Accelerating Equitable Transportation Electrification

Electric vehicles have driven onto the front page of news from GM’s announcement to exclusively offer EVs by 2035, President Biden’s Executive Order calling for an all-electric federal fleet by 2035, and a handful of U.S. states and other countries announcing plans to phase out gas-powered vehicle sales on or before 2035. But even with more than 1 million EVs on U.S. roads, the transportation sector is our largest source of climate pollution, responsible for nearly a third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Nearly half of all Americans live in counties with unhealthy ozone and particle pollution, and more than 20,000 die prematurely every year from transportation pollutants. Children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with chronic health conditions are especially vulnerable. Communities of color continue to bear a disproportionate burden from traffic-related pollution. As the grid decarbonizes, transportation electrification offers a win-win solution for climate, consumers, equity, and health. Electrify This! explores how to address clean transportation transition challenges, expand electric mobility options in an equitable way, and shift clean transportation into high gear.

Guests: 

• Shruti Vaidyanathan, Transportation Program Director, ACEEE. With 13 years’ experience in transportation efficiency issues, Shruti  oversees transportation research and state policies to further transportation electrification. Shruti holds a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University and a B.A. from Grinnell College. 
• Alvaro Sanchez, Environmental Equity Director, The Greenlining Institute where he leads a team that develops policies to improve public health, catalyze economic opportunity, and enrich environmental quality for low-income communities and communities of color.  Alvaro holds a Master of Planning degree from the University of Southern California. 
• Pallavi Madakasira, Director, Clean Energy Sector, New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) where she helps shape and lead efforts to ensure the state’s long-term competitiveness in the clean energy sector, overseeing grant programs and the development of initiatives to create green jobs. Pallavi holds a Master’s Degree in Physics from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Related Links: 

Greenlining Institute: California Must Prioritize Transportation Equity & A Community of Practice for Equitable Electric Mobility 

ACEEE: ACEEE State Transportation Electrification Scorecard 

NJEDA: New Jersey Economic Development Authority