US official Alessandra Carreon bats for transportation electrification, transition to clean energy to combat climate change

"There is sufficient momentum and evidence that we are about to approach a focussed version of transportation electrification. I am encouraged to see that this is happening concurrently with a transition to clean energy and all of these will help us mitigate the worst impact of climate change and ensure that we have an equitable and sustainable goal in our future," Carreon, who aims to accelerate global transportation electrification while ensuring equity across the battery value chain, told IBNS on the sidelines of an event in Kolkata's American Center.

Describing her first visit to India as phenomenal, she said: "This is my first trip to the country. "I started with Chennai, then came to Kolkata and my last stop will be Delhi."

She said one of her purposes to visit India was to encourage the promotion of more women in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

"The purpose of the trip was to participate as a Speaker in the US Speaker programme to talk about my professional experiences in transportation electrification, green energy transition and sustainable supply chain and to encourage the promotion of more women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths," she said.

Alessandra Carreon was appointed to the Michigan Public Service Commission by Governor Gretchen Whitmer on July 23, 2023.

Her term ends July 2, 2025.

Carreon is the first Asian-American commissioner in state history.

Alessandra Carreon was a manager in carbon-free transportation for RMI, a nonprofit working to secure a clean energy transition.

She led projects focused on affordable and accessible electric vehicle adoption and charging.

She formerly led Ford Motor Company's Responsible Material Sourcing team and spent years in environmental, social, and governance roles.

As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) last week announced $1.7 billion to support the conversion of 11 shuttered or at-risk auto manufacturing and assembly facilities across eight states—Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, and Virginia—to manufacture electric vehicles and their supply chain.

"This announcement reflects President Biden’s deep commitment to reinvest and revitalize – and never give up on – the manufacturing communities and the workers who have helped build America’s middle class,"U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said in a statement.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on March 20 announced final national pollution standards for passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty vehicles for model years 2027 through 2032 and beyond.

"These standards will avoid more than 7 billion tons of carbon emissions and provide nearly $100 billion of annual net benefits to society, including $13 billion of annual public health benefits due to improved air quality, and $62 billion in reduced annual fuel costs, and maintenance and repair costs for drivers," read a statement issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

"The final standards deliver on the significant pollution reductions outlined in the proposed rule, while accelerating the adoption of cleaner vehicle technologies. EPA is finalizing this rule as sales of clean vehicles, including plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, hit record highs last year," the statement said.

The agency said since President Joe Biden took office, companies have announced more than $160 billion in investment in U.S. clean vehicle manufacturing and the U.S. auto manufacturing sector has added more than 100,000 jobs.