NATSO member Raina Shoemaker, co-owner of Shoemaker’s Travel Center in Lincoln, Neb., is scheduled to speak at the Electric Vehicle Charging 101 Virtual Conference on Friday, June 30.
The panel, titled “Policy and Profit - Today’s EV Charging Challenges and the Policy Solutions Needed for Your Business,” will focus on the market reforms necessary for retailers to invest in the EV charging marketplace.
Shoemaker, who currently serves on NATSO's Board of Directors and Chair’s the association's Government Affairs Committee, has been an effective advocate for EV charging policy reforms, speaking to reporters, lawmakers and advocacy groups about the market challenges that discourage fuel retailers from investing in electric vehicle charging stations.
Despite having the ideal locations and services that drivers expect, many fuel retailers cannot risk being undercut by power companies that are unfairly using ratepayer funds to build, own and operate competing chargers.
At the same time, most Public Utility Commissions have not established specific rates for the sale of electricity used in EV charging. This subjects EV charging operators to crippling demand charges on their monthly power bill. Many EV charging operators have reported that their monthly power bill easily doubles or triples after installing a charger, regardless of whether it is used frequently or not, simply due to the demand charge.
State lawmakers across the country have been debating this issue, as the number of EVs is expected to increase significantly in the coming decade while experienced and accessible retailers still face massive hurdles at getting into the business.
Shoemaker will be joined by Lonnie McQuirter, owner of Lyn 76 refuel station in Minneapolis, MN. Lonnie has owned and operated an EV charger at his gas station for nearly a decade, and brings a wealth of insight into the challenges of developing profitable and reliable EV charging service.
Ryan McKinnon, communications director for Charge Ahead Partnership (CAP), a coalition of businesses, associations and individuals working to expand access to the EV charging marketplace, also will participate in the panel.
CAP, of which NATSO is a member, has raised awareness about the lack of a profitable business model for EV charging and advocated for legislation that would establish a free market.
NATSO members interested in attending the EV Charging 101 Virtual Conference can register HERE. NATSO members who are members of CAP receive a 20 percent discount if they sign up by June 22, when the early-bird discount expires. The summit focuses on many of the nuts and bolts of offering EV charging at your business, as well as grappling with the policy issues that make this new technology a challenge for so many enterprises. Sign up HERE, using promo code CHARGEAHEAD to get 20 percent off, if you sign up by June 22nd.
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