From the Chair

By Phillip Krein

The IEEE Transportation Electrification Community (TEC) has “graduated” from its status as a program initiative and is now a permanent part of the IEEE.  Even though the transition to a permanent organization is complete, TEC is one of the first such communities.

Transportation electrification is a real revolution today.  The impact is ramping up in established “planes, trains, and automobiles” domains that may be familiar, but also extending to marine applications, many forms of long-distance transport, electrification of ports and highways, off-road construction and mining vehicles, electric scooters and personal transport devices.   Electrification is enabling new strategies for dynamic energy management, imposing the challenges of interaction with the electricity grid, and raising new opportunities for regional and national energy systems.

In the coming year, seven operating committees in TEC will carry activities to a whole new level:

• The Conferences and Workshops Committee is working on programs to support dozens of IEEE conferences that have an emphasis on transportation electrification.  Look for us at ITEC in June, for instance.
• The Education Committee is working on curriculum modules, student competitions, and high school outreach.
• The Industry Relations and Liaison Committee is setting up interactions across broad industries within transportation, and developing liaison activities inside IEEE as well as with other groups.
• The Professional Development Committee will be preparing tutorials, webinars, and continuing education opportunities for industry professionals.
• The Publications and Communications Committee is coordinating our collaborations with several magazines and journals as well as this newsletter.
• The Standards Committee is working with existing and new standards groups in IEEE and other organizations to help fill the extensive missing pieces.
• The Strategy and Planning Committee is helping us establish a scope that goes well beyond the automotive industry and embraces electrification challenges in all forms of transport.

Each of these committees has opportunities for interested volunteers.  For more information, you may contact Alicia Tomaszewski at a.tomaszewski@ieee.org and she can point you to the respective chairs.

TEC is about more than our plans to make a permanent and big difference in broad transportation electrification activities of the IEEE.   We also want to nurture and grow our robust technical debate about TEC technologies and challenges.   Electrification is not a destination, and there are twists, turns, forks, and bumps in all the roads ahead.

Join us for the ride!