Asilomar Conference

MONDAY,
JULY 14, 2025

TUESDAY,
JULY 15, 2025

WEDNESDAY,
JULY 16, 2025

Session 1: Transportation Innovation and Evolving Politics

• Increasingly, the motivation and justification for transport innovation is industrial policy and national security.  Europe is softening its prioritization of climate mitigation, China has always emphasized industrial policy as the primary motivator for investments in electric vehicles, and now the US is emphasizing jobs, national security, and industrial competitiveness. This session will explore how these shifts influence efforts to enhance transportation, energy and the environment. Key topics include the future of the auto industry, creation of reliable supply chains for vehicles, batteries, and materials, momentum behind electrification and decarbonization, and ancillary effects on urban mobility, new sources of energy, and affordability.  This session has a global focus, including implications for the Global South.

Session 2: Low Carbon Fuel Challenges

• Low carbon fuels will be needed to reduce emissions from on-road vehicles during the transition to EVs, and over the long term in  aviation and ocean shipping and probably some heavy trucks. At present, only crop-based biofuels have found success on the market, while lower-carbon scalable options like cellulosic fuels or synthetic “e-fuels” remain expensive and unproven. How can policymakers and stakeholders balance the competing demands for alternative fuels? Can progress toward electrifying on-road vehicles unlock biofuel supply for marine and aviation? Which policies are most promising, including those being pursued in Europe, California, and elsewhere?

Session 3: Towards More Efficient and Low-Pollution Freight

• The global zero-emission commercial medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sector has made significant progress, but challenges remain—particularly in the U.S. In this session, industry leaders will explore what’s working in key markets, where gaps still exist, and what’s needed to drive further growth in North America. Join us for a candid discussion on lessons learned and the strategies that can help move the industry forward.

Session 4: Rethinking Urban Mobility

• What can US states and cities do to enhance mobility–by reducing emissions through transportation investments and policy,  integrating public transportation with micromobility and shared automated vehicle (AV) services, reallocating urban road space to more efficient modes, and aligning land uses? What lessons have been learned elsewhere?  This session will explore policies and innovations that would enhance mobility, urban livability, and environmental quality.  

THURSDAY,
JULY 17, 2025

Session 5: Vehicle Electrification Policy and Politics

• Despite recent headlines of a so-called ‘EV slowdown’, EV investments and sales continue to grow globally, reaching new records in 2024 of over $750B in investment (the largest of any cleantech sector) and over 13M in passenger vehicle sales (up over XX% from 2023).  When you dig into the data, a pattern emerges - in regions where the enabling policies are strong or getting stronger, investment and sales are rising fast;  whereas in regions where the policies are weak OR uncertain, sales growth has slowed.  Strong policy requires strong political will, and 2025 brought substantive changes in the political landscape that could reshape the market trajectory of this essential technology with profound implications for human health, the climate, and the economy.  This session will include experts from industry, government, and premier research institutions to unpack where we’re heading.

Session 6: Vehicle Efficiency and Size

• Focusing on tailpipe emissions is a robust way to address local and global pollutants when vehicles burn fuels in combustion engines. But with the shift to EVs, nearly all emissions will come from upstream energy sources and material manufacturing. Some regions, including the EU and California, are already pursuing new reporting requirements for these emissions. This session will explore the challenge of reducing upstream emissions across domestic and international supply chains and energy sources.

Session 7: EV Charging Infrastructure and Grid Readiness

• The transition to electric vehicles creates additional demands on the electricity grid–generation, distribution and delivery–on top of growing demand from other sources and concerns of affordability, decarbonization, and reliability.  Addressing these challenges is difficult with the existing public utility commission system of governance. This session will address lessons learned and innovative solutions for creating a nationwide ecosystem for charging light-, medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles, focussing on sustainable business models and affordable charging solutions.

Session 8: Asilomar Wrapped: Turning Headwinds into Tailwinds

• At the previous Asilmar meeting two  years ago, we observed that the climate policy framework was well understood and in place in Europe and CA. Much has changed. What have we heard over the past 2 days. Is there a chance to de-politicize climate change? How do we pivot to embrace a more multi-objective strategy, including incorporating climate policy into industrial policy? 

FRIDAY,
JULY 18, 2025