The timing of EVS Whistler 2019 could not be better! We have reached a critical juncture in the epochal shift from the internal combustion engine of the 19th century to the electric vehicle of the 21st.

Over the next three days, global leaders from government and the private sector, encompassing automakers, service providers and the investment community, will have time to take stock of the huge steps forward that have been made and consider how to accelerate the deployment of EV infrastructure globally.

We are extremely grateful to be in beautiful Whistler, British Colombia, because Canada has been a global leader in renewable energy and sustainability, and BC is spearheading the sustainable deployment of EVs, which can act as a beacon globally.

An entrepreneur fascinated by both cars and future-focused technology, Scott conceived of Volta as a way to accelerate electric vehicle adoption through the expansion of cutting-edge, free-to-use vehicle charging networks in highly desirable locations. Volta’s ad-driven network follows an expansion path based on proprietary machine learning algorithms, forming the only charging network that’s self-supported, highly profitable and scalable. Under Scott’s leadership, Volta has experienced consecutive annual tripling of year-over-year revenue and footprint growth. The environmental impact of Volta’s expansion has also been significant, with over 50 million miles of free energy provided to date, and the equivalent climate impact of planting a new tree every 15 minutes. Scott currently rides an electric motorcycle, drives an electric Fiat, and occasionally, a 1971 Alfa Romeo.

Jon McNair, Head of Content, inspiratia

From California to China, EV sales are poised to surge to record levels, with a sustainable solution for climate change now within reach. Automakers are investing heavily in an electric future, and government leaders around the world pledge to ban fossil fuels-emitting cars in the decades ahead. But will growth be as rapid and consistent as predicted – and what impact will EVs have on the ridesharing economy and autonomous vehicles?

 Tonia Buell, Vice President, Plug In America
 Ram Ambatipudi, Vice President, Business Development, EV Connect
 Aric Ohana, Co-Founder, Envoy
 Tyler Lancaster, Associate, Energize Ventures
 Simon Loeffler, CEO & Chairman, innogy e-mobility US and Plugshare

Alongside other global sustainability champions, British Columbia has adopted plans to phase out the sale of new gasoline cars by 2040. With the highest per capita rate of zero-emission vehicles in Canada, BC is also home to one of the largest public charging and hydrogen fuelling networks in the country.

 Suzanne Goldberg, Director of Policy, ChargePoint
 Megan Lohmann, Head of Community Energy Management, Community Energy Association
 Christina Ianniciello, Director, Clean Transportation, British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
 Greg Simmons, Manager, EV Projects & Evaluation, BC Hydro
 Denny Byrne, Director of Fleet Management, BC Transit
 Giuseppe Stanciulescu, Business Development Specialist, Powertech Labs

The mass adoption of EVs must evolve in parallel with a capex-intensive rollout of charging infrastructure. But in early days, market players face uncertainty – will EV drivers use charging points at home or on the road? And as charging hardware becomes commoditised, how will business models and revenue streams unfold?

 Abdellah Cherkaoui, Senior Vice President, Volta Charging
 Megha Lakhchaura, Director, Policy and Utility Programs for North America, EV Box
 Mike Calise, Senior Vice President, Blink Charging
 Simon Lonsdale, Head of Sales and Strategy, Co-Founder, AMPLY
 Saarika Varma, CEO & Founder, ZAAP Charge

Renewable energy installed capacity has reached unprecedented levels, and EVs cannot reach their potential if they continue to draw power from conventional coal-fired power plants. Though meeting the uptick in power demand should be manageable, the primary concern of grid operators will be managing distribution during peak consumption periods. Grids will have many tools at their disposal – smart charging, energy storage, distributed energy resources, time-of-use tariffs and V2G solutions.

 Karen Hsu, Director of Business Development, eMobilities NA, Enel X
 Paul Glenney, CEO, Hubject
 Laurie Mahon, Global Head of Infrastructure Finance, CIBC
 Andrea Brown, St. Manager, Electrification Development, Ontario Power Generation
 Gordon McCulloch, Director, Kore Power

Brendan Jones is the Chief Operating Officer of Electrify America. Prior to joining Electrify America, Brendan served as the Vice President of OEM Strategy & Development for EVgo. He also spent over 20 years at Nissan, the last six as the executive responsible for building out electric vehicle sales and infrastructure. Brendan also formerly served as an executive board member of the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) and the ROEV Association.

Investment and development of public DCFC and ultra-fast charging infrastructure continues to grow despite limited pipeline of vehicles capable of UF charging speeds. Yet these high-speed charging depots are crucial for the success of electric vehicles. What does the high-speed charging market need to do today and what does it look like in the future?

 Colleen Jansen, Chief Marketing Officer, ChargePoint
 Ashley Horvat, Vice President of Public-Private Partnerships, Greenlots
 Brendan Jones, COO, Electrify America
 Paul Stith, Director, Strategy & Innovation, Transformative Technologies, Black & Veatch

Electric vehicles and smart grid integration strategies are key to a sustainable energy future, but mobility innovation and disruption of existing models does not end at electrification. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous vehicle (AV) platforms are the next steps in that evolution. How does electrification contribute to future automation and what does that future look like?

 JR Hammond, Founder & Executive Director, Canadian Air Mobility
 Charles Knutson, Senior Advisor, Innovation and Global Affairs, Office of Washington Governor Jay Inslee
 Stephan Feilhauer, Senior VP, Macquarie Capital
 Nicolas Pocard, Director of Marketing, Ballard Power Systems

Major urban centres around the globe are stepping up their efforts to electrify public transportation fleets. Some are looking to hydrogen fuel cell buses, while others are investing in battery-electric platforms and charging infrastructure. Meanwhile, transportation network companies and carshare services are developing programs and product/service offerings intended to encourage the transition to EVs. This is taking place as the traditional model of individual car ownership – particularly within urban populations – is becoming less popular.

 Ted Dowling, Regional Vice President, BYD
 Joshua Goldman, Director of Strategy and Business Development, Via
 Fraser Atkinson, CEO, GreenPower Motor Company
 Matt Awbrey, Chief of Civic and External Affairs to San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer

While battery EVs enjoy the limelight, another technology is proving equally important in some applications. How can one complement the other, and what are the investment opportunities?

 Christopher Jackson, CEO and Founder, Protium
 Maryline Daviaud Lewett, Director of Business Development, Transformative Technologies, Black & Veatch
 Nicolas Pocard, Director of Marketing, Ballard Power Systems
 Colin Armstrong, President & CEO, HTEC
 Markus Wilthaner, Associate Partner, McKinsey

To date, 16 countries have launched plans to phase out ICE vehicles before the middle of the century – but are they realistic? As regulators and facilitators of early-stage innovation, national and municipal governments around the world have tried various types of financial and non-financial policies – some will prove more effective than others.

 Josipa Petrunic, Executive Director & CEO, CUTRIC
 Patrick Molloy, Senior Associate, Rocky Mountain Institute
 Dan Woynillowicz, Policy Director, Clean Energy Canada
 Martin Mullany, Executive Director, Clean Energy BC
 Ian Neville, Climate Policy Analyst, City of Vancouver
 Carlo de la Cruz, Senior Campaign Manager, Sierra Club