Electrification 2.0 [From the Editor's Desk

Abstract

In September, the IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS) partnered with other IEEE Societies to launch a new magazine. IEEE Electrification Magazine is cosponsored by the IEEE Power & Energy Society, the IAS, and the IEEE Power Electronics Society. In addition, the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, the IEEE Vehicular Transportation Society, and the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society are technical cosponsors. The magazine will focus on advancing the development of onboard microgrids in electric vehicles, including cars, trains, planes, and ships, as well as other offgrid technologies. As the author read the first issue, he was reminded of the impact that electrification had on the advancements during the 20th century. To mark the new millennium, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering selected electrification as the most significant engineering achievement of the 20th century. For the other 19 top engineering advancements of the 20th century, it was noted that all were enabled by electrification. 'Electrification 1.0' gave us electric lighting in our homes, electric starters in our automobiles, and all of the conveniences we often take for granted. 'Electrification 2.0' is the new frontier. The author briefly counts a few examples of Electrification 2.0 that are being driven by the work of IEEE IAS colleagues involved in the technical committees focused on power conversion and lighting technologies.