October, 2023 - We are tentatively scheduled to present at the ReBuild Conference in Cincinnati, OH on Rethinking Energy Systems using Microgrids for Facilities, Campuses and Communities on October 12th.

September, 2023 - We are scheduled to give a presentation on Mission-Critical Microgrids (patent pending) as a pre-seminar program at the F.I.E.R.O. Station Design Symposium in Greenville, SC on September 24th. 

August, 2023 - We are scheduled for a pre-conference program at Fire Rescue International on August 15th along with Rosenbauer and REV Group discussing the electrification of the fire service (adopting electric fire trucks and developing mission-critical, microgrid-based charging infrastructure).

We are also scheduled for Signal Business Group's Police Fleet Expo in New Orleans as part of their Super Session - Planning for EV's ... the Time is Now! on August 17th.

July, 2023 - We will be volunteering at the Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio the 9th through the 16th, then enjoying some time off with friends and family.

June, 2023 - We attended the Green Energy Ohio Awards Event in Dayton recognizing leaders in clean energy in SW Ohio. It was great to network with like-minded professionals and advocates.

We are also participating in the Electric Vehicle Association's Route Zero Relay Event on June 11 in the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland, OH, and at the Drive Ohio NEVI plan update event on June 14 at Tri-C.

May, 2023 - We were fortunate to present at the Firehouse Station Design Conference on Mission-Critical Microgrids (patent pending). Feedback from attendees was great, and we hope some eyes were opened about what we need to do to ensure electric mission-critical fleets will be able to operate continuously even during a disaster or power outage.

Session Details

Name

Mission-Critical Microgrids

Date & Time

Thursday, May 25, 2023, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Speakers

Michael Benson - Command Consulting LLC

Description

The electrification of emergency service fleets is an inevitability, but our infrastructure was not designed to accommodate an all-electric fleet. The power needs of mission-critical electric vehicles (EV) are unique, and beyond the capacity of our current electric grid and backup generators. The fire service, and other service providers with mission-critical responsibilities, must develop robust, resilient charging systems able to operate in extreme conditions. This Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) must be able to function even when the power is out, especially during a disaster. The fire service needs microgrids: a combination or local power generation, storage, controls and distribution designed to meet the unique loads required for emergency service EV fleets. Microgrids provide many other benefits including community-level resiliency, safety and security; and thankfully, they are obtainable through energy-as-a-service financing. Because they produce power they also produce value, making them a practical investment for a public-private partnership. The time is now to begin planning and designing your infrastructure for an electric future, and it will include microgrids.

April, 2023 - We attended the FDIC conference in Indianapolis, IN again this year. Two years ago there was one EV at the show, last year there were 3.5 EV's, this year there were 7 EV fire trucks there! They also had a Fire Rescue Station of the Future display with energy storage and one of those electric fire trucks included. It was great to see the combination of clean energy and clean mobility coming together at a fire service event. Thanks to Tesla and H2M for making that happen this year.

We participated in Drive Electric Earth Day events at the Cleveland Zoo and the City of Hudson, OH.

The Independence, OH fire department worked with one of our EV's to test out a tool designed to immobilize an EV by simulating being connected to a charger. It worked, and their FB post attracted attention from Bryn Caswell at WEWS TV in Cleveland who did a story on electric fire trucks and microgrids.

We visited Asheville, NC and enjoyed meeting in-person with the AVL Critical Services Microgrid Group for the first time. Thanks to Kelly Gloger from SolFarm for hosting us!

We attended the EV's@Scale Event at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory outside of Knoxville , TN. It was great to meet, learn from and network with EV and Infrastructure experts from around the country.

Our Co-Owner, Michael Benson, was a guest on the EV-Resource Podcast. It was fun talking with Zack Hurst about Electrifying Municipal Fleets.

March, 2023 - We volunteered at the Cleveland Auto Show again this year with a lot of interest, and a bunch of EV's from several automobile manufacturers.

We attended the Green Truck Summit at the NTEA Work Truck show in Indianapolis, IN. Here is some commentary posted to LinkedIn about the event:

I enjoyed attending the Green Truck Summit in Indianapolis this week, but was disappointed to hear some of the same rhetoric legacy automakers used around EV's years ago: the technology isn't ready, we don't have the charging infrastructure, diesel will be around for years to come. Hearing this just confirms to me microgrids (renewable energy generation and storage) combined with electric vehicles (EV) and charging systems (EVSE) are the right solution to meet our current and future infrastructure needs all the way up to megawatt+ charging levels.

A microgrid-based EVSE system is practicable, economical and will accelerate our transition away from fossil fuels. The list of benefits from combining microgrids with EV and EVSE is lengthy, but it starts with saving money and reducing greenhouse gasses in two sectors simultaneously: power and transportation. Electrification done right is an investment, not a cost. Let's get started building out this infrastructure now, and ignore the tired rhetoric. #EV #EVSE #microgrid #GTS23 #WTW23 

January, 2023 - We start the year off by joining Stu Ungar on his podcast: Stu's EV Universe to discuss EV safety, using EV's as emergency vehicles, and developing charging infrastructure to create community-wide energy resiliency. 

December, 2022 - We visited the Energy Safety Response Group facility in Piqua, OH, and enjoyed a tour from Dalan Zartman from the Energy Security Agency. We discussed energy storage safety, EV charging and renewable energy microgrids with Nick Warner from ESRG. They are experts in this field, and doing great work to ensure energy storage is safe for all of us whether it is part of a vehicle or in a facility. We look forward to working with them in the future, and are happy to have them as a resource for our business.

November, 2022 - Co-Owner Michael Benson presented at the Ohio Energy Conference on the stacked values from combining electric vehicles, charging systems, and renewable energy microgrids. All of these technologies are being developed, built and used by entities across Ohio and the rest of the world. What is missed by most is to consider them together; this combination creates synergistic effects. Our participation on the panel was well received and Michael was called out as one of the best speakers at the conference. We look forward to participating again next year, and hopefully reaching an even wider audience, especially because this concept provides so many benefits, and can be accomplished very economically.

October, 2022 - We had the privilege to present to the Richfield, OH Boy Scout Troop on our electrical energy system and the electrificaiton transition. Their questions were excellent, and they really enjoyed checking out our Tesla EV and its video game screen at the end.

September, 2022 - We traveled to Europe and observed how different countries are electrifying with different EV charging system designs (some EVSE had no cables, just a plug), and distributed or utility-scale renewable energy development. Electrification is happening all over the world, and we will all learn from each other on how best to navigate this transition. 

We also participated in multiple Drive Electric events in Northeast Ohio.

August, 2022 - We had the opportunity to present on microgrids to support electric law enforcement fleets at the Police Fleet Expo in Austin, TX. We believe this is the first time law enforcement fleet leaders heard specifically about mission-critical microgrids (patent pending) which they need to support mission-critical fleets like police, fire, EMS and public works. We are looking forward to presenting more on this concept as EV adoption by municipalities continues to grow.

We also participated in the Drive Electric Ohio presentation to the Ohio Municipal League on electric vehicles, their benefits and the opportunities they create for municipalities to save taxpayer dollars.

July, 2022 - We participated in the Drive Ohio National Electric Vehicle Initiative event in Cleveland by showing off our Tesla Model 3 and explaining all the advantages EV's bring.

June, 2022 - We attended the Green Energy Ohio annual awards event in Oberlin, Ohio. Co-Owner Michael Benson presented the Community/Government Award to the City of Oberlin for running their city on 80% renewable electricity and implementing an Electric Vehicle car share program. We look forward to seeing what they will do next as they electrify their fleets and work toward 100% renewable electricity!

April, 2022 - This was a remarkable month with four electric fire trucks on display at the FDIC conference in Indianapolis, IN. We are looking forward to seeing how many there will be in 2023, and if we will finally see the electric ambulances we keep reading about.

March, 2022 - We started a podcast on mentorship with our friend and colleague, Michael Allora. We named it: Mentors on Fire. You can find it wherever your favorite podcasts are found. We start by telling our own fire service stories, then we will bring in guests to share their experiences and the lessons they have learned along the way, mentoring all of us as we listen.

January, 2022 - Command Consulting LLC is now a Beneficial Electrification Solutions Provider for AEP-Ohio! We look forward to working with AEP-Ohio communities help them navigate electrification in partnership with their electric utility. You can find us listed under "Electric Vehicle Technology." 

Will EVs work for the fire service? Your top questions answered - FireRescue1 - April 4, 2022

The economic advantages of electric vehicles - Police1 - January 31, 2022

Debunking the top 10 electric vehicle myths in law enforcement - Police1 - January 28, 2022

Fleet Management: Know your electric options - Police1 - December 26, 2021

Identifying the Policy Barriers for a Microgrid System in Ohio - Walden University - 2020