Gladstein, Neandross & Associates (GNA), North America’s leading clean transportation and energy consulting firm and conference organizers of the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, announces that they are launching a new event that will highlight advancements in the commercial electric drive vehicle market. This new event will further expand the annual ACT Expo, which is now in its eighth year and is the industry’s largest gathering of commercial fleets, clean fuel and charging infrastructure providers, and advanced transportation vehicle and technology suppliers for all weight classes. ACT Expo is scheduled April 30-May 3, 2018 in Southern California.
“The market momentum for medium- and heavy-duty electric-drive technologies has been incredible this year as evidenced by the recent onslaught of headlines from OEMs that are developing and commercializing products in response to increasing market demand in California and beyond,” states Erik Neandross, CEO of GNA. “We’ve decided to co-locate the Commercial Electric Vehicle Summit with ACT Expo, as it provides a built-in audience of more than 3,000 clean transportation stakeholders and has been the venue of choice for companies debuting electric drive fleet products, including BYD, Kenworth, ADOMANI, Lightning Systems, TransPower, US Hybrids/US Fuel Cell, ClipperCreek, among others.”
This announcement comes on the heels of several headlines from truck manufacturers who are developing battery-electric and fuel cell drive technologies. Cummins, one of the biggest diesel engine manufacturers in the nation, unveiled an electric powertrain for a Class 7 tractor just last week. Peterbilt unveiled a prototype Class 8 battery-electric truck earlier this year. Companies like BYD and Motiv offer electric powertrains for numerous medium- and heavy-duty commercial applications. Tesla has announced that it will unveil its long-anticipated battery-electric Class 8 long-haul truck later this month. Start-up Nikola Motor Co. is developing a hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrain for long haul trucks, and Toyota Motor Co. recently unveiled a working prototype fuel cell drayage truck.
As the transportation industry continues to see an increased focus on environmental performance and fuel cost savings, electric drive technologies will continue to see growing momentum. The key themes for the inaugural Commercial Electric Vehicle Summit will include:
- Product availability – showcasing the growing participation from global engine manufacturers in the medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicle market
- Fleet success stories – highlighting early electric vehicle market deployments from top fleets across weight classes and transportation sectors
- Charging infrastructure – developing scalable solutions and industry-wide standards
- Financing and incentives – securing incentives and grants, dedicated utility rates, special lane access, and other creative financing models
- Battery advancements – evolving battery technologies and performance, production capabilities, and a look at real versus perceived weight limitations
- Reliable payback estimates – understanding how to assess (and reduce) upfront versus lifetime vehicle and infrastructure costs
Speakers, sponsors, and partnerships will be announced in the coming months. Registration will open in January 2018.
