Greater Indiana Clean Cities Events Recap

The team at Greater Indiana has been busy this month representing Indiana at various events and learning more about alternative fuels in all industries. From connecting with the community, providing information on our state, and learning from industry leaders, this month propelled us into the summer season with an increased excitement for alternative fuel events and opportunities through the second half of the year.

This month started with the 2023 STN EXPO Indy Conference and Trade Show, presented by School Transportation News. This is a nationwide conference that focuses on student transportation. The team attended the newest session added to the conference: the Green Bus Summit. During the summit, we had the opportunity to hear from green experts, government officials, public utilities, and manufacturers on the latest technologies and trends that can result in fuel savings, emissions reductions, and lower ownership costs.

Following the summit, we met with members and school transportation organizations during the trade show. We saw the newest clean fuel technologies up close on the conference room floor from Lion Electric, the Propane Education and Resource Council (PERC), Cummins, Accelera by Cummins, and Blue Bird. Additionally, we connected with the Women Accelerating School Bus Electrification (WASBE) organization to dive deeper into the current clean school bus funding opportunities available and how districts are working together to make clean transportation more accessible. At the end of the trade show, attendees were given a chance to ride in clean school buses and experience the difference in each alternative fuel.

Our team participated in the Cummins Experience World Headquarters Tour to wrap up the expo. The team at Cummins transported us in Cummins engine-powered buses to their facilities in Columbus, IN. We visited the Cummins Columbus Engine Plant, where they had just opened a new electric school bus area, and we walked through the history of Cummins at their corporate office building. We had a great time seeing our members and seeing the future of school transportation.

Greater Indiana’s Executive Director, Kerri Garvin, participated in the Midcontinent Transportation Electrification Collaborative (MTEC) strategy session in Minneapolis. During this strategy session, Kerri provided updates on Indiana’s progress and our team’s current projects across the state to improve the transportation electrification transition. MTEC began in 2017 as a collaboration between the Midcontinent Power Sector Collaborative and the Charge Up Midwest coalition. MTEC produced several work products on issues including utility transportation electrification program development and electric vehicle infrastructure. Previously, Greater Indiana has supported MTEC’s initiatives to invest in the Midcontinent region as part of a federal economic recovery program through letters to congressional leadership.

Kaylee May, Development and Communications Manager for Greater Indiana, was selected to speak at the Indiana Chamber’s Indiana Conference on Energy Management. This conference hosted energy experts from throughout the state to learn about the current status of energy in Indiana, what the future may hold, and what businesses can do to prepare. As Indiana’s premier conference on managing energy costs and compliance for businesses, as well as networking with other professionals in the field, we were honored to have a team member speaking with INDOT and HNTB about advancing Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Indiana.