US needs radical EV infrastructure development to lead the global charge

Where visionaries go, politics and legislation surely follow. The accelerated movement towards clean transportation is paramount for countries to meet climate goals. In the US some 27% of CO2 emissions are from transportation, calculated by the US EPA.

To help, Biden proposed a 50% EV share of new vehicle sales target by 2030. The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has taken notice of the recent strong performance in the US. Some 7% of new cars / light trucks sold were using hybrid and electric engines. This is a 3 times higher share than back in 2020.

However, to support that 50% ambition the charging infrastructure in the US needs radical development. McKinsey estimates some 48 million electric vehicles will need juice in the US by 2030. That infrastructure will have been bolstered through $7.5 billion of federal funding, via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law late in 2021. With just 6.4k fast-charging units across the entire US, this feels like initial seed funding. An accompanying reform of US power generation* is another challenging piece of the puzzle to solve.

Innovation in the design, production and deployment of the EV ecosystem will continue to create very high demand for EV engineering and CleanTech talent.

From the latest LinkedIn data, San Francisco, Detroit and Los Angeles are where the action is most fierce for EV engineering talent. For example, there are some 2.1k job posts in the San Francisco bay area and a population of just 2.2k people with these skill sets.

Here are the top 5 hidden gem locations where hiring demand is not so competitive

Top 5 North American hidden gems for Electric Vehicles and Battery Engineering talent

(LinkedIn, November 2022)

1) Indianapolis

A sustainable transport network is a step closer as the Indiana DOT trials magnetizable concrete technology to make roads that charge moving vehicles. A first-of-its-kind pilot with Purdue University. Albeit a smaller talent pool than other hidden gems at 175+ there are few job posts, <10, making this our top hidden gem.

2) New York

New York is only the second state to set an end date for sales of gas-powered cars (2035), after California. New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul announcing recently there will be “no more excuses” not to buy an electric vehicle. With nearly 300 professionals and <50 job posts this is a top location for EV talent.

3) Toronto

University of Toronto research team have recently unlocked lithium-ion car battery recycling advancements. Using “supercritical fluid extraction”, a technique since the 1970s to extract caffeine from coffee beans, to recycle used EV car batteries. Innovation like this is critical to building a sustainable ecosystem and 160+ talents can be found here.

4) Washington DC

A key location for influencing the regulation and tax incentives surrounding the building of an EV infrastructure. Higher-income neighbourhoods currently enjoy better access to public charging points. Mass adoption requires affordability and access solutions for American households at the bottom too. Another 160+ talents can be found here with relatively low hiring demand.

5) Chicago

Lastly, 190+ talents are found here, although hiring demand is a little higher hence being last on our hidden gems.