auto allies

Houston Auto Show returns this month as part of new innovative coalition

The Houston Auto Show and Houston Boat Show (Houston AutoBoative) run from Jan. 2–Feb. 2. Photo via Houston Auto Show/Facebook

The Houston Auto Show and Houston Boat Show (Houston AutoBoative) have returned to NRG Center this month, and for the first time, the popular events are part of the Automotive Experience Alliance (AEA).

Launched in October, the AEA is a coalition of about 30 auto shows that aim to drive innovation and standardization throughout the auto show industry, according to a news release.

“Formed out of a year-long strategic planning project, the Automotive Experience Alliance unites industry leaders committed to pushing the boundaries of automotive innovation while driving interest in and education of the latest vehicles and technology via an exciting and interactive event designed for the consumer,” AEA Chairman Kevin Mazzucola said in a release. “The AEA will initially focus on defining a set of standards that all associated members will adopt, including transparency with third-party audited attendance numbers and expanded demographic and purchase intent data.”

Clean energy coalition Evolve Houston is sponsoring the Houston Auto Show and providing attendees with the opportunity to test drive the latest electric vehicle offerings during its outdoor ride and drive.

Additionally, the show promises sports cars, trucks, and boats, and it includes attractions like sightings of three space rovers from NASA.

From the auto industry, vehicles from Nissan, Rolls Royce, Subaru, Toyota, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Ineos, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, Lincoln, Lotus, Mazda, and Volkswagen are on display.

While forming the AEA, 10 U.S. auto shows conducted the Auto Show Insights Initiative to gain feedback from 14,908 auto show attendees about the events to help strengthen shows for members in the coalition and streamline processes for the industry.

Other AEA members include the Austin Auto Show, North Texas Auto Expo and the San Antonio Auto Show, as well as others around the country.

“We’re thrilled to join the Automotive Experience Alliance and contribute to a more innovative future for automotive shows nationwide,” Wyatt Wainwright, President of the Houston Auto Show and AEA Vice President, said in a news release. “Leading as an example, we’ve created the AutoBoative Show, a first-of-its-kind event designed to bring like minded individuals together, broadening our reach to include both auto and boating enthusiasts. The past three years of this collaboration showcases our commitment to evolving with consumer interests and providing a unique, immersive experience that resonates with a wider audience.”

Evolve Houston, which was launched as part of Houston’s Climate Action Plan and is one of the organizations leading the way in the EV space. The nonprofit set out to have 30 percent of the vehicles in Houston be electric by 2030 while improving regional air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Greater Houston area.

Houston AutoBoative runs from Jan. 2–Feb 2. Find more tickets and more information here.

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A View From HETI

Reliant is offering new incentives to boost NRG's virtual power plant network in Texas. Photo via goodleap.com.

Houston’s Reliant and San Francisco tech company GoodLeap are teaming up to bolster residential battery participation and accelerate the growth of NRG’s virtual power plant (VPP) network in Texas.

Through the new partnership, eligible Reliant customers can either lease a battery or enter into a power purchase agreement with GoodLeap through its GoodGrid program, which incentivises users by offering monthly performance-based rewards for contributing stored power to the grid. Through the Reliant GoodLeap VPP Battery Program, customers will start earning $40 per month in rewards from GoodLeap.

“These incentives highlight our commitment to making homeowner battery adoption more accessible, effectively offsetting the cost of the battery and making the upgrade a no-cost addition to their homes,” Dan Lotano, COO at GoodLeap, said in a news release.“We’re proud to work with NRG to unlock the next frontier in distributed energy in Texas. This marks an important step in GoodLeap reaching our nationwide goal of 1.5 GW of managed distributed energy over the next five years.”

Other features of the program include power outage plans, with battery reserves set aside for outage events. The plan also intelligently manages the battery without homeowner interaction.

The partnership comes as Reliant’s parent company, NRG, continues to scale its VPP program. Last year, NRG partnered with California-based Renew Home to distribute hundreds of thousands of VPP-enabled smart thermostats by 2035 in an effort to help households manage and lower their energy costs.

“We started building our VPP with smart thermostats across Texas, and now this partnership with GoodLeap brings home battery storage into our platform,” Mark Parsons, senior vice president and head of Texas energy at NRG, said in a the release. “Each time we add new devices, we’re enabling Texans to unlock new value from their homes, earn rewards and help build a more resilient grid for everyone. This is about giving customers the opportunity to actively participate in the energy transition and receive tangible benefits for themselves and their communities.

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