System Operator

Electrification Coalition Begins Advertising Campaign

The Electrification Coalition (EC), a group of business leaders who came together in November 2009 to support an electrified transportation system as the solution to the threats posed by oil dependence, today launched its first ad campaign with a television spot entitled "Sound of Silence." The campaign, which will run in the Washington, DC area and will include print advertising and additional TV spots in the upcoming weeks, reflects the unique nature of the EC and the policies it supports.

"The Electrification Coalition is not your typical DC group, and this is not your typical DC ad campaign," Robbie Diamond, President and CEO of the Electrification Coalition, said. "The dangers of oil dependence and the promise of electric cars and trucks are not partisan issues. Republicans and Democrats alike have come forward to support electrification, and we believe more will follow. In a time of partisan deadlock, there is a new path forward."

The ad can be viewed at: http://www.19below.tv/EC/electrification_coalition.mov.

The EC’s Electrification Roadmap, released in November 2009, proposed a set of policies in which geographic areas would compete to be selected as electrification deployment communities: specific areas in which targeted, temporary financial incentives are employed so that all of the elements of an electrified transportation system are deployed simultaneously.

On May 27, Republicans and Democrats in both the House and the Senate introduced legislation that largely echoed the framework set out in the Roadmap. The Senate bill, entitled the "Electric Vehicle Deployment Act of 2010" was introduced by Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). The House legislation, entitled the "Electric Drive Vehicle Deployment Act of 2010" was cosponsored by House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL).

The Electrification Coalition is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit group of business leaders committed to promoting policies and actions that facilitate the deployment of electric vehicles on a mass scale in order to combat the economic, environmental, and national security dangers caused by our nation’s dependence on petroleum. The members, who represent the entire value chain of an electrified transportation system, include:

* John T. Chambers, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cisco
* Timothy E. Conver, Chairman, President & CEO, AeroVironment, Inc.
* Peter L. Corsell, CEO, GridPoint, Inc.
* David W. Crane, President & CEO, NRG Energy, Inc.
* Kevin Czinger, President & CEO, Coda Automotive
* Peter A. Darbee, Chairman, CEO & President, PG&E Corporation
* Seifi Ghasemi, Chairman & CEO, Rockwood Holdings, Inc.
* Carlos Ghosn, President & CEO, Nissan Motor Company, Ltd.
* Ray Lane, Managing Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
* Richard Lowenthal, Founder & CEO, Coulomb Technologies, Inc.
* Alex A. Molinaroli, Chairman, Johnson Controls-Saft and President, Johnson Controls Power Solutions
* Reuben Munger, Chairman, Bright Automotive, Inc.
* Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President & CEO, FedEx Corporation
* David P. Vieau, President & CEO, A123 Systems, Inc.

www.electrificationcoalition.org