My View: E-mobility, clean energy are taking hold fast in Arizona
It’s hard to imagine that with the stroke of a pen — twice — that two sectors of Arizona’s technology ecosystem have quickly moved from infancy to the fast lane.
I’m referring to the results after President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) on Nov. 15, 2021, then endorsing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on Aug. 16, 2022.
In particular, the IIJA gave life to an electric vehicle charging program in the U.S. with funding of up to $5 billion over five years, as well as making various EV charging and refueling competitive grants available at a value of up to $2.5 billion over five years.
Clean energy was a key facet of the IRA. To give an idea of the size of the impact, a report issued this year by the strategic communications group Climate Power estimated clean energy investments in Arizona have totaled nearly $10.6 billion and helped create or move forward 14,100 good-paying jobs here.
At the Arizona Technology Council, we also have seen a great deal of interest in the field of electric vehicles — more commonly known as e-mobility — and clean energy. Our membership has welcomed new types of companies whose profiles likely would be considered low-key at best a decade ago. They along with others spearheaded an event that was a sell-out last year and soon will return for its second year.
I’m referring to our second annual E-mobility and Clean Energy Summit that will be held June 27 at SkySong, The ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center. Participants in the Council’s Arizona E-Mobility & Energy Ecosystem Committee are working again to make this year’s event an even bigger success as the subject matter has taken a stronger hold here.
As a preview of the event, the panel on Zero Emission Infrastructure in Arizona will feature representatives from local utilities and government agencies who will share the progress being made in building out the infrastructure. In addition, speakers from companies actively involved in the development and implementation of these necessary facilities will offer their views.
Innovating CleanTech in Arizona will be the title of another presentation. The focus will be on the unique challenges and breakthroughs in the cleantech space — from renewable energy solutions to advanced environmental technologies.
Add New Advancements and Commercialization in CleanTech to the lineup. Arizona-based founders developing technologies for the industry will touch on commercializing their technology, obtaining government funding, and connecting with local institutions to equip them with the resources to scale.
Lucid, Nikola, KORE Power putting Arizona on the map
Keep in mind that ideas for events like these are created with members in mind, and this one is definitely no exception. One member that has made a lot of news in recent years has been Lucid Group, which has put Casa Grande on the map as it works to meet its mission of inspiring the adoption of sustainable transportation through its expanding line of electric vehicles.
Whether the source of vehicle power is battery electric or hydrogen-electric, Nikola is making its own news as an integrated truck and energy company. It’s changing commercial transportation with its Class 8 models carrying the Tre brand and the energy brand HYLA created to support a hydrogen refueling ecosystem.
Other e-mobility members are Tempe-based BreatheEV, which is working to bring EV charging to multifamily developments. Also, Cruise of San Francisco is spreading here its message of creating self-driving cars with safety and lifestyle in mind.
When it comes to a clean energy focus, member KORE Power is setting up its Arizona shop in Buckeye with a planned 1.3 million-square-foot battery manufacturing facility. Its products will be at the heart of e-mobility systems and energy storage beyond our state.
In Southern Arizona, Utah-based American Battery Factory is building a 2 million-square-foot lithium ion phosphate gigafactory — the nation’s largest. The significance of this type of battery is it can store energy from sources such as solar and wind while reducing strain on existing power grids.
Tucson-based Sundial Energy is a solar development company focused on resiliency of critical network infrastructure support. Also headquartered in Tucson, Carbon Utility is partnering with commercial customers to lower their carbon footprint while meeting carbon reduction goals by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to create low-carbon consumer products.
Also showing interest in Arizona with its membership is Xnrgy Climate Systems US of Washington, D.C., which creates sustainable innovative solutions to reduce carbon footprint and energy consumption. And California-based Avantus is a developer and operator of the nation’s largest solar power plants and storage facilities.
And what about you? Are you the next member of this cutting-edge community? There is plenty of room at the table for you and your ideas. Consider this your invitation to explore Arizona’s future together.
Steven Zylstra is president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council.