As we gear up for our December event taking place in Charlotte, NC, the city is well under way of showing the ITS community what a Smart City is truly about. Charlotte, home to 34 of the top 150 automotive parts manufacturers in North America, is aiming to reduce emissions in buildings, cars, and buses across the region.
According to an article by GreenBiz, “the Charlotte City Council kicked off 2021 by passing a plan for greening the city’s municipal operations.” However, this isn’t their first move towards becoming a safer, greener and smarter city. In 2018, the Charlotte City Council unanimously adopted the city’s Strategic Energy Action Plan, which provided a road map for municipal operations to source 100% of their energy use in buildings from zero carbon sources by 2030.
Charlotte is committed to reducing their emissions. The city that is home to NASCAR, is on track to converting 42 vehicles of their muni fleet to electric vehicles by the end of 2021, thanks to their ‘EV First’ Sustainable and Resilient Fleet Policy. Additionally, Charlotte recently invested $1 million in new electric vehicle charging infrastructure. However, their forward thinking doesn’t stop there.
In the aviation sector, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the sixth busiest airport in the world, put their first five electric buses into service in October and plan to electrify the entire CLT fleet by 2030. Replacing diesel or gas buses with emissions-free battery electric buses removes particulates and ozone-causing emissions to reduce pollution in the region.
“A foundation of the ITS America events portfolio is showcasing innovation, and importantly – real-world actionable demonstrations and learnings from tangible smart transportation and clean energy projects. Charlotte is proving its forward-thinking expertise and leadership with these impressive initiatives. It’s inspiring to bring the ITS America 2021 Annual Meeting to the city at a time when everyone is getting enthused about returning to in-person events and meetings, and charting the course for a strong 2022 and beyond,” said Will Wise, Group Vice President - Reed Exhibitions.
We are excited to be hosting our Annual Meeting in a city that is so dedicated to reimagining transportation and creating a smart city that is future ready. The city of Charlotte is dedicated to stimulating job growth, minimizing operating costs and leveraging city budgets to build back the economy and improve public health. For more information on why we believe Charlotte is the perfect location for the ITS America 2021 Annual meeting, click here.