The Institute for Transportation Decarbonization issues grid readiness for electric vehicle deployment research funding to UC Davis team

The Institute for Transportation Decarbonization (ITD), a leading nonprofit research organization that aims to develop a blueprint to decarbonize the nation’s transportation sector, has named Dr. Alan Jenn of the University of California, Davis as the recipient of the Institute’s second grant focused on decarbonizing the U.S. transportation sector.

The Institute has awarded Dr. Jenn and his UC-Davis team $20,000 to support their research on the impact of electric vehicle (EV) adoption in California on the state’s electricity infrastructure. The research will be used to support decision-makers in the federal government develop a plan to prepare the nation’s power grid for the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) and move to a zero-carbon transportation sector.

Dr. Jenn and his team will conduct policy engagement on their research with focuses on the public, executive branch, and Congress. Their work with ITD will promote their research findings, providing decision makers with insights that can allow them to develop the best transition to EVs.

“Upgrading the U.S. power grid is essential to decarbonizing the transportation sector, and slowing the impacts of climate change,” said ITD Senior Research Fellow Dr. Kelly Fleming. “Dr. Jenn’s contributions are well-respected in transportation policy and academia, and the Institute is proud to have him join in our efforts to map out a path to decarbonize transportation and meet net-zero U.S. climate goals by 2050.”

Further EV research is needed to meet the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of a 50 percent new vehicle market share for EVs, and the deployment of over 500,000 EV chargers by 2030. Currently, there are around 3 million EVs in use and 130,000 public chargers in operation.