Transform: Auto Program Announces Mid-Year Progress Including Formation of Three Renewable Energy Sourcing Cohorts

Transform: Auto is the first program to support renewable energy procurement across the automotive supply chain

IRVINE, CA, UNITED STATES, April 29, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Trio, a global sustainability and energy advisory company, today announced that the Transform: Auto program, which it launched alongside the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) in late 2024, has formed buyers’ cohorts for three renewable energy procurement options: community solar, an electric utility green tariff program, and environmental attribute certificates.

Transform: Auto is a voluntary program designed to help automotive suppliers reduce indirect emissions from energy consumption by providing free educational resources to help them explore renewable energy options and give them the tools to pursue a renewable energy pathway on their own or through a buyers’ cohort facilitated by Trio.

The community solar buyers’ cohort intends to go to market this quarter, potentially enabling up to 88 MW of new solar projects to be built in Illinois. By approaching the renewable energy purchase as a cohort, the participating suppliers are bringing their combined buying power to the table and seeking the most competitive opportunities in the market. Their collective impact will enable local job creation, new tax revenue, and capital investment in the communities where they operate.

Transform: Auto also facilitated a renewable energy enrollment initiative with electric utility company DTE in Southeastern Michigan, a hub for the auto sector. Through collaboration and education sessions with DTE, 14 manufacturing companies participating in Transform: Auto are now actively exploring how they can purchase local solar power from DTE and drive the development of large-scale renewable energy projects in Michigan.

An example of the DTE program’s impact can be showcased by Ford Motor Company, a Transform: Auto founding sponsor, who broke ground with DTE Energy on the Cold Creek Solar Farm on April 15. This is the first project that will contribute to the 650 MW of new solar energy capacity that Ford committed to purchase from DTE in a 2022 agreement.

“Thanks to this strategic investment with DTE, Ford will soon be able to attribute all of our electricity supply in Michigan to clean energy,” said Amir Mirshahi, Director of Utilities and Energy Infrastructure at Ford. “This partnership is proof of Ford’s unwavering commitment to transitioning to clean energy and further aligns us with our sustainability objectives. It represents a significant step toward our goal of achieving carbon neutrality, and will also help make our local Michigan communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change.”

Transform: Auto is also in the process of convening its first North American energy attribute certificate (EAC) procurement cohort. By purchasing EACs, a supplier is able to reduce their emissions immediately. It is a strategy that many companies have decided to employ, whether they need an interim solution before they can deploy a longer-term renewable energy strategy, or if it is the only feasible solution for them at the moment.

The Transform: Auto program has made significant progress since its launch in November 2024, in addition to the formation of the initial buyers’ cohorts. More than 500 suppliers have chosen to actively participate in the program. Program registrants have access to the Transform: Auto portal, which offers multiple free resources that demystify the renewable energy procurement process. Location-specific renewable energy guides show suppliers what options are possible at their sites. A live education series and on-demand videos explain the fundamentals of each type of renewable energy solution. The portal also enables suppliers to request 1:1 office hours meetings with a renewable energy expert at Trio.

“Participating in Transform: Auto’s office hours and webinars have given us a clear vision for what renewable energy options are possible at our sites in the U.S., Canada and Mexico,” said Sophie Louis, Director of Sustainability and Energy at Kautex Textron, a manufacturer of battery enclosures, fuel systems, engine camshafts and clear vision systems. “We are glad to have connected with such an attentive team that is genuinely interested in educating us as we develop our North America renewable energy strategy.”

Transform: Auto is designed to help suppliers tackle the challenge of renewable energy procurement. It is the first such automotive supplier engagement program that is tailored to suppliers’ specific locations and needs. The program supports renewable energy education and the opportunity to explore procurement through a wide range of options – electric utility programs, onsite solar, community solar, virtual power purchase agreements, and environmental attribute certificates – recognizing that renewable energy sourcing is not “one solution fits all.”

All companies who directly supply to a Transform: Auto program sponsor in North America are eligible to participate in the program at no cost. The founding sponsors of Transform: Auto are: Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Honda Development & Manufacturing of America, Magna, and Toyota Motor North America.

“We are seeing progress in motion – as Transform: Auto supports small and medium-sized suppliers alongside some of the largest companies in the sector to identify new opportunities to increase utilization of renewable energy,” said Kellen Mahoney, Executive Director of Suppliers Partnership for the Environment. “To further this progress, we welcome additional auto suppliers who have goals to reduce emissions within their supply chains to engage in Transform: Auto to empower their suppliers with these renewable energy education and engagement opportunities.”

Qualified suppliers of a current program sponsor can register for Transform: Auto at www.transform-auto.com

Companies interested in sponsoring Transform: Auto for their own supply chain can contact transformauto@trioadvisory.com.

About Trio
Trio (formerly Edison Energy) is a global sustainability and energy advisory company that helps large commercial, industrial, and institutional organizations navigate the energy transition. Trio provides integrated strategy and implementation services – in sustainability, renewables, energy procurement, conventional supply, energy optimization and transportation electrification – to help the world’s largest organizations meet their strategic, financial, and sustainability goals. Visit trioadvisory.com.

About Suppliers Partnership for the Environment
Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) provides a forum for global automotive manufacturers and their large and small suppliers to work together toward a shared vision of an automotive industry with positive environmental impact. Learn more at: www.supplierspartnership.org

Claire Underwood
Silverline Communications
claire@teamsilverline.com