Experts in alternative energies will present best practices and recommendations to increase the use of electric motor vehicles at a special forum set for May 22 in Valparaiso, Ind. The event is open to the public, and government officials, industry executives and car dealers have been invited to attend.
The South Shore Clean Cities EV Forum: Leading the Charge to Change will be from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Ivy Tech Community College, 3100 Ivy Tech Drive, Valparaiso. Ivy Tech and Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO) will co-host the event.
"Leading the Charge to Change is a free, one-day event that will bring together leaders and residents from across Indiana - city and agency decision-makers, business executives, car dealerships, and the general public - to explore best practices and innovative solutions for the deployment of plug-in electric vehicles," said Carl Lisek, executive director of South Shore Clean Cities and co-founder of Legacy Environmental Services Inc., which is based at the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana.
Officials from South Shore Clean Cities, NIPSCO and other organizations will speak about the benefits of owning an electric vehicle, eligibility to receive a credit of up to $1,650 for a residential charging station, and other electric vehicle developments in and around Northern Indiana. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Scheduled speakers include Donald L. Babcock, Barb Penkala, Kevin Kirkham and Kathleen Szot of NIPSCO; Dan Gabel of ComEd; Mariana Gerzanych and Winston Lin of 350Green; Dan Santini of Argonne National Laboratory; and Samantha Bingham of Chicago Clean Cities.
Other topics to be discussed at the forum include:
- Developing and supporting electric vehicle technology in Northern Indiana.
- Creating a charging infrastructure for NIPSCO's IN-Charge electric vehicle program.
- Strategies for commercial fleet electrification.
Attendees will be invited to ride as passengers in one of several on-site electric vehicles during Ride 'N Drives immediately following the event.
The event is free, but registration is encouraged by visiting http://conta.cc/I4p6Vh or calling 219-644-3690.