Transit Agency and Utility Partnerships: Case Studies from Denver, Minneapolis & Portland

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, APTA, Washington D.C.
• Kellen Schefter, Director, Electric Transportation, Edison Electric Institute, Washington D.C.

Presenters:

• Carly Macias, Senior Transportation Planner, RTD, Denver CO
• Carrie Desmond, Principal Engineer, Metro Transit, Minneapolis MN
• Kevin Schwain, Electric Vehicle Program Lead, Xcel Energy, Minneapolis MN
• Jeff Owen, Strategic Planning Coordinator, TriMet, Portland OR
• Jill King, Senior Key Customer Manager, Portland General Electric, Portland OR