“A lot of it is asking the customers, when you’re thinking about purchasing an EV, or installing charging, both residential and commercial, let us know so we can be a resource and understand what the load impacts are to the grid. We’re continuing to get smarter there, as well as using internal data scientists and analytics teams to start to track that. It’s still evolving.”

“We have EV specialists who will advise you on charging station options, get that charger installed, and provide a $500 rebate – $1,000 if you’re income-qualified – to cover the cost. We make sure you are taking advantage of our off-peak charging rate and introduce you to other energy- and cost-saving programs.”

“It’s a little hard to quantify, but a goal on my end is making sure it’s a little fun or at least engaging for the customer to charge the EV at the time we need them to and providing them with enough value that they don’t mind delaying their charging, such that the electric demand hits our systems when it is optimal.”

“There are more tools and services offered that rely on artificial intelligence. We are starting to use some of these cool new tools to understand the scale at which adoption is occurring within our service territory, which will be critical for APS to know to meet future demand.”

Conversations with Arizona Public Service’s Kerri Carnes and Tony Perez; Avangrid’s Scott Bochenek and Charles Spence; CMS Energy’s Lauren Snyder and Jeff Myrom; Commonwealth Edison’s Diana Sharpe; Con Edison’s Britt Reichborn-Kjennerud; Duquesne Light’s Brian Guzek; Idaho Power’s Billie McWinn and Patti Best; National Grid’s Melissa Lavinson; NiSource’s Fred Gomos; Portland General Electric’s Larry Bekkedahl; Puget Sound Energy’s Josh Jacobs and Malcolm McCulloch; and Southern Company’s Lincoln Wood and Stephanie Gossman.

“We would have challenging CEO meetings, to iron out differences. Tom provided a forum where CEOs could disagree on issues. Then he brokered dialogues where he was able to manifest everyone’s ideas, but at the same time, get the industry what it needed.”

“There is not enough time or space to list Tom’s achievements. Just think back to all the challenges that confronted the industry over all these years and recognize that Tom led us capably through them all.”

“Tom helped me understand the art of finding an acceptable solution for everybody even when positions would seem to indicate it was patently impossible. He was very good at that.”

“He’s a lion tamer and a task master, but not in a negative way, meaning he’s on task all the time. He knows what needs to be done, wants input from all his constituents, but nothing will stop him from getting done what needs to be done for the good of the industry.”

“Tom’s secret sauce is his ability to create relationships across such a wide array of personality types and viewpoints. That happened within industry, in Congress, several agencies, and in the states. His personality and demeanor enable him to create relationships and unity.”