The Forth Roadmap Conference was hosted virtually as a series of five webinars in June for the first time since its launch in 2011.

2020 has been a strange year, to say the least, and while the entire Forth team certainly missed the in-person engagement of Roadmap, we’re happy that our network stayed safe and joined in some very relevant conversations around equitable transportation electrification, heavy-duty charging, city leadership and electrifying TNCs. Over 2,000 participants from eighteen countries (and four continents) represented smart transportation stakeholders from all sectors of the industry.

Despite the challenges presented by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the smart transportation industry has not remained static and the week of the Roadmap panels saw big announcements from some of our partners. Lyft committed to having all electric cars on its platform by 2030. A collaborative study released by nine west coast utilities presents recommendations for heavy-and medium-duty vehicle charging along Interstate 5; the first regional collaboration of its kind.

Equity played a significant role in panel topics. We began the week with a discussion about why transportation electrification must be accessible and inclusive of communities, particularly communities of color, who have been left out of many transportation and technology advancements. The conversation was led by Clean Energy Works, Grid Alternatives, The Greenlining Institute and Cenex. Panel recording

Next, Forth was joined by the Nordic EV Association, EVHybridNoire, and Austin Energy, to dive into strategies and projects aimed at engaging consumers to increase EV adoption. Panel recording

Cities around the world are developing transportation electrification strategies and setting ambitious goals for improving air quality. Representatives from the cities of Amsterdam, Denver and Washington D.C. participated in the Roadmap webinar series to share their efforts. Panel recording

California is leading the west coast in heavy duty charging infrastructure (and policy). Our panelists represented a fleet owner, Penske, a vehicle OEM, Daimler Trucks North America, and a utility, Southern California Edison, to talk about the challenges and successes of charging electric trucks. Panel recording

We concluded the Roadmap series with a discussion with Uber, Lyft and EVgo about how we can increase the number of electric cars in transportation network companies and the importance of public fast charging infrastructure. Panel recording

All webinar recordings and presentations are available online on the Roadmap Conference website.

While it may seem like Roadmap just ended, we’re already gearing up for next year. We’re looking forward to returning to our tradition of an in-person conference. Registration is now open for Roadmap in 2021, which will be held June 29-30 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.