Event Details: The deployment of electric vehicles has not yet met the goals of government policy. This is due to several reasons, among which are the perceived disadvantage of limited range, the lack of widely available charging infrastructure, and cost. In this talk we will explore the benefits of EVs, their perceived disadvantages, their economics including the geographic diversity of electricity costs, the current level of EV sales and its trends among different manufacturers, and some of the reasons for the lack of charging infrastructure. We will look at a few of the technology advancements in the design of EVs, the status of battery chemistries, and the need for standardization of the charging interface. We will conclude with a brief summary of the National Research Council’s 2015 report “Overcoming Barriers to deployment of Plug-In Electric Vehicles” and what progress has been made since that review.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Kassakian is Professor of Electrical Engineering, Emeritus, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has taught, and conducted research in, power electronics for over 40 years. He was the founding president of the IEEE Power Electronics Society, was the U.S. representative to the European Power Electronics Association, and is the recipient of many awards, including the IEEE’s William E. Newell Award, the Power Electronics Society’s Distinguished Service Award, the IEEE Centennial and Millennium Medals, and the European Power Electronics Association Achievement Award. He is a fellow of the IEEE and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. He was the chair of the National Research Council of the National Academies’ study “Overcoming Barriers to Deployment of Plug-In Electric Vehicles.

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