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EDTA Adopts Aggressive Work Plan For 2004

EDTA Adopts Aggressive Work Plan For 2004

Published 12-08-03

Submitted by Electric Drive Transportation Association

Washington, D.C. - The Board of Directors of the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) established an aggressive agenda and strong leadership team for calendar year 2004 at their year-end meeting last week in New York City. Topping plans for the New Year is a concerted “push” for swift enactment and then successful implementation of comprehensive energy legislation that is currently stalled in the U.S. Senate. The measure would provide important tax incentives for battery, hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles and related infrastructure, as well as authorities to undertake significant new federal programs to assist industry in the research, development, demonstration and commercialization of electric drive technologies. “EDTA’s policy agenda tops the list of important initiatives that EDTA will undertake in the coming year; Congress must act immediately to put in place the financial incentives and programs that can help to assure that our nation reaps the national energy security, environmental and economic benefits promised by the advent of electric drive transportation,” stated EDTA Co-Chairman Eugene Zeltmann, President and COO of the New York Power Authority.

A second priority for EDTA is the conduct of its third “Electric Drive Transportation Industry
Conference” (ETIC-04), which will be held in Kissimmee, Florida, September 21 to 23. Following on the heels of EDTA’s successful EVS-20 symposium, next year’s conference promises to be 2004’s largest gathering of the international electric drive industry. “EDTA has a growing, and well-earned reputation as the world’s premier organizer of electric drive industry events. ETIC-04 is being planned to offer the industry the most comprehensive and ‘hands on’ forum for information exchange, business venture development, market forecasting and sales,” stated EDTA Co-Chairman Douglas West, Senior Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs for Toyota.

EDTA also plans to overhaul its website in 2004 to provide more information and better navigation to the more than 15,000 visitors it welcomes each month to www.electricdrive.org. The website also is an important grassroots lobbying tool for the organization. Through the EDTA “Legislative Action Center”, the organization generated nearly 3,000 e-mails to
Congress this year calling for incentives and government support for electric drive.

Finally, EDTA will continue and expand services to its membership, including the Association’s newsletter “Electric Drive Update”, the “Industry Leaders” interview series, and its electronic news clipping service, “E-Media Watch”.

The Board elected its leadership team for 2004, retaining all of the officers from this year. Returning as Co-Chairmen of EDTA are Douglas West and Eugene Zeltmann, cited above. The Secretary will be Ed Kjaer, the Director of Electric Transportation for Southern California Edison; and the treasurer will be Frank Ingriselli, President of Global Venture Investments, LLC. “EDTA will continue to reap the benefits of a strong and proven leadership team in 2004. I am delighted that these ‘veterans’, who oversaw the aggressive and successful execution of the EDTA program this year will be returning in 2004, thereby insuring that EDTA will pursue its goals and objectives aggressively and successfully,” stated Kateri Callahan, President of EDTA.

Finally, the EDTA Board announced the departure of Kateri Callahan as President effective January 1, 2004. Ms. Callahan stated, “I have both gratitude and profound respect for the Board, EDTA members and staff, and I expect to contribute to their important efforts to advance the use of electric drive technologies through my new position.” Ms. Callahan has been named President of the Alliance to Save Energy. In announcing her departure, Co-Chairman West stated, “Kateri Callahan has been an important voice for the electric drive industry for nearly 15 years. The EDTA Board and membership wish her every success in her new position and are confident that she will continue to be a moving force in the electric drive industry.” The EDTA Board of Directors appointed Gail Hendrickson, EDTA Vice President, as the acting head of the organization while a search is undertaken to fill the vacancy.

2004 Leadership:

Co-Chairman: Douglas West, Senior Vice President, Toyota. Mr. West oversees government relations activities of Toyota Motor North America, Inc. West began his career at Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) in 1982 as associate general counsel for product litigation and was promoted in 1989 to vice president and general counsel, product law. In 1993, he was assigned responsibility as group vice president for TMS’s U.S. vehicle export and logistics operations. In 1996, he was appointed senior vice president for corporate administrative matters.

Co-Chairman: Eugene Zeltmann, President & CEO, New York Power Authority. Mr. Zeltmann has more than 20 years of international trade and government relations experience and has held various senior management positions related to energy and environmental trade issues, market-development and communications programs, and operational and environmental planning.

Treasurer: Frank Ingriselli, President & CEO, Global Venture Investments (GVEST). GVEST is a management consulting firm focusing in the areas of energy technologies and global new business development for both the technology sector and the upstream oil and gas sector. Before establishing GVEST in 2001, Mr. Ingriselli enjoyed a distinguished career with Texaco in a variety of positions culminating in the appointment of President of Texaco Technology Ventures (TTV) which was responsible for all of Texaco’s global technology initiatives and investments.

Secretary: Edward Kjaer, Director of Electric Transportation, Southern California Edison (SCE). Mr. Kjaer is responsible for all facets of the SCE’s Electric Transportation Division, which includes electrodrive technology studies, customer education, electric vehicle (EV) rates and incentives, load growth through fuel switching, and EPACT EV fleet vehicle compliance. For EDTA, Mr. Kjaer also lends his talents and time to the Conferences Committee as Co-Chair and as the Chair of the Communications/ Outreach Committee.

Serge Roy, Project Director, Electric Transportation, Hydro-Québec. Mr. Roy has been active in the electric transportation sector for Hydro-Québec since 1994, initially as Manager for Technology Planning and as Manager of New Products and Services Development. Mr. Roy is Chairman of the Board of the Electric Vehicle Association of Canada (EVAC).

Tadek Borys, CEO, AVESTOR. Mr. Borys joined AVESTOR in 1999 bringing with him an extensive knowledge of the automotive field from senior executive positions held with European, U.S. and Canadian firms, including the Raytak/Northside Group and Magna. Mr. Borys holds several patents related to the automotive industry.

Bob Graham, Area Manager, Electric Transportation Product Line, EPRI. EPRI is a non-profit research consortium that creates science and technology solutions for the global energy and energy services industry. Mr. Graham is responsible for linking electricity to transportation and leads projects and alliances that impact electric drive systems in passenger cars, urban delivery vehicles and industrial and airport applications. Mr. Graham has a long track record in public transportation as a leader of the Advanced Technology Transit Bus program and as an entrepreneur specializing in the transit and school bus industry for over 15 years.

Thomas Kuhn, President, Edison Electric Institute. Mr. Kuhn leads the association of investor-owned electric companies whose members generate and distribute approximately three-quarters of the Nation’s electricity. Mr. Kuhn joined the Institute in 1985 as Executive Vice President, was named COO in 1988, and elected President in 1990.

Reg Modlin, Director of Environmental and Energy Planning, DaimlerChrysler Corp. Mr. Modlin is responsible for participating in the development of product related environmental legislation and regulation in the NAFTA region. Additionally, he is responsible for vehicle emissions certification, fuel economy strategy, testing and reporting, and international environmental and safety homologation for all Chrysler Group products. He has served on a number of Government/Public/Business policy groups including the Ozone Transport Assessment Group and the Ozone Transport Commission Federal Advisory Committee. He is currently Chairman of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers Mobile Source Policy Committee.

Mike Schwarz, Director, Sustainable Mobility Technologies, Ford Motor Company. Mr. Schwarz is responsible, along with his industry and government counterparts, for direction and oversight of cooperative pre-competitive research on fuel cell systems, electrical drive systems, combustion & emissions, and lightweight materials. Within Ford, he is responsible for developing the program elements for the deliverables of the partnership and for the migration of collaboratively developed technologies into product plans.

Robert Stempel, Chairman, Energy Conversion Devices/Ovonics. Mr. Stempel brings a vast knowledge of automobile engineering as well as the vision to produce zero emission vehicles to ECD Ovonics and the EDTA Board. Previously, Mr. Stempel was Chairman and CEO of General Motors.

John Wallace, Consultant. Mr. Wallace played an active role in Ford Motor Company’s alternative fuel vehicle programs beginning in 1990, serving first as Director of Technology Development Programs, followed by positions including Director of the Electric Vehicle Programs, Director of Alternative Fuel Vehicles, Director of Environmental Vehicles and then as the Executive Director of Environmental Vehicles and winding up his career as Executive Director of Ford TH!NK Technologies.

Al Weverstad, Director, Public Policy Center, General Motors Corporation. Mr. Weverstad began his GM career in 1971 in the engineering areas with the Pontiac Motor and Marine Engine Divisions. In 1991 Mr. Weverstad moved to the Environmental Activities Staff, which is now the Public Policy Center.

Andrew Browning, Director of Global Government Relations, Methanex. Mr. Browning supervises Methanex’ government relations efforts in the U.S. and globally with a focus on fuel cell market development and advocacy, fuels components and oxygenates, global trade, general market development, GHG emissions trading and numerous other legislative and regulatory issues.

Gail Hendrickson, Vice President, EDTA. Prior to 1998, Ms. Hendrickson served as the Associate Director of the Electric Transportation Coalition, promoting policies and programs at the federal level that spur the development, demonstration, and commercialization of electric modes of transportation in the United States. Prior to this position, Ms. Hendrickson was a Legislative Professional for the Washington, DC law firm of Van Ness Feldman. She has worked in Washington, DC since 1989.

Scott Gerke, Senior Legislative Analyst, American Honda Motor Company. Mr. Gerke is
responsible for recommending and executing strategies to develop and implement Honda’s
government relations goals; identifying and initiating opportunities to advocate Honda views to Congress and the Administration; and reporting on highlights of major government actions and trends.

About EDTA
EDTA (formerly EVAA) is an international association representing the interest of those involved in the development, production and use of battery, hybrid and fuel cell electric drive technologies and supporting infrastructure. EDTA serves as the central source of information on all of the technical, market and policy issues surrounding the emergence of electric drive technologies, and serves as the representative of the Americas to the World Electric Vehicle Association (WEVA). For more information on EDTA, visit www.electricdrive.org.

About the Alliance to Save Energy
Founded in 1977, the Alliance to Save Energy is a non-profit coalition of business, government, environmental and consumer leaders. The Alliance promotes energy efficiency worldwide to achieve a healthier economy, a cleaner environment and energy security. For more information about the Alliance to Save Energy, visit www.ase.org.

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