We are learning their names and diving into some of the organizations helping women make waves in the tech and EV industries.
Women continue to be overlooked in the EV industry, not only as consumers but as contributors to the field. Did you know women purchase 62% of all new cars sold in the U.S. and influence more than 85% of all vehicle purchases? Even though women call the shots more often than not on car-buying decisions, very few hold auto executive jobs. Thankfully, there are women and organizations out there pushing for change.
What organizations are making the push for women?
Gender Equality in Tech is paving the way!
“A thriving tech economy will only exist when all of the talent in our workforce is engaged and has the opportunity to advance.” Those are more than words splashed across a website. It’s the backbone of one organization’s purpose. We are talking about Gender Equality in Tech (GET). Its goal is to accelerate the representation and leadership of women in tech. How so? It all starts at their three tech hubs: Chicago, Washington D.C. and it’s newest one it just added in Miami.
On its website, GET has some alarming numbers. The World Economic Forum projected the U.S. is still 208 years away from gender equity. It says achieving gender equity in the tech industry alone would mean big numbers. It would be worth an estimated $320 billion to $390 billion dollars in total market value. Wow!
GET’s goals are to propel more women into tech education, tech careers, and tech entrepreneurship. They are helping women do this by creating programs that will provide women with a network of supportive professionals. The idea is that national change can take place when it starts at the local level, and GET continues to expand to work toward that goal. We applaud them for their work.
“elEVate Her”
Women of EVs is also making a push to get women in the industry
This fantastic organization’s mission is to elevate women in the EV industry by establishing a place for “her” from the ground up. Women of EVs website says it is “A space to coalesce women globally towards the urgent need to rapidly shift to electric transportation.”
One of the organization’s founders, Ashley Horvat, talks about her passion in the EV market on her LinkedIn.
“As the Women of EVs co-founder, elevating women in the EV industry to increase our industry’s breadth of knowledge, expertise, and diversity of thought motivates me daily to improve the livelihoods and experiences of our colleagues and the market overall.”
She writes that electrifying transportation is part of her personal and professional focus. Her resume is strong: from building out the nation’s first statewide fast charging network and serving as the nation’s only Chief EV Officer.
“Anita Borg Institute,” or AnitaB.org
The Anita Borg Institute is a nonprofit for women in tech. It has been working to connect, inspire and guide women in the industry since 1997. Anita Borg and Dr. Telle Whitney came together to create the Grace Hopper Celebration. It’s now the world’s latest annual gathering of female technologists.
Girls in Tech
We love what Girls in Tech, another nonprofit, has going on too. Its goal is to stop gender inequality in the tech industry by giving women important tools such as coding courses and bootcamps. It has been going strong since its start in 2007 in San Francisco and now has more than 62,000 members in 33 countries!
Who are some of the women making an impact in the EV space?
Let’s talk about the women behind Transport Evolved. It’s a YouTube channel with 145 thousand subscribers where Nikki Gordon-Bloomfleid, Kate Walton-Elliott, and Erin Carlie are bringing insights to the EV space. The channel is dedicated to greener transportation and the hosts say, “from Tesla to Toyota and Faraday Future to Ford, we provide analysis and insight in a balanced and independent way.”
Some other women who come to mind: Ashley Horvat, Amy Hillman, Emmaline Pohnl, and Julie Peacock. They are the founders of Women of EVs. In 2013 the women founded the organization. According to the website, “these women bonded together to commit to establishing a space to support each other in their careers while working to carry other women while they climbed.” The group has come a long way since 2003; it’s now a worldwide network of more than 700 women who lead the EV industry.
Add to the list: Raejean Fellows. She is the former president of the Electric Auto Association and current director on its board. She told Plug in America, “women often have so many roles: mother, wife, career woman. Sometimes we shy away from power—because it means added responsibilities. Don’t do this. We need to have powerful positions and use our talents to benefit the rapid transition to e-mobility. The planet needs us.”
Another woman making a wave in the EV space? That’s Heather Hochrein, the founder and chief executive officer at EVmatch, a nationwide network for sharing and renting private EV charging stations. It allows homeowners and businesses to share private chargers. Hochrein’s LinkedIn profile points to her long track record of being an energy and clean tech leader. Her past graduate research focused on transportation electrification and urban electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Feeling inspired? Is your company hoping to put more of a spotlight on gender equality?
Here are some steps you can take from McKinsey & Company. They describe their team as one that helps industry leaders create change that matters in a rapidly developing market.
The organization says women in technical roles are less likely than men to win promotions early in their careers and many are leaving the field. Here are some ways companies can help reverse this trend:
- Provide equitable access to training, projects, and other resources to accelerate skill building for women in technical roles
- Implement a structured approach to early promotions
- Connect early-tenure women with capable managers, mentors, and sponsors
