation. “As our nation looks to accelerate construction of needed charging infrastructure, this is no longer a chicken and egg situation. Auto and truck manufacturers continue to spend billions to design, develop and produce electric vehicles of all types and sizes – and our charging infrastructure must keep pace in order to provide a reliable, seamless charging experience to electric vehicle owners. Utilities, electric vehicle service providers and related IT vendors need to collaborate quickly to meet our nation’s infrastructure gaps.”
“These are fast-moving and dynamic times in the EV ecosystem,” says ATE Executive director Phil Jones. “We are excited to have all this new board talent with deep and diverse experiences across the fields of clean energy, EV charging infrastructure, as well as other types of energy and utility infrastructure. Louis has done a superb job of developing charging stations in Quebec and across the Canadian provinces, and now is pushing into the 50 States as symbolized by its recent new factory in Michigan. Hank has worked in several key areas within the broad portfolio of the Southern Company, including renewable energy generation and low-carbon infrastructure, and will bring that enthusiasm to EV market development. Meanwhile, Lon’s experiences in the field of utility regulation and energy over the past decade have resulted in his recognition as one of the industry’s leading strategist on customer solutions and rate design. Under his guidance, Lon’s team leads the creation of innovative EV and other distributed energy programs across the six states in which Duke Energy operates.”
In other news:
- In an important new white paper, the Alliance details options in rate design for commercial and industrial rates, specifically for demand charges and potential alternatives for EV service providers that will provide transitional relief to station owners and allow the market to develop from this early stage.
- The Alliance’s new Interconnection Task Force coordinates utilities and other members to address the challenges posed by internal utility processes, permitting and easements, speeding the siting and use of charging stations. The task force is led by Southern California Edison’s Melodee Black and General Motors’ Kathy Knoop.
- The Alliance’s Education and Outreach Task Force is shifting its focus towards best practices for utilities, for vehicle fleets, and for companies working with electric buses. It is co-chaired by Katherine Stainken of the Electrification Coalition and Joel Levin of Plug-in America, both affiliated organizations of ATE.
- The Alliance continues to develop comments, working with the Joint Office, federal and state agencies on rules and guidelines for the $7.5 billion appropriated over five years to build out EV charging infrastructure across the country.
About the Alliance for Transportation Electrification
The Alliance for Transportation Electrification (ATE), a 501c.6 non-profit organization, is a broad coalition of organizations that advocate for an acceleration of transportation electrification in all states and provinces. These include utilities, automotive OEMs, electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) companies and affiliated non-profit trade associations and non-profit groups organized on a big-tent philosophy. ATE believes that a broad, multi-stakeholder coalition is critical to bring groups together around policy and regulatory issues that will help enable this fundamental restructuring of the transportation, electric utility, and IT/software industries. https://evtransportationalliance.org
Contact:
Philip Jones, Executive Director
[email protected]
Phone: 1-206-453-4157
SOURCE Alliance for Transportation Electrification
