Commercial ZEV Summit

Tuesday Oct. 22 from 8am - 12pm l Skyline Room, Oakland Convention Center

The VERGE 19 Commercial Zero-Emission Vehicle Summit, organized in collaboration with CALSTART, is a half-day, invitation-only working session focused on prioritizing actions that can accelerate the deployment of zero-emission commercial vehicles on California’s roads. The Summit will use CALSTART’s Drive to Zero program and its phased introduction strategy as a framework to ensure there is market viability of medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles in urban communities by 2025, and to achieve market dominance by 2040.

Half of California’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. To meet the state’s goal of reducing emissions 40% by 2030, the state’s trucks and buses must aggressively move toward zero-emission technologies where they work best. The state has various mandates and incentives in place, and more in development. California’s policies are seen as a proving ground for other states and nations seeking to decarbonize their transportation fleets.

Zero-emission trucks and buses in city and regional applications are approaching total ownership cost parity with diesel versions and can be cheaper to maintain and operate today. However, the acceleration of the market for zero-emission commercial vehicles will require collaboration among vehicle manufacturers, fleets, policy makers, city and regional officials, corporate leaders, utilities, infrastructure providers and technology developers. Such collaborations can be applied outside California, within other states, regions and nations.

Past Summit Participants

Agenda

The Summit begins with an opening breakfast to establish the focus and frame for the session. Participants will then engage in a series of facilitated discussions focused on what it will take to accelerate the adoption of commercial zero-emission vehicles. The Summit is designed to be an interactive, roll-up-your-sleeves experience, with few speeches and slide presentations. The summit will be designed so that attendees walk away with a plan of what actions they can take to help speed this transformation.

What You Can Expect

  • Deep learning about new technologies, infrastructure requirements and financing options

  • Focused networking with a diverse group of leaders who can be powerful and effective allies and potential partners

  • Collaborative investigation of key actions you can take, individually and through your organization, that can accelerate change

Who Should Attend

Participants include leaders in:

  • Fleet management
  • Vehicle and components manufacturing
  • Energy planning and procurement
  • City and county public agencies
  • Facility management
  • Utility and grid services
  • Electromobility and supply chain management
  • Transit agencies
  • Transportation policy and planning
  • Vehicle-to-grid infrastructure
  • Vehicle maintenance and repair
  • Telematics and related services

Topics We Will Address

  • Bolstering strategies for cities and regions to meet or exceed their zero-emission targets

  • Financing rapid expansion of commercial ZEV infrastructure in order to lower the cost of ZEV fueling

  • Exploring the role of electric utilities in bringing ZEVs to scale

  • Spurring vehicle availability to get a wider portfolio of heavy-duty commercial ZEVs on the market

  • Developing new and leveraging existing funding streams to accelerate the adoption of commercial ZEVs

  • Innovating new fleet business models to incent fleet managers to operate ZEVs

  • Building a successful business case so fleet operators can build internal buy-in and adopt aggressive emission reduction targets 

  • Leveraging collaborations and pilot projects to accelerate the adoption of commercial ZEVs in the Bay Area

  • Strengthening local ecosystems of change by facilitating pilot projects that accelerate the adoption of commercial ZEVs

  • Developing the workforce needed to operate and maintain commercial ZEVs at scale