Applying EV lessons to the built environment, with Scott Case.

In this episode, show host Jeff Nichols widens the aperture by looking at the transportation sector to better understand the complex future of sustainability—and EVs provide a timely example. You’ll meet Scott Case, Cofounder and CEO of Recurrent. Scott, a former colleague of Jeff’s became an innovator of smart energy solutions well before they were a thing back in 2008. After a successful run at his first startup, Energy Savvy, Scott began to focus on what problems needed to be solved to help consumers confidently make the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). What he found was an untapped market for EV education and the need for a common understanding of battery life giving consumers a more accurate gauge of their EV's secondary market value. In 2019, Scott co-founded Recurrent, a platform that quantifies the value of and enables a robust market for, pre-owned EVs.

Chaos, rebates, credits, and incentives

Like energy tax deductions and credits for buildings, EV incentives are also subject to enormous changes in today’s political environment. EV incentives are unique in that they were designed to encourage price parity between EVs and (ICE) vehicles while also encouraging manufacturers to move their battery and vehicle production and assembly plants back to US soil. Scott shares examples of how this has worked and where there is risk should the current administration take a more aggressive stance on rolling back these benefits. Scott and Jeff discuss other important variables to consumer EV adoption, such as charging infrastructure (or lack thereof) in markets where EVs have lower adoption rates, and where Federal programs like NEVI (National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) are beginning to gain traction in partnership with private investment, improving access to reliable charging stations across the US.

Team Red, Team Blue

Scott points out that NEVI greatly benefits states and regions with lower EV density and describes why states with Republican majorities may have the most to lose if the current administration pulls the plug on EV incentives. Scott sees a future with more affordable pre-owned EVs becoming more available to those ready to switch. The macro-economic implications of EV adoption are also clear with an estimated 175,000 EV-related jobs created in “Red Team” states as a direct result of the provisions within the 2022 IRA. Scott urges lawmakers to listen to their constituents and take caution with any proposed rollbacks of EV incentives.

Circling Back

Cars are emotional purchases for people which is an interesting dynamic when it comes to making the switch to an EV—will folks go back to ICE vehicles once they’ve experienced the benefits of their EVs? Scott and Jeff discuss whether the growing passion for EVs will have an impact on the demand for more efficient homes and buildings. How does this growing wave of passion for EV adoption apply to “tenant” awareness and passion for more efficient and sustainable spaces?

• Follow Jeff on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffersonnichols/)
• Follow Scott on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-case-193139/)
• Learn more about NEVI (https://afdc.energy.gov/laws/12744)

Listen and Connect

If you have questions or feedback for the Reframe team, email [email protected]. You can also follow the podcast through your preferred app to stay updated on future episodes.

Reframe is hosted by Jeff Nichols and presented by Pilotlight.ai