The pace of vehicle electrification in the U.S. has rapidly accelerated in the past few years and while great strides have been made, plenty of barriers and challenges still exist. With support from the Biden Administration and funding for the expansion of EV charging under the recently enacted infrastructure legislation our guest, Britta Gross says, “We’re really starting to see real alignment!”
Britta Gross, former Managing Director for the Rocky Mountain Institute’s (RMI) Global Carbon-free Mobility Program and Commissioner for the Orlando Utility Commission
“You’re seeing investments in charging infrastructure. This is important to everyone because it’s about global competition. It’s about high tech industries. It’s about higher paying jobs and again, what it all represents to the economy and the wins that go along with it are just zero tailpipe emissions. You mentioned the local air quality, and really you start to get into issues like equity. When we start talking about just eliminating these tailpipe emissions, this is really an equity issue, because folks that live in low income communities are often right there next to highways, right there next to warehouses where the trucks are coming in and out day after day after day. So win, win, win all over this, really a no-brainer to electrify transportation.”
Britta Gross is a former managing director of RMI’s Carbon Free Mobility Global Program. This practice is focused on the market-driven strategies, technologies, and policies required to accelerate towards carbon-free mobility solutions. Ms. Gross was formerly the director of advanced vehicle commercialization at General Motors, responsible for the energy strategies, partnerships, and policies required to enable the wide-scale commercialization of battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. Britta is also currently a commissioner for the Orlando Utility Commission, Orlando, Florida’s electric and water utility. Before transitioning into the automotive industry, Britta began her career with Hughes Space & Communications in Los Angeles, leading mission design and systems engineering teams developing communication and weather satellite programs.
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