2014 Update | Will the DOE’s Workplace Charging Challenge Breakthrough?

I wrote an article in late 2013 on the DoE's vital work toward more workplace charging stations in the U.S, under its EV Everywhere Program—some officials say it is the tipping point. Excerpts of the 2013 article is toward the bottom of the page and a link to it on InsideEVs.com (for full context). 

Recent Updates 2014 DoE Updates:
Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Danielson (from left); Mike Lynch, NASCAR Vice President of Green Innovation; and Darren Beck, Sprint Director of Environmental Initiatives stand next to a charging station at NASCAR's office in Charlotte, North Carolina. NASCAR and Sprint are now participating in the Workplace Charging Challenge. (Source: NASCAR)Department of Energy's (DoE) Workplace Charging program issued a couple announcements recently: 1) 2014 EV Everywhere update after the Washington Auto Show (an impressive overview through 2014) and 2) the recent announcement of NASCAR and Sprint to the list of companies participating in workplace charging. , "EV Everywhere: NASCAR and Sprint Race Forward with Workplace Charging."

Interesting takeaway on the cooperation angle:
The press release talks about many different organizations, communities and associations working together. The glaring omission is the car companies. A local government official told me last year auto manufacturers are needed to help leverage their efforts in introducing pro-active "ordinances" for commercial development, such as running electricity to parking lots as they are built—trenching is quite expensive after the fact.

Basically, local leaders need political cover. Tesla Motors says we are going to do it on our own and just get it done, but the rest of the auto manufacturers need to reach out more. Where would the perceptin of electric cars go with the automakers behind it? Something like the Tesla Motor groundswell?

We'll see what happens in 2014.  

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From InsideEVs.com, "Will the DoE Workplace Charging Charging Challenge Breakthrough?":

The Workplace Charging Challenge, from the Department of Energy (DoE), snagged 50 companies in 2013 in its efforts to stress a “bottom-up” approach to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Where does it go in 2014?

The Department of Energy launched its EV Workplace Charging Challenge in January of 2013 to aid in the adoption of electric vehicles and to lay the groundwork for a charging infrastructure strategy that relies on tax credits, partnerships and now EV enthusiasts.

The challenge aims to “increase the number of American employers offering workplace charging by tenfold in the next five years,” according to the DoE’s fact sheet. Company participants include Google, ABB Inc., Zappos, Evernote, Samsung and Nissan, to name a few.

Related Content:
> Case Studies | Early Experiences with Workplace Charging
> BMW Exec Says Public Chargers Not Important to EV Success (Green Car News)