Submit your proposal for the 2025 Forth Roadmap Conference!
Join over 1,000 industry stakeholders in exploring the most important topics in electric transportation. The Forth Roadmap Conference is the best place to learn, network and make decisions that will shape the future of the industry.
Proudly hosted by Forth, a nonprofit on a mission to electrify transportation by bringing people together to create solutions that reduce pollution and barriers to access. The Forth Roadmap Conference program highlights: EV industry trends, best practices and challenges with a focus on centering equity and sharing knowledge to find solutions.
Areas of Interest
We are particularly interested in leading developments and emerging questions shaping the future of electric mobility. The conference program is divided into four tracks: Vehicles, Charging, Community Impact and Connections. The following topics are meant as a starting point - we welcome your creative ideas.
The Vehicles Track focuses on the electrification of cars, trucks, buses and bikes as well as shared and autonomous mobility. We invite submissions on the following topics as well as other topics pertinent to this track:
- EV affordability, including financing, incentives, and used vehicles
- Consumer engagement and growing the market
- Medium and heavy duty fleets, including school buses, transit, and freight
- E-bikes and micromobility
- Agriculture and off-road vehicles
- EV carsharing
- Advancements in Fuel Cell EVs
The Charging Track explores how to make charging faster, more reliable and more accessible while maximizing benefits for the electrical grid. We invite submissions on the following topics as well as other topics pertinent to this track:
- Customer experience and ease of use
- The evolving utility role in transportation electrification
- Local government charging investments
- Charging at multifamily homes
- Curbside charging
- Heavy duty and fleet charging
- Grid resilience and V2X
- Workplace charging
- Charging standards and interoperability
The Community Impact Track will explore the programs and policies driving equitable access to electric transportation for communities. We invite submissions on the following topics as well as other topics pertinent to this track:
- Centering equity & community benefits in transportation electrification
- Supporting a diverse EV workforce
- EV advancements in Michigan & the Midwest
- Electrification in Tribal communities
- EV lifecycle & recycling
- Meaningful community engagement
- Rural transportation electrification
- Port electrification
- International EV programs and policies
The Connections Track is an opportunity for networking, interactive conversations and cross-industry learning. We invite submissions to this track to host a roundtable discussion (see Session Types below)
Key Dates
February 21, 2025 — Deadline for proposal submissions
Early April 2025 — Announcement of accepted proposals
Mid May 2025 — Deadline to confirm participation with bio and headshot; Program Announced
September 2025 — Practice calls hosted
October 14-16, 2025 — Forth Roadmap Conference - Detroit, Michigan
Review Criteria
Forth will use the following criteria as a means for evaluating proposals. Please note the majority of our audience has knowledge of electric mobility and does not need introductory information.
- Application: Does this proposal cover a critical, practical and timely topic that can help conference attendees advance their work?
- Innovative: Does this proposal present new findings, projects, policies or technologies that will move the industry forward?
- Equity: Does this proposal directly or indirectly address barriers to access for historically underserved communities?
Submission Details
The Forth Roadmap Conference is known for its engaging, interactive approach and its rich content. We are interested in a range of session types, including:
- Presentation: The majority of breakout sessions consist of thematic panels featuring 3-4 speakers and a moderator, with presentations of 10-20 minutes each and time for Q&A with the audience. This option is best for individual speaker submissions. Submissions will also be considered for cross-industry Lightning Rounds.
- Panel: Forth welcomes suggestions for a full panel proposal featuring 3-4 speakers and a moderator. If selected, conference staff will work with the moderator to finalize the topic and build out the panel of speakers.
- *NEW Roundtable Session: Submit to host a roundtable discussion on a topic of your choice. All Call for Proposal submissions not selected for a panel will be considered for this opportunity.
Please submit the following through our online submission form. Only proposals submitted through this online form will receive full consideration.
- Title 20 words maximum.
- Session Type: Presentation, Panel, Roundtable
- Abstract 500 words maximum; 100 word minimum
- Learning Objectives Please list a few lessons/insights the audience will take away from your proposed session and be able to use in their work.
- Speaker Details Including name(s), affiliation, professional title, email address & phone number, bio (100‐300 words) and 1-3 examples of speaking experience (event, presentation title, length, date, and audience size).
- Submitter’s Contact Information The "submitter" is the individual completing the online form, and who will be available to answer any logistical questions about the submission.
Presentations should not be a platform for business promotion. If a presentation relates to a specific business, product, technology or project, the emphasis should be on the underlying research or innovation, with the objective of providing insight that attendees can apply to their own work.
Research findings should reflect data collected within the last 18 months and contribute to on-the-ground solutions.
Forth seeks diverse representation from different geographic regions and disciplines, as well as race and gender diversity, to ensure the program reflects the diversity of the field. We structure our panels with speakers who represent different sectors and perspectives to foster engaging discussions.
To ensure the diversity of speakers and perspectives, with few exceptions, we will not invite presenters to speak more than once nor will we invite more than two individuals from the same organization to join the program. We will prioritize speakers who have spoken fewer than three consecutive years on the Forth Roadmap Conference program.
If the topic/content is specific to a geographic region, then presentations should highlight how it can be applied to other regions as well.
Selected speakers will be offered a deeply discounted full conference registration rate of $399 and are encouraged to attend the full conference. Registration includes access to conference programming, the exhibit hall, three networking receptions and meals. A limited number of travel stipends for speakers representing community-based organizations will be available on a first-come-first serve basis. Forth also offers the “Mobility for All” scholarship for conference attendees, which speakers may apply for.
All proposals must be submitted in the online submission portal, Sessionize by February 21, 2025.
Forth reserves the right to modify submissions, change the suggested format and accept partial panel speaker suggestions in order to bring the most innovative and relevant content possible to our audience.
Questions? Please email Heather Cyrus at heather@socialenterprises.net