Utilities & Electric Vehicles: Case Studies from the Field

Erika H. Myers joined SEPA in 2015 and leads SEPA’s transportation electrification research. She has 16 years of experience in the clean energy sector and specializes in the nexus between the grid, electric vehicles, and renewable energy.

Erika currently serves on an electric vehicle (EV) steering committee for the U.S. Department of Energy and is an EV advisor for the National Energy Foundation, a non-profit organization developing curriculum to increase EV literacy in K-12 schools. She was awarded the 2019 Public Utility Fortnightly “Fortnightly Under 40” award for her work on vehicle-grid integration.

Prior to joining SEPA, Erika worked as a consultant with ICF International where she helped electric utilities and local governments develop EV readiness plans. She also served as the Renewable Energy Manager for the South Carolina Energy Office and was a Clean Cities Coordinator for the Palmetto State Clean Fuels Coalition. In these roles, she oversaw the development and execution of key state renewable energy and clean transportation policies, regulations, and grant programs.

Erika has a bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina with a specialization in clean energy and climate science.

In her spare time, Erika volunteers for her city’s Energy Transition Subcommittee where she identified donations for the city’s first bank of public EV chargers. She also volunteers as a regular guest speaker for the Clean Energy Leadership Institute and mentors young professionals interested in a clean transportation career.

Greggory Kresge is the Manager of Electrification of Transportation-Project Delivery for Hawaiian Electric servicing the islands of Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, Moloka`i and Oahu. This environment is unique in that all the islands have separate grids with no import or export capability beyond the resident population. Add to this a tremendous amount of renewable energy that can supply up to 80% of the load in the middle of the day – a perfect fit for Time of Use (TOU) pricing and displacement of fossil fuel with renewable energy for the transportation sector. In his role, Gregg works on furthering the electrification of transportation on the 5 islands Hawaiian Electric serves with workplace charging, DC fast charging networks, electric vehicle workforce development, multi-unit dwelling installations, increasing EV adoption in rural communities and managed charging as a grid resource. Gregg also is the Co-chair of the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) EV Working Group. He is an EV owner since 2013 and lives in a condominium with no access to dedicated charging, thereby feeling the pain of inoperable public charging and an increased awareness of range anxiety. Gregg holds several degrees including Doctor of Philosophy in Sustainability and Green Building, Master of Business Administration in Sustainability, Master of Science in Environmental Management, and Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Communications. Gregg is also a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction (AP BD&C) and a Home Energy Survey Professional (HESP). In his spare time, Gregg takes advantage of the Maui environment and paddles outrigger for the Hawaiian Canoe Club, kayaks, swims and runs.

Molly is the Clean Transportation Manager at San Diego Gas and Electric, and her team’s responsibility is to implement approved projects and programs in the company’s transportation electrification area, including Power Your Drive. She is a registered Civil Engineer in the State of California, and has held positions with increasing responsibility in Transmission Engineering, Electric Regional Operations, Major Projects and Construction Services. Her passion is program management and she considers herself lucky to be working in a technologically leading edge area of IOUs that brings high value to customers.

Karl Popham is the first and current Electric Vehicles & Emerging Technologies Manager at Austin Energy, the nation’s 8th largest public power utility. He has had the unique viewpoint to lead from the ground up its EV program strategy, operations, policy input, business models, and projects. This includes the Plug-in EVerywhere™ network, rebate programs, an award-winning marketing campaign, the “Electric Drive” project, city EV fleet rollout, autonomous EV planning, EV-grid integration pilots, and a residential time of use rate called EV360. Under his leadership, his team won 5 US Department of Energy grants, a State of Texas Innovation Grant, and a philanthropic grant, totaling over $7M. Karl has been the Principal Investigator (PI) on three federal grants to include two successfully completed transportation electrification grants. He has published several articles on electrification and emerging trends, is a research contributor, and is a book co-author of “Smart Cities: Applications, Technologies, Standards & Driving Factors” to be published in 2017.