Going Mainstream – How to Accelerate EV Adoption Beyond the Early Adopters


Jul 22nd 10AM to 11AM PST

Explore how states and communities can bridge the gap between early adopters and the broader market

Going Mainstream – How to Accelerate EV Adoption Beyond the Early Adopters

Electric vehicle (EV) sales growth in the U.S. is slowing, dropping to just 7% in 2024 after years of rapid acceleration. The early adopters have made their move, but now comes the real challenge: how do we shift from niche enthusiasm to widespread mainstream adoption?

This webinar will explore how states and communities can bridge the gap between early adopters and the broader market. Drawing on proven strategies and real-world successes, we’ll break down the essential elements of creating EV programs that resonate with everyday consumers, not just the tech-savvy or environmentally driven.

You’ll learn:

  • What it takes to build a comprehensive EV adoption strategy that aligns policy, infrastructure, and consumer experience.

  • How to segment the EV market and tailor outreach for different audiences—from the Early Majority to the Late Majority—each with unique motivations and concerns.

  • Why understanding market barriers is essential, and how targeted education and messaging can address issues around charging, cost, and lifestyle fit.

  • How creative campaigns using local influencers, trusted community voices, and relatable narratives can shift public perception and drive real behavior change.

  • The role of utility partnerships, coordinated infrastructure rollouts, and consistent messaging in building consumer confidence and accelerating adoption.

Whether you’re a policymaker, utility leader, marketer, program manager, or advocate, this webinar will give you a clear roadmap for scaling EV adoption and reaching the mainstream market. Join us to discover the strategies that can turn curiosity into commitment and help your community make the shift to electric.

Register

Moderator:

Cat Plein, Development & Communications Director, Forth 

Cat Plein serves as Development & Communications Director at Forth, where they lead the teams responsible for marketing and communications, events, business development, fundraising, and strategic partnerships. Cat brings over 15 years of experience growing teams in nonprofit and corporate organizations.



Speakers 

Bill LeBlanc, President, LeBlanc Energy Innovation

Bill LeBlanc has particular expertise in EV adoption, consumer behavior, demand-side management program design, rate design and managed charging, design thinking, and utility strategy. He recently led Rolling Energy Resource and ev.energy’s efforts in several key areas: new product development, utility program design and communications, market strategy, and utility thought leadership. Bill has over 20 years of experience working for E Source, EPRI, consulting firms, and PG&E, and he has given over 50 keynote addresses at events throughout the industry. He was named one of only seven people by the Association of Energy Services Professionals on their list of Game Changers of the past 30 Years.


Ed de la Fuente, Senior Program Manager, Forth

Ed leads the Access to Cars programs team with the mission to reduce barriers and provide equitable access to electric vehicles. He has focused his career on product innovation and bringing new technology solutions to market, most recently in the Smart Cities and Intelligent Transportation sector.



Carrie Atiyeh, Principal, Golden Strategic Solutions

Carrie is a public affairs and strategic program management professional with expertise developing impactful programs, policies and initiatives for local, state and federal governments, public and private corporations, and non-profit organizations with a primary focus on energy, sustainability and climate related issues. Carrie served as the Associate Director of Transportation at the Colorado Energy Office, which is committed to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), equitably investing in charging infrastructure, and incentivizing EVs, e-bikes, and other mobility options. During this time, Carrie was the senior program manager for the statewide EV CO education and awareness campaign. The campaign was designed to be complimentary to EV programs and policies in Colorado to accelerate the adoption of EVs by raising awareness, dispelling myths and misunderstanding, and provide up to date information about tax credits, EV benefits, and charging.


Jennifer Zavon, Program Manager, Forth

Jennifer serves as a Program Manager for the Affordable Mobility Platform (AMP) project that launches and operates electric carsharing services across the US. Prior to Forth, she worked with the City of Cincinnati to engage residents with solar and electric vehicle programming, and provided communications, event, and project support to various companies and nonprofits.