How to accelerate past the roadblocks on the route to scaling electric vehicles

“What if your vehicle could power your house for 3-10 days? And what are the roadblocks to scaling electric vehicles? Miguel Sossa, our VP, Western Region, attended Cynthia Williams’, Global Director Sustainability, Homologation, and Compliance, Ford Motor Company, and Matthew Nelson’s, Director of Government Affairs, Electrify America, thought-provoking panel, Electrifying Transportation: Opportunities and Roadblocks, to learn more.

With light-duty vehicles accounting for ~60% of US-based transportation emissions, Ford understands the importance of leading the change to zero-emissions capable vehicles and expanding accessibility to all communities. As one example, in April, Ford launched the F-150 Lightning, a fully-electric version of its flagship vehicle. In addition to drastically reducing emissions, Ford thought of the impact on communities, engineering the pickup to power a house for 3 to 10 days from the battery pack. Can you imagine the resilience this could provide communities adversely impacted by power outages caused by more-frequent storms?

So, what stands in the way of global scale?

Per Cynthia, 1. It starts with having actual vehicles to take to market, something that Ford and other automakers are clearly addressing. 2. Charging infrastructure needs to be visible and accessible to consumers, particularly in multi-unit dwellings where vehicle owners may not have a dedicated garage to install a charger. 3. Battery affordability needs to be improved, something Ford is directly investing in, including a $12B battery development program with SK Innovation. 4. Cynthia shared that consumer education and service is key, as EVs are still not accessible to many communities.

Matthew Nelson offered additional perspectives, sharing that unlocking EV scale requires creating Ultra-Fast, Reliable, and Non-Proprietary charging. 1. Create Ultra-Fast charging – Consumers want charging to mimic a gas station, where 10-15 minutes is acceptable. Matthew suggests we need 20 miles per minute charging to get there. 2. Create Reliable charging – Have you ever once asked “Will the gas pump work today?” Matthew noted that while consumer confidence of gas station reliability is almost 100%, issues with EV charging station reliability has driven consumers to question infrastructure stability. 3. Create Non-Proprietary charging – Finally, nearly all current gas pumps and vehicles have universal compatibility, similar to a USB cable. Matthew suggests that scale cannot be reached until all EV companies and charging stations standardize plug requirements.

With EVs becoming more commonplace and hydrogen-powered vehicles entering the conversation, this was a fantastic and timely session. If you own an EV, what do you think limits scale?”