Gabe Klein, former commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation and director of the Washington D.C. Department of Transportation, is leading the U.S. Departments of Energy and Transportation’s Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, which was created by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
As the first-ever executive director, Klein will oversee efforts to support the deployment of $7.5 billion to build a national electric vehicle (EV) charging network with a focus on filling gaps in rural and disadvantaged communities and hard-to-reach locations, as well as other vehicle electrification programs across the departments. The Joint Office provides technical assistance, analysis and support to states and localities to help modernize the nation’s transportation system and give Americans the option to choose electric vehicles and save money fueling their vehicles.
“DOE is pleased to welcome Gabe Klein as Executive Director of the Joint Office – the latest milestone for our interagency efforts to kickstart the electric transportation future here in the United States,” states U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Gabe has spent his career spurring innovation for sustainable transportation, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him working for more electric cars and trucks on our roadways.”
“We look forward to working with Gabe to help deliver on President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the American people and ensure that every community – from the largest cities to the most rural areas—can reap the benefits of the electric vehicle revolution,” comments U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
“I will seize the opportunity to steward a critical shift in our transportation economy from fossil fuels to clean, electric energy systems, as there has never been a more important mission in our recent history than solving the climate crisis,” says Klein. “Our task to bring together private and public investments to support the deployment of 500,000 electric vehicle chargers nationwide is a major step toward President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investment in American Jobs and equitable access to affordable transportation while creating good-paying jobs for Americans.”
Under Klein’s leadership, the Joint Office will support states, cities and local communities with implementing investments in zero-emission passenger, transit and heavy-duty vehicles that support the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative goal of delivering 40% of the benefits from federal climate and clean energy investment to undeserved communities. These efforts will also support President Biden’s national goal for half of all new United States passenger vehicle sales to be EVs by 2030.
As the former commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation and director of the Washington D.C. Department of Transportation, Gabe Klein launched two of the first and largest partially-electric bikeshare systems in the U.S., directed the building of protected bike lanes and better pedestrian infrastructure for vulnerable citizens citywide, and facilitated carsharing and ridesharing services which included EVs to help each city’s mobility goals.
As a member of the Biden-Harris Transition Team at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Klein worked on an interagency taskforce to implement an all-of-government approach to electrifying federal fleet and charging. Klein is also former partner and co-founder at CityFi, an urban change management group that equips leaders with the understanding of new business models and cutting-edge solutions, and the policy frameworks and approaches cities can use to leverage current and new sustainable technology.