Electrified Mobility & Infrastructure

The market for electric vehicles (EVs) and electrified mobility continues to rapidly expand amid growing calls from both government and industry to meet carbon reduction goals and fuel economy standards. Yet manufacturers, suppliers, and renewables investors struggle to navigate increasingly complex safety standards, tax and other governmental incentives, financing, government regulations on imports and exports, distribution, supply chain and intellectual property issues that accompany the proliferation of EVs and the expansion of related infrastructure.

Foley’s Electrified Mobility and Infrastructure (EMI) team brings a depth and breadth of expertise in all legal and business matters that involve electric vehicle technology, while offering the full range of services to help clients grow, innovate, or invest in the burgeoning space. Foley’s EMI practice combines decades of experience in the automotive sector with a comparable lineage in the energy space (both in renewables and traditional energy), helping clients navigate the world’s transition to electrification.

Foley can guide EV manufacturers, suppliers, technology startups, and others through every step of their business life cycle, whether in the concept development stage, startup and pre-revenue phase, or a company that has been around for a century. We also counsel investors, lenders, and developers on deploying strategies for establishing and financing EV-related infrastructure as well as attendant renewable energy projects or other sustainability-focused ventures.

Our EMI capabilities are grounded in decades of battery development and related IP experience, and in extensive regulatory and safety experience at the federal (NHTSA, EPA, etc.) and state (including CARB) levels, as well as in years of experience with clean infrastructure development and financing.

Foley’s team of 50 EMI attorneys includes industry leaders in project financing; acquisition financing and M&A transactions; litigation; distribution and supply chain; and a host of other regulatory matters, as well as customary legal areas of focus such as commercial litigation and labor and employment.

Foley taps its in-house expertise to represent EV manufacturers and suppliers, including software and technology companies, machine and tool builders, charging system providers, and others. Foley’s presence in Midwestern manufacturing markets and on both coasts enables us to help our clients navigate the marriage of hardware and software, and to commercialize these technologies, including those developed at universities and labs or through other public-private partnerships. And our teams based in Washington, D.C. and Detroit can guide clients through the many federal government contracting requirements for grant and loan recipients and their subcontractors, and others who use government funding to develop IP assets.

Our Electrified Mobility and Infrastructure team collaborates frequently with the Smart Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Energy, ESG, and other sector teams at Foley, particularly around matters concerning advanced technology, IP, and data privacy.

This comprehensive coverage and connectivity in the EMI space helps us see around corners to address developing trends that many industry stakeholders may not yet be considering. We help clients better understand the myriad of state rules and regulations that may impact EV distribution, battery storage, vehicle charging and infrastructure, and sustainable management of the entire EV life cycle to assure environmental and safety compliance at the state and federal level.

In all, Foley offers comprehensive, proven expertise and service coverage in the EMI space. We are national leaders in the automotive industry, with complementary leadership in renewable energy and manufacturing. And Foley provides best-in-class IP, financing, regulatory, and other support to all companies in the EMI ecosystem.

The race to eventually replace the internal combustion engine—as part of the broader effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—continues apace, energizing companies and investors in the EMI ecosystem. Foley’s experienced counsel on Electrified Mobility and Infrastructure matters makes us a key strategic partner for companies and investors that provide solutions for this transition to zero-emission vehicles.