Tuesday, January 26, 2021 @ 6:00 PM PST

In September of 2020 it was announced that California will phase out the sale of all gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. Will it happen? How will it happen? SAE SoCal has invited a cross-industry panel to discuss the technical, financial, and political challenges ahead. Our first roundtable will focus on infrastructure.

For those who are relatively new to California, or are younger than about 40, they may not recall that the first California EV mandate was in 1990 and it specified that 2% of all cars sold in 1998 be zero emission vehicles. That law was altered and led to demonstration fleets like the GM EV1, Nissan Altra EV, Ford Ranger Electric, Honda EV Plus, and others.

Now, virtually every car company on the planet has a portfolio of electric cars and California is the home to multiple EV start-ups like Tesla, Lucid, Rivian, Canoo, Faraday Future, Fisker, Karma, and many more.

Glenn Oyoung

Burbank Water & Power, Moderator

Glenn Oyoung is a lifelong car enthusiast with a wide range of experience in the automotive industry, including marketing, creative services, and learning and development. He has over a decade of management consultant experience focusing on customer experience, process re-engineering, and systems development. Glenn currently manages the customer engagement team at BWP and helps manage the utility’s transportation electrification initiatives. He holds a B.A. in International Economics and M.B.A. in Marketing & Entrepreneurial Studies from UCLA, and is working towards his master’s in Environmental and Energy Law from the Texas A&M University School of Law.

Lincoln Bleveans

Burbank Water & Power

Lincoln Bleveans has been an executive in the global energy industry for over 25 years, focused on electric power and sustainability. His experience spans the globe and the energy value chain, from emerging technologies to independent power project (IPP) development to utility operations. He is an internationally recognized thought-leader, writer, and speaker on energy, sustainability, and leadership. Bleveans is currently an executive at Burbank Water & Power, an innovative and high-performing electric and water utility in southern California providing reliable, affordable, sustainable power and innovative solutions to media giants and residential customers alike. He’s also a lifelong car nut and currently drives a 2.7 liter Porsche 987.

Hannah Goldsmith

Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development

Hannah Goldsmith is the Lead Advisor for Zero Emission Vehicle Market Development at the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), where she primarily focuses on expanding and accelerating California’s zero-emission vehicle market. Prior to joining GO-Biz, Hannah served as the Deputy Executive Director for the California Electric Transportation Coalition and as a staff attorney for the California Energy Commission. She holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Arizona, as well as a master’s degree in Environmental Law and Policy and a J.D. from Vermont Law School. Hannah has been driving electric since April 2016, and currently drives a Chevy Bolt EV.

Praveen Penmetsa

Motivo

Praveen Penmetsa has nearly two decades of hands-on experience in translating creative visions into products for startups to Fortune 50 companies alike. He co-currently serves as founder and CEO of both Motivo Engineering and Monarch Tractors. Motivo is a product-engineering firm with clients in the Mobility, Energy, AgTech, and Aerospace sectors, with multiple electric propulsion projects. Praveen holds an MSME in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

Kiel Pratt

California Energy Commission

Kiel Pratt supervises the Transportation Planning and Analysis Unit within the California Energy Commission’s Fuels and Transportation Division. This team supports the Clean Transportation Program and leads several stakeholder-focused activities, including assessing California’s EV charging infrastructure under Assembly Bill 2127. Kiel previously managed projects as part of the Energy Commission’s Research and Development Division. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and a minor in music from Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo.

Dedrick Roper

ChargePoint

Dedrick Roper is an advanced vehicle technology pioneer with over 12 years of experience cultivating public-private partnerships, business offerings, and programs. His enterprising spirit and creative problem solving has helped spearhead initiatives that have accelerated EV adoption. Dedrick is currently Director, Public-Private Partnerships at ChargePoint where he has worked in grant operations and public policy management. Dedrick has spent the past decade as a business leader in electric vehicle charging and personal mobility including electric car share, electric bike share and electric scooter share. He also spent four years in the NFL as a professional football player.

Chelsea Sexton

Plug-In America

Chelsea Sexton has been working to accelerate electric transportation since the mid-1990s, starting with the General Motors EV1 program. Her diverse adventures since have included co-founding Plug In America, guiding VantagePoint Capital Partners’ early investment in Tesla Motors, and directing an automotive X PRIZE to encourage the development of compelling, highly efficient vehicles. She was featured in the Sony Pictures documentary, Who Killed the Electric Car?, and was a consulting producer on the follow-up, Revenge of the Electric Car.

Jordan Smith

Southern California Edison

Jordan W. Smith is a Consulting Engineer for Grid Edge Innovation in SCE’s Grid Technology Innovation organization. He has been evaluating advanced technology vehicles, energy storage, and charging infrastructure starting in 1996 in the founding and growth of SCE’s EV Technical Center. In 2013 he developed and executed the SCE test plan which enabled interconnection of the first vehicle to grid systems (V2G) in the L.A. Air Force Base V2G pilot – the first V2G aggregation to engage in the California ISO ancillary services market. He currently leads two innovative projects on V2G and microgrid control of fleet electric vehicle charging systems. Jordan received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering and an M.S. degree in engineering management from California State Polytechnic University and is a licensed professional engineer in California.