Electric Vehicles

On Nov. 8, the country’s first electrified highway, or eHighway, was demonstrated by the South Coast Air Quality Management District and Siemens. The demonstration of big rig trucks hauling freight took place on a mile-long stretch of Alameda Street near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Southern California Edison is providing engineering support for the project and analyzing how the system integrates into the grid.

Talk of electric vehicle proliferation has been occurring for years across the U.S. and around the globe, but the future of the auto industry is no longer merely on the horizon. Given the recent announcements from major car manufacturers planning to reduce the number of gasoline-fueled models and increase the amount of electric vehicle options, it seems that the industry’s future has arrived.

GM summarizes its vision in six words: zero crashes, zero emissions, zero congestion. In a recent LinkedIn post, Mary Barra states, “our generation has the ambition, the talent and the technology to realize the safer, better and more sustainable world we want.”

GM backed up its zero-emissions commitment by announcing it will introduce two electric vehicles in the next 18 months – the first of at least 20 new EVs by 2023.

Think about the energy that you use each day. Utility-generated electricity, gasoline-fueled mobility, and heat from natural gas are probably the largest sources, and each is powered by fossil fuels. If you wanted to “cut the cord” on these energy needs, how could you possibly do it?

Harriet AndersonLangford, president of The Ray recently had an article featured in the Washington Times. "At The Ray, we demand more and reject the status quo. We start our discussions with “what ifs”: What if the road itself could produce energy? What if highway and interstate shoulders could generate new revenue for state departments of transportation? What if we demanded more of our roadways? At The Ray, we are asking, and answering, those questions."

General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra hosted a press conference today in Shanghai to discuss GM’s road map for the future of personal mobility. The company’s goal is to address the challenges such as crashes, pollution and congestion that have come with growing urbanization.

We can’t completely predict what our world will look like 25 years from now, but we constantly study trends so that we can anticipate the rapid changes taking place in our industry. In an article for the Green Money Journal, Mary Barra shares GM's vision for moving humanity forward.

The Ray is thrilled to announce its participation in the Adopt A Highway program along its 18-mile stretch of highway on I-85 in West Georgia. The program is a natural fit for the organization which is committed to creating a highway that leads to better outcomes for drivers, the neighboring communities, and the surrounding environment.

The federal government has long played a central role in shaping U.S. energy independence and security. Today, however, we stand at an inflection point where states, municipal governments and even corporations are stepping up to become the primary drivers of the future of clean energy.

A new administration has vowed to roll back numerous environmental regulations aimed at reducing the nation’s carbon footprint. Does this give power providers new impetus to rewrite their long-term planning? This year’s Strategic Directions: Electric Industry Report finds this isn’t necessarily the case.