Introduction
Joint Office of Energy and Transportation Forms Committee to Shape US Electric Vehicle Ecosystem
The U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation has established a committee consisting of electric vehicle industry and policy leaders. The committee aims to contribute to the development of the nation’s electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem.
The Electric Vehicle Working Group was created last year as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and its members and initiatives were recently announced by the Joint Office.
The committee comprises 25 members, including representatives from the UAW, the National Automobile Dealers Association, Daimler Truck North America, charging companies, electric utilities, federal agencies, and other industry and policy groups. The committee will focus on various issues such as promoting EV adoption among low- and moderate-income Americans and underserved communities, addressing the cost of vehicle and battery manufacturing, tackling raw material shortages, improving charging infrastructure, ensuring grid capacity, and enhancing EV cybersecurity.
Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, emphasized the importance of gathering input and expertise from diverse stakeholders. He stated, “It’s absolutely crucial to bring together what might look in some ways like a disparate group to give their input, feedback, expertise so we don’t miss things. In the private sector, there’s a lot of innovation happening, and so we want to be aware of all that.”
The committee will hold quarterly meetings starting this fall and will provide recommendations, including the expected costs and benefits of EV-related initiatives, to the secretaries of energy and transportation. Large meetings will be open to the public for virtual or in-person attendance. Additionally, the committee may form subcommittees to discuss specific issues.
Klein emphasized that the committee’s work is not just for show. He stated, “It’s pretty high profile, but it’s not window dressing. We really need the opinions of our private sector partners, technical experts, as well as folks that are within the government.”
This committee is another example of the Joint Office’s collaboration with industry experts to shape EV policies. The office previously established the National Charging Experience Consortium and recently announced funding for data sets on EV adoption and infrastructure by J.D. Power in partnership with the Vehicle Technologies Office.
Klein highlighted the committee’s role in addressing both current and future opportunities and challenges in the EV sector, stating, “The Electric Vehicle Working Group is ‘in the spirit of what the Joint Office is all about, to facilitate and bring people together to address not only the opportunities and challenges that we know of now, but also things that pop up over the next few years’.”
