The Race to Electric Cars

With Electric Vehicles getting a lot of press, it can be difficult to not get the feeling that this new mode of fueling our transportation is inevitable - traditional auto manufacturers and states are phasing out fossil-fueled vehicles and doing so with aggressive timelines. Cadillac will no longer sell gasoline cars after 2030 and California will ban the sale of new cars with tailpipe emissions by 2035. Can Electric Vehicles be a great driving experience? What is the current EV landscape? Will they save the planet? What will be the impacts on our electric grid? Mr. Mike Smith, Vice President of business and technology strategy for The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina and registered professional engineer of South Carolina, will be giving his expert opinion on the subject.

Mr. Mike Smith is a graduate of Clemson University with a BSEE and Georgia Institute of Technology MSEE. Mike served 4 years in the US Army as an officer in the Signal corps, and serves as vice president of business and technology strategy for The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, the state association of 18 independent, member-owned electric utilities in the state. Mike works with state and national partners to develop an understanding of how technology is changing the utility industry. A registered professional engineer in South Carolina, his work includes contributions to the development of the Distributed Energy Resource Program Act (Act 236), adopted by the General Assembly in 2014.

He is also the program manager for Help My House, a whole-home weatherization program offered through the electric cooperatives. This program was granted a $15.5 million no-interest loan from RUS to weatherize both site-built and manufactured homes, repayment which will be made through on-bill financing. Prior to coming to the co-ops’ association, Mike worked 11 years at Central Electric Power Cooperative, the generation and transmission cooperative that acts as the power aggregator for South Carolina cooperatives.

More on the Beyond the Headlines Series

Beyond the Headlines, a World Affairs Council Upstate event, is a Lunch and Learn speaker series designed to present fact-based information on the most pressing global issues of today. Utilizing academics and research institution leaders, we strive to keep political opinions out of the presentation and allow people to ask their own questions and formulate their own opinions. WAC Upstate programming is provided by Upstate International, a 501(c)3 founded in 1998 that has been empowering people and businesses of all nations to thrive in the Upstate by connecting them through programs, events, and initiatives that foster the dynamic exchange of international cultures and ideas for 25 years.

Host or Publisher Tracie Frese