“Charging is the problem that all OEMS have,” said Nicholas Keeling, Rivian’s director of global charging product engineering. “There’s never been enough charging and there will not be for a very long time.”
So what’s the answer? “How do we grow electrification?” asked Matthew Krukin, global head of Ford Pro software and charging solutions. “By working together. At the end of the day, it’s about enablement. It’s not about individuals, it’s about the greater network.”
As a major player in further roll-out, utilities need to be brought on board. “The challenge for utilities is to plan for a load that does not exist yet,” said Jason Kazmar, director of mobility solutions at International. They cannot “overbuild”.
Electrify America operates in 200 utilities’ territories, so is aware of the problems, explained Emily Durham, the company’s vice president, legal & government affairs. “It is important to have conversations early,” she said. Utilities have competing needs, such as hospitals, for instance, and – increasingly – data centres. It will not be EV charging infrastructure which sinks the grid, she laughed: “It’s the middle schooler at home using ChatGPT to cheat on their English essay!”
