The new Electrification Coalition has released its Electrification Roadmap with an ambitious target for the deployment of a fully integrated electric drive network.
The report, which was prepared in partnership with the Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) organisation and in consultation with PRTM, proposes transforming the US light duty vehicle fleet into one in which grid enabled mobility becomes the new standard. Indeed by 2040, the report suggests that 75 per cent of light duty vehicle miles travelled should be electric miles.
In order to reach this target, the Electrification Roadmap suggests there will need to be a tipping point reached by 2020. This would mean that grid enabled vehicles represent 25 per cent of new light duty vehicle purchases.
According to the report, the specific technology – whether plug-in hybrid electric or pure electric – is not as important as the share that such vehicles represent for a new portfolio.
The report notes that the goal of deploying 200million electric powered vehicles should not be understated. It demands the synchronised deployment of new vehicles and infrastructure on a massive scale while altering the existing ground transportation system.
In the report, the challenges facing electrification are examined and include battery technology and cost, regulatory requirements, infrastructure financing, electric power interface, as well as consumer acceptance.
The report also outlines that an ambitious federal initiative to establish “electrification ecosystems” is needed. This means the creation of communities with all the elements necessary for the successful deployment of grid enabled vehicles.
