Transit Agency & Utility Partnerships: Case Studies from Denver, Minneapolis & Portland - American Public Transportation Association

Details

This webinar was held on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.

Overview

The first advice that most transit agencies receive when considering the purchase of electric buses is to reach out and partner with their local utility. This webinar will present three examples of successful and innovative transit agency/utility partnerships. You will hear from Denver RTD, Metro Transit, and TriMet, along with their utility partners Xcel Energy and Portland General Electric, on how they first reached out to form a partnership, the growing pains they experienced, and how they eventually were able to find common ground to form a successful partnership.

The panelists will give attendees inspiration and ideas that they could implement with their utility including make-ready infrastructure programs, electricity rate design for electric vehicles, collaboration on Low-No Grants, and options for purchasing renewable energy.

This webinar is the second in a series being presented by APTA in collaboration with the Edison Electric Institute to provide guidance on working successfully with your utility on battery electric bus deployments. You can find the first webinar here.

Moderators

	Lisa Jerram Director-Bus Programs and Emerging Vehicle Technologies American Public Transportation Association Washington D.C.
	Kellen Schefter Director, Electric Transportation Edison Electric Institute Washington D.C.

Presenters

	Carly Macias Senior Transportation Planner RTD Denver CO Carly Macias is a Senior Transportation Planner at RTD in Denver, Colorado. She is the project manager for several zero emission bus projects including the Reimagine RTD Zero Emission Bus Strategic Plan. Carly is also the Vice Chair of the Resource Guide for the APTA Clean Propulsion Committee. She has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from UCLA and a master’s degree in Urban Planning from CU Denver.

	Carrie Desmond Principal Engineer Metro Transit Minneapolis MN Carrie Desmond is a Principal Engineer at Metro Transit in Minneapolis, MN. She works for the Engineering & Facilities department which is responsible for planning, designing, constructing, and maintaining all Metro Transit infrastructure. Carrie oversees the battery electric bus charging infrastructure, including all associated partnerships, and is also the project manager for a new bus garage slated to open in 2023 with substantial bus charging capacity.

	Kevin Schwain Electric Vehicle Program Lead Xcel Energy Minneapolis MN Kevin Schwain is the Director of Transportation Electrification for Xcel Energy. He is responsible for developing and delivering customer services that accelerate adoption of electric vehicles, support the buildout of infrastructure, and optimize the energy needed to power these vehicles. Kevin has been with Xcel Energy for more than 12 years and holds degrees in Engineering and Business from Iowa State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

	Jeff Owen Strategic Planning Coordinator TriMet Portland OR Jeff Owen is the Strategic Planning Coordinator at TriMet, the transit mobility agency for the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. This involves planning and coordinating the development of TriMet’s strategic and long-range goals and policies, and working to implement those goals and policies through federal, state, and regional partnerships and coordination.

	Jill King Senior Key Customer Manager Portland General Electric Portland OR Jill King is Sr. Key Customer Manager with Portland General Electric. Jill facilitates the PGE relationship with major customers weaving in partnership and innovation. Her technical background pairs with her passion to see new technology help her customers be clean, green and thrive. Jill holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Portland and is a licensed Professional Engineer.