In November of 2017, the Alliance for Transportation Electrification (ATE) was formed. The alliance is made up of utilities, international affiliates, automotive firms, electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure firms, and engineering/consulting firms. This coalition advocates for the rapid adoption of electric transportation through educating and promoting its benefits. The Alliance hopes for effective stakeholder collaboration and mutually beneficial industry growth.

Key Details

• Overall, ATE intends to set forth ways in which two previously separate industries—transportation and electricity/energy—can be integrated fairly and efficiently
• The focus is accelerating deployment of EV infrastructure to support current and future market needs, across all 50 states, over the next three to five years
• There are two areas of focus for the ATE:
  • Policy – inform policy and the regulatory framework in support of utility participation in EV infrastructure deployment, while promoting innovation and grid efficiency
  • Standards – promote interoperability in the EV ecosystem through the adoption of open standards to allow consistent EV owner experiences across networks
• ATE will focus its efforts on educating state commissions, governors, and key state and local decision-makers who have influence on transportation policy and planning
• Members include, but are not limited to, Southern Company, Ameren, Southern California Edison, American Electric Power, Duke Energy, Greenlots, EV-Box, and General Motors

Implications

Although the Alliance is not the first coalition founded in support of EV adoption, it is poised to be the most significant due to the broad member representation and the targeted focus on local and state policy to drive adoption.

The Alliance’s desire for utility ownership/facilitation of EV infrastructure deployment through recoverable rates could be perceived as a threat to the private EV supply equipment companies (e.g., ChargePoint) because utilities could deploy infrastructure at low costs.

More Information

Alliance for Transportation Electrification: Alliance Mission Statement

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