ArentFox Schiff’s Electric Mobility Practice Heads to Toronto Invited to Address the Electric Vehicle Tech Symposium

This latest conference invitation to the AFS team comes on the heels of a busy summer and heralds an even busier autumn.

In June 2023, Birgit Matthiesen joined a panel of speakers at the Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS36) in Sacramento. The event, billed as “the longest-running premier showcase devoted to electric transportation, technologies, and industry innovation” was organized by Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA).

In September, the team’s travel plans shifted to Novi, Michigan, a strategic suburb of America’s Motor City, where Tony Rivera addressed a packed audience of the annual Battery Show, “the most comprehensive advanced battery manufacturing event” in the world.

On November 9, the Electric Mobility team will again take the podium, this time in Toronto Canada. The team, led by David Hamill, has been asked to address the nexus of US trade rules (the tangle) for executives at the venue who are at the forefront of electric vehicle technology and who face near term decisions involving supply chains, production sites, assembly operations, and US market strategies.

For a number of reasons, the rules dictating the entry into the US of offshore electric vehicle (EV) parts and material have become excruciatingly complicated, very costly, and highly intrusive into a company’s supply chain. Our team helps companies implement strategies that optimize these rules, expanding potential cost saving opportunities beyond the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

One former original equipment manufacturer (OEM) executive made that case, warning that the IRA comes with a relatively short shelf life but that executives make production decisions that will have far reaching consequences for a company. “This is why the USMCA requirements are more important than the [IRA], which generated a lot of political noise”.

From the IRA to US special tariffs on inputs from China to the USMCA, the presentation in Toronto will connect the dots and help untangle the tangle.

For those attending the conference, we would be happy to meet with company attendees on site. For those unable to attend, but wish to view our presentation, please contact Birgit.Matthiesen@afslaw.com.

Conference registration and program details can be found at Advanced Design and Manufacturing Toronto.