Accelerating Energy: Powering Business Through the Energy Transition - Tackling EV Infrastructure. Why Truck Manufacturers Are in for the Long Haul.

Tackling EV Infrastructure. Why Truck Manufacturers Are in for the Long Haul.

04/03/24 • 36 min

Accelerating Energy: Powering Business Through the Energy Transition

The future of commercial transportation is zero-emission. More than one million medium- and heavy-duty trucks are expected to hit the highways by 2031. But as the fleet of commercial zero-emission vehicles begins to grow, the infrastructure needed to power these trucks is struggling to keep up. In response to this reality, a coalition of major truck manufacturers have launched an initiative to help speed the deployment of charging stations nationwide.

In the third episode of Accelerating Energy, host and Sidley partner, Ken Irvin, speaks with Dawn Fenton, Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs at Volvo Group North America, a leading commercial vehicle manufacturer committed to shaping the future of sustainability transport and infrastructure solutions. Together, they discuss what businesses should know about the nascent zero-emission commercial transportation industry and what Volvo Group North America and its partners are doing to accelerate electric-charging infrastructure development.

Executive Producer: John Metaxas, WallStreetNorth Communications, Inc.

Executive Producer: John Metaxas, WallStreetNorth Communications, Inc.

Previous Episode

Are Tax Incentives Enough to Spur the U.S. Energy Transition Forward?

The United States government is authorizing millions of dollars in grants to electric cooperatives in the hopes of promoting grid resiliency and alternative energy adoption. Will grants and other incentives entice businesses to adopt clean energy? Or will political uncertainty in this election year tamp down these efforts?

In the second episode of Accelerating Energy, host and Sidley partner, Ken Irvin, speaks with Robin Lunt, Chief Commercial Officer at Guzman Energy, a wholesale power provider dedicated to helping communities seeking affordable and reliable energy. Together, they discuss what businesses need to know about adopting clean energy and infrastructure amid legislative and regulatory uncertainty.

Executive Producer: John Metaxas, WallStreetNorth Communications, Inc.

Next Episode

Taking Charge: Can Battery Energy Storage Systems Unlock the Full Potential of Renewable Energy?

Renewable energy can be intermittent, making it a challenging power source for power grid operators to manage. But the burgeoning technology of battery energy storage systems (BESS) is poised to help fill those critical gaps. BESS is expected to quintuple in capacity by the end of this decade. These systems play a crucial role in the renewable energy life cycle, ensuring a stable supply of electricity to customers, data centers, the national grid, and energy needs worldwide. But the installation costs for some large-scale systems are high, along with a number of maintenance and environmental issues to consider.

In the fourth episode of Accelerating Energy, Pat Wood, CEO of Hunt Energy Network, a developer and operator of distributed energy resources in Texas, talks with host and Sidley partner, Ken Irvin. Pat, the former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under President George W. Bush and of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, discusses what’s in store for battery energy storage systems and how industry stakeholders can offset the barriers to their wider use.

Accelerating Energy: Powering Business Through the Energy Transition - Tackling EV Infrastructure. Why Truck Manufacturers Are in for the Long Haul.

Transcript

Ken Irvin:

The future of commercial transportation is zero emissions. More than one million of these green vehicles could hit the highways by 2031, but as this fleet of commercial, zero-emission vehicles, or ZEVs, continues to grow, the infrastructure to power these trucks must also keep up, and that’s looking like a struggle these days. So, major truck manufacturers are now launching an initiative to help speed the deployment of charging stations nationwide.