BiGS actionable intelligence: To stay on top of HBS’s latest research, ideas and business opportunities at the intersection of business and society, join the BiGS LinkedIn community.
BOSTON
– APRIL 20 –
As the electric vehicle (EV) revolution gains momentum in the United
States, so does the need to build an equitable
EV charging grid capable of serving diverse communities. But doing so
will require data – and lots of it, which is why Omar Asensio is
coming to Harvard Business School as one of its first-ever visiting
climate fellows.
Currently
an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology,
Asensio is one of Harvard
Business School's five inaugural climate fellows
named by the Institute
for the Study of Business in Global Society
(BiGS). These five world-class scholars are set to arrive this summer
to pursue groundbreaking research projects that can make an impact on
the fight against climate change and potentially transform global
economies as well.
"Corridors
are essential for accommodating the growing demand for EVs, but we
need to ensure that we don't end up with millions of people who are
underserved," Asensio told The
BiGS Fix recently.
Asensio
has been building the largest global data set of EV infrastructure
using consumer reviews, which provide unstructured social data in
urban and non-urban areas. Analyzing this massive data set manually
would take 25 years for a human, but using machine learning (ML) and
artificial intelligence (AI) lets him and his colleagues extract
insights within minutes and at a lower cost, he said.
"Using
ML and AI tools, we've been able to fine-tune models that can not
only make accurate predictions about performance, but also help us
understand charging behavior and infrastructure needs in near
real-time," Asensio explained.
Asensio's
innovative approach to data-driven decision-making has the potential
to revolutionize the way EV charging infrastructure is planned and
implemented in the United States. His data-driven approach can help
inform decision-makers on where to strategically place charging
stations to benefit all communities, especially those that have been
traditionally underserved for decades.
Other
climate fellows and their research projects
The
four other climate fellows announced by HBS’s Institute for the
Study of Business and Global Society are:
Conor Hickey, Oxford University
How
expensive will it be for companies to delay action on
decarbonization? That’s what Dr. Hickey will investigate during his
fellowship. He’ll
focus specifically on the sectors that currently have limited
mitigation potential, such as aviation.
Andrew Hoffman, University of Michigan
Dr.
Hoffman looks at climate change as a systems breakdown, rather than
an environmental issue. As such, he will investigate systems-level
solutions and help business leaders address the issues by integrating
physical, social, and political science into business decision
making.
Jonas Meckling, University of California, Berkeley
As
the US and EU increasingly move toward green industrial policies, Dr.
Meckling will examine how these policies can most effectively
mobilize private
investments to create and grow markets for
low-carbon technologies. His insights will help business leaders
understand the risks and opportunities inherent in legislation like
the Inflation Reduction Act and the European Green Deal.
Robyn Meeks, Duke University
Working
directly with communities and businesses in developing countries like
Nepal, Dr. Meeks will bring together technology, government, and
electric utilities to determine
how rural, isolated communities—and
their citizens and businesses—can
increase the resiliency of their economies as extreme weather events
become more common.
Intrigued? Bookmark The BiGS Fix and join our BiGS community on LinkedIn. Each week, we’ll bring you the latest research and insights to help you better manage for climate change and other pressing societal issues such as race and AI. If you have feedback or ideas, let us know! Reach out to editor Barbara DeLollis at bdelollis@hbs.edu or on LinkedIn.