UTEP Joins SELECT to Create Sustainable Solutions for Transportation Electrification
Anahy Diaz | February 18, 2020

The University of Texas at El Paso, through the Center for Transportation Infrastructure Systems (CTIS) has joined the Sustainable Electrified Transportation Center (SELECT) in order to create sustainable solutions for transportation electrification that would ultimately help shift society to a more efficient and eco-friendly transportation system.
SELECT has been established to pursue breakthrough research activities among academia and industry in order to enable electrified transportation systems. As a member of SELECT, UTEP will be joining other institutions including Utah State University, the University of Colorado and Purdue University, to explore sustainable electric transportation technology solutions, including the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.
With the mission of providing a more eco-friendly environment for society, SELECT aims at promoting the expansion of electric vehicles, by helping lessen one of its major challenges: the availability of charging systems. A wireless charging system solution on highways, as explained by the team, would contribute to their efficiency, which would work to reduce the use of combustion engine vehicles, ultimately helping decrease local air pollution in cities.
“Most of the low income communities are right next to the highways,” Soheil Nazarian, Ph.D, one of the main UTEP faculty members overseeing this joint initiative, said. “Those are the communities that get the brunt of the transportation-related pollution problem, so by going electric we can minimize the air pollution and avoid destroying our national resources.”
UTEP, is primarily providing SELECT with expertise in infrastructure and power distribution in order to reduce structural impacts on roads. This membership will promote the participation of students, exposing them to real life experiences with the goal of diversifying their background expertise as proficient engineers.
“We are glad to be a part of it,” Nazarian said. “We are glad that it was recognized that CTIS can contribute to this effort...We are extremely proud.”
To learn more about CTIS at UTEP visit: https://www.utep.edu/engineering/ctis/