Executives from various blue chip companies in the utility and transport industries have formed a coalition called The Electrification Leadership Council (ELC) to develop an electric vehicle demonstration project to create a national model for the deployment of electric vehicles.
The ELC comprises key stakeholders from the electric vehicle supple chain with the resources and expertise needed to engage local, regional, state and federal coalitions and agencies along with other vehicle manufacturers, financial institutions and utility companies in order to ensure a smooth, large-scale deployment of the electric vehicles.
The blue chip companies that have joined hand for this venture include Azure Dynamics, GE Capital, Navistar, Hertz, FedEx Express, A123 Systems, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, CODA Automotive, Automatiks and ECOtality. Members of the ELC also include representatives from local, state and national agencies, vehicle manufacturers as well as delivery service providers.
The ELC aims to leverage the work of national-level organizations such as the Electric Drive Transportation Association and the Electrification Coalition that promote education and public policies to achieve successful deployment of the electric vehicles. The ELC’s strategy is aimed at ultimately improving the quality of urban life, decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions and achieving energy independence.
The Vice President – eStar Electric Vehicle Brand at Navistar, Mark Aubry stated that the ELC has developed a private and public model to determine the entities required to operate the electric vehicles in a community. This is required as no single entity can arrive at a comprehensive solution required for the large scale deployment of electric vehicles.
The initial task of the ELC is to prepare a demonstration project focusing on the deployment of electric vehicles in densely populated markets where components such as vehicle mechanics, fleet operators, parking incentives, financing and insurance, charging stations, energy storage devices, communication systems, electrical grids and support networks can be brought together to build an EV (electric vehicle) ecosystem. In the process, the ELC will communicate with communities where efforts have been taken towards regulatory alignment, public awareness and infrastructure planning. These communications will also be supported by the ELC to overcome the barriers in infrastructure, regulatory policies, vehicle support, acceptance and the cost of ownership – to ensure the deployment of electric vehicles.