The Electric Vehicle Product Commission (EVPC) held its fourth meeting at the Indiana Government Center in Indianapolis on April 8. The EVPC is a creation of HB 1168 (2021), an Indiana Chamber priority that was authored by Rep. Michael Karickhoff (R-Kokomo). The group consists of 10 members; it includes four members of the General Assembly and six private citizens – one of whom must be an employee or member of the Indiana Chamber.

Frankly, some interested parties had concerns after the EVPC’s first meeting in November. Partially because it took more than seven months after HB 1168 passed for a meeting to occur, but also because committee members seemed to lack the requisite focus and urgency necessary to complete their statutory obligations – namely producing a comprehensive report by September 30 that identifies and evaluates the state’s readiness for the impending transition to electric vehicles.

Thankfully, the most recent meeting alleviated some of these concerns. The EVPC, which is staffed by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and chaired by Ben Wrightsman, president and CEO of the Battery Innovation Center, offered updates on their progress to obtain the information necessary to produce the report.

The final report will include eight sections as follows:

  1. Evaluating the inventory of existing electric vehicle product facilities and production capability
  2. Evaluating the inventory of skilled and nonskilled workers in the electric vehicle product industry
  3. Evaluating opportunities and needs for training within the electric vehicle product industry
  4. Determining if training centers promoting careers in the electric vehicle product industry should be created or transitioned from traditional automotive industry training centers
  5. Identifying existing manufacturing competencies within the traditional automotive industry and determining how the existing competencies could be leveraged to increase the production of electric vehicles
  6. Identifying and evaluating opportunities for growth within the electric vehicle product industry
  7. Identifying and documenting results from previous instances of retooling and transforming manufacturing facilities in the automotive industry.
  8. Identifying opportunities for research and development within the electric vehicle product industry

Each member is tasked with either leading or supporting another member who leads efforts to contribute to the report. The most significant development came from Danny Ernstes, who is the United Auto Workers’ representative on the EVPC. He shared that the UAW will finance research by Purdue and Ivy Tech universities that will respond to the “workforce related” sections of the report.

The EVPC’s next meeting is scheduled for April 29.

Resource: Adam H. Berry at (317) 264-6892 or email: aberry@indianachamber.com