DETROIT — The first-ever Electric Vehicle and Energy Infrastructure Innovation and Sustainability Conference (EVX) kicked off June 22 at Huntington Place in Detroit, led by ASM Global. The venue hosted and sponsored the launch of the event, showcasing a new and growing sector of the automotive industry in the Motor City.
Organized by MAD Event Management and Sitarian Corporation, the EVX event brought together stakeholders in the growing electric vehicle (EV) and energy infrastructure market to network and educate others on the operations, infrastructure, investments, cost recovery and policy surrounding electric vehicles and their necessary infrastructure. The conference attracted 60 invited attendees, including electric vehicle manufacturers, private sector infrastructure companies and representatives from federal, state and local governments.
According to Paul Sitar, CEO, Head of Creative and Corporate Development at Sitarian Corporation, and creator and director of the EV Exchange, the EVX conference was designed to help strengthen collaboration across communities, which is critical to the success of EVX’s efforts and initiatives. “That’s at the heart of EVX and that’s what will set us apart in the industry,” he said.
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Studies and surveys show that this is a booming sector of the automotive industry. Marketing consultant AutoPacific predicts that between 2021 and 2022, electric vehicle sales will increase by 37%, with sales of fully electric light vehicles in the United States reaching 700,000 units in 2022 alone. The IEA’s Global EV Outlook 2022 report indicates that 2 million electric vehicles have been sold worldwide so far this year.
Bob McClintock, executive vice president of convention centers at ASM Global, said: “If you look at the electric vehicle industry, there is a great opportunity to bring together minds from the manufacturing side, the infrastructure side and the regulatory side to discuss all of the issues that they are all facing in this exciting new emerging industry.”
He continued, “We recognize new and exciting content on our sites and find those opportunities that we can support to help them get started, grow, and become even more important to the community. Detroit has always been the leader in automotive innovation, and this is the next phase of automotive innovation.”
Visit Detroit was the presenting sponsor of the EVX conference. According to Claude Molinari, President and CEO of Visit Detroit, “Hosting an event in Detroit helps advance our region’s economic competitiveness, but Visit Detroit recognized the importance of the EV Exchange in advancing Michigan’s leadership in mobility. For more than 100 years, Detroit and Michigan have been global automotive leaders, and now our region is committed to the next generation of mobility innovation.”
As for future events, Sitar said EVX is securing its 2023 dates in Detroit and will also be expanding. “EVX plans to innovate the experience at the 2023 event,” Sitar said. He added that part of that innovation is the planned inclusion of products, technologies, platforms and services that will help address ongoing investigations and data findings. Strategic co-locations, such as EVX Data Deep Dives (EVX 3-D), are currently being designed with community members for the 2023 conference to enhance the attendee experience.
Contact Bob McClintock at bmcclintock@asmglobal.com; Paul Sitar at paul@theevexchange.com; and Claude Molinari at cmolinari@visitdetroit.com