Electric Vehicles: What’s coming in 2022?

Across New England and Eastern Canada, deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure is set to ramp up in 2022—but many technological, regulatory, and policy-coordination hurdles remain to be overcome for the EV revolution to move into high gear.

The New England-Canada Business Council is sponsoring an expert-level webinar on Thursday, Jan. 27, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. taking a deep look at some of the key questions facing EV deployment in 2022 and beyond, including:

• What are today’s biggest challenges for EV deployment and acceptance in New England, Québec, and Atlantic Canada?
• Where are the biggest opportunities for EV investment and job creation, including public-private partnerships and utility-hosted charging stations?
• How do we ensure bi-national cooperation and coordination and prioritize seamless access to charging and new technologies for cross-border travelers in both nations?
• What role can the newly enacted U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act play in advancing EV technology?
• And as home to 50 percent of Canada’s EV fleet (more than 120,000 vehicles on the road already), what lessons can Québec offer New England states and neighboring provinces for meeting their goals on EV deployment?

Sponsors of the webinar are Hydro-Québec, Liberty Utilities, and the Québec Government Office in Boston.

Headline speakers include: Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.); Marie-Claude Francoeur, Québec Delegate to New England; France Lampron, Executive Director, Electric Circuit (Hydro-Québec); and Chris Hilborn, Vice President, Customer Insights and Solutions, Liberty Utilities.

Three separate 40-minute panel discussions will feature several leading experts from northern New England states and Québec, including: Jonathan Dowds of Renewable Energy Vermont, Sam Evans-Brown of Clean Energy NH, Erik LaPerle, Conseiller en formation chez Cégep de Saint-Jérôme in Saint-Jérôme, Québec, Rose Lenoff of FLO AddÉnergie (Canada’s largest EV charging company), White Mountain Community College (N.H.) president Chuck Lloyd, and Michael Stoddard of Efficiency Maine Trust.

The registration fee is $49 for non-NECBC members and $29 for members, and a limited number of complimentary registrations for public officials and non-profit organization representatives are available by contacting info@necbc.org. Questions from the audience will be welcomed.

“As an organization devoted for 40 years to advancing business, political, and cultural relationships between Canada and the United States, we at NECBC see transportation electrification as a growing strategic trend. Both of our countries will be well-served by cross-border coordination, cooperation, and sharing lessons learned and best practices,’’ said NECBC President Peter J. Howe, a Senior Advisor at the Boston strategic communications consulting firm Denterlein. “We thank Hydro-Québec, Liberty Utilities, and the Québec Government Office in Boston for generously supporting this very timely conversation.”

NECBC Vice President and EV conference advisor Timothy Egan, who also serves as a New Hampshire state legislator, said: “We look forward to creating an opportunity for business leaders, policymakers, industry and environmental advocates, and others to get the most up-to-date insights into EV deployment plans and strategies and to advance the cross-border conversation about the challenges and opportunities for this fast-growing sector.’’