EDEN PRAIRIE, MN - GE announced that its national electric vehicle tour stopped in Minneapolis for an event on July 11 that brought GE experts together with local businesses, industry leaders, and public sector stakeholders for educational workshops, test drives, and dialogue on the business case for EV ecosystems.

“Our goal is to help build the EV ecosystem necessary to support the large-scale deployment of electric vehicles”

The tour, led by GE’s Fleet Services and Industrial Solutions businesses, is part of the company’s ecomagination initiative to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technology though innovation and R&D investment.

GE launched the tour in San Francisco in March and has since made stops in Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, New York, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. The event in Minneapolis gave Twin Cities EV stakeholders the opportunity to participate in workshops on the technical and business considerations for EV planning and deployment. Participants also took part in an “EV Ride & Drive” featuring electric cars and trucks from a variety of manufacturers.

GE has committed to purchase 25,000 EVs by 2015 for its own fleet and for fleet customers. It owns one of the world’s largest vehicle fleets and operates a leading global fleet management business.

The successful large-scale deployment of EVs will require an end-to-end infrastructure solution of circuit protection equipment, transformers and charging stations to deliver a viable EV ecosystem. GE offers a full suite of solutions - from leasing and vehicle management services, to a network of charging stations, charging software development, customer infrastructure upgrades, transformers, and electrical grid integration services that touch every part of electric vehicle infrastructure development.

“We’re committed to helping our customers position their own organizations to take advantage of electric vehicle technology, and through the EV Experience Tour, we’re engaging directly with them through workshops and test driving experiences,” said Clarence Nunn, President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Capital Fleet Services. With headquarters in Eden Prairie, MN, GE’s Fleet Services business is a global leader in fleet management and helps its large and small business customers manage 1.3 million vehicles around the world.

GE’s electric vehicle chargers, including the easy-to-use, smart, fast and award-winning GE WattStation* Electric Vehicle Charging Station, are accompanying the tour and were on display in Minneapolis.

“Our goal is to help build the EV ecosystem necessary to support the large-scale deployment of electric vehicles,” says Luis Ramírez, CEO, GE Energy Industrial Solutions. “The GE EV Experience Tour is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with key thought leaders and work to shape the standards and policies that will guide the development of the infrastructure necessary to support the EV ecosystem in important regions like the Twin Cities.”