North Carolina Rural Roundtable

On May 5, the Electrification Coalition and local and state leaders convened for a roundtable discussion on vehicle electrification in rural North Carolina to offer insights into the best practices, funding opportunities, and community needs to ensure the greatest influence on electric transportation. 

Here are some of the key takeaways from the discussion:

  1. Grid resiliency: Many noted that we must prepare the grid to support such a rapid EV adoption rate and avoid overload.
  2. Workforce development: More information and resources are required to scale up the workforce needed to build, install, and maintain EV charging infrastructure.
  3. State funding matching opportunities: Most, if not all, tables discussed the need for state funding matching opportunities to stack with federal funding and close gaps, especially for school districts.
  4. More education about managed charging: Folks had questions about time-of-use charging, managing loads, and V2G capabilities. To many, those applications still feel years off.

Click here to access slides from the event.

Speakers and panelists included:

  • Anne Blair, senior director of policy, Electrification Coalition
  • Mike Clampitt, NC House Rep.
  • Tom DelViscio, senior manager of customer fleet electrification, Duke Energy
  • Jennifer Rennicks, senior manager of government affairs, World Resources Institute
  • Erin Dyer, marketing manager, Soletrac Tractors
  • Sarah Nichols, regional planner, Land-of-Sky Regional Council
  • Ellery Hanlin, manager of BEVs, John Deere
  • Katie Tiger, air quality specialist, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
  • Donnie Owle, service manager, Cherokee Boys Club
 

Amy Malaki

Amy Malaki is the Director of Partnerships and Policy at SkyNRG and SkyNRG Americas, pioneering global leaders in sustainable aviation fuel production and supply. Prior to SkyNRG, Amy was the Associate Director for the transportation portfolio at the ClimateWorks Foundation where she developed philanthropic investment strategies to advance a sustainable, equitable and low-carbon mobility system. She also pioneered the organization’s international aviation decarbonization strategy. Prior to that she focused on Asia business development at Better Place, a Silicon Valley electric vehicle network startup. She has a B.A. in Chinese and China studies from the University of Washington and an M.A. in international policy studies (energy and environment) from Stanford University.