NEWSNOTES | December 15, 2021
News Notes

The state of Michigan aims to attract large businesses to the state. Toward that end, the state legislature passed a $1.5 billion bill that includes an EV battery factory that GM wants to build in the state. One Senator commented that residents are counting on the state to be prepared for the auto industry’s shift from internal combustion engines to zero emission electric power.

Kudos to Michigan-based Eaton for winning a Department of Energy (DOE) award to develop and demonstrate a DC fast-charging infrastructure solution that is expected to reduce costs by 65%. Eaton is leading the project with several partners, including CALSTART. DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg have infrastructure in mind, too, as they have created a Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to support the deployment of $7.5 billion to build out a national EV charging network.

At the Student Transportation News school bus conference in Reno, NV last week, one participant astutely observed, “…there’s a money cannon getting ready to be shot out of Washington D.C. for electric school buses.” The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees administering the $5 billion for clean school buses. A key priority of the funding is designed to focus on equity and raising up disadvantaged communities. A listening session was held today and written input can still be sent to cleanschoolbus@epa.gov or you can contact CALSTART’s Jared Schnader (jschnader@calstart.org) for more information.

SunLine Transit Agency in Thousand Palms, California, has been a leader in clean transportation since then General Manager, Richard Cromwell, had hydrogen fueling infrastructure installed in 2000. Lauren Skiver, Sunline’s GM/CEO says they are moving toward compliance with California’s zero-emission standards continuing to embrace their “technology agnostic approach” to its zero-emission fleet.

CALSTART member Microgrid Labs (MGL) has a new investor through a partnership with Catalyze, a leading clean energy transition company. The two companies plan to provide comprehensive fleet electrification services to companies and municipalities across the U.S.

Indiana-based Cummins has announced that it will open an H2 fuel cell innovation center in Sacramento in the California Fuel Cell partnership building. The technology focus will be zero-emission buses and medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

Last week I mentioned that John Walsh, founder, and CEO of Endera and Zak Lefevre, Co-founder of Charge Lab are two members who made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list recognizing the top emerging talents in the ‘Green Energy Transition’ space. But wait-there’s a third stellar talent and CALSTART member who made the impressive list. Please meet Stable Co-Founder Jamie Schiel who also made the list. Stable is a business intelligence platform for EV charging and targets utilities, consultancies and charging operators. Kudos to you, Jamie!

Holiday logistics can mean a lot of things but for System Transport it meant driving its new Kenworth T680 Next Gen Truck 3,300 miles from California to Washington, D.C. to deliver the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree. It involved vehicle escorts, an over-dimensional load, and specialized equipment to safely deliver the 84-foot-tall white fir to the nation’s capital. Wishing you all an uncomplicated season of enjoyment!

RESOURCES

Michigan Lawmakers OK $1.5B, EV Battery Factory Included, US News | https://bit.ly/3dTJ3E0

Eaton Receives DOE Award, SME | https://bit.ly/3pYYBf7

DOE and DOT Launch National Electric Charging Network, Energy.gov | https://bit.ly/3yAWm5B

EPA Clean School Bus Plan, EPA | https://bit.ly/3F0IofE

Zero Emission Shapes Future of Sunline, Metro | https://bit.ly/3H2dkwX

Proterra’s New EV Battery Factory in SC, electrek | https://bit.ly/3DZx2aC

Catalyze Invests in and Partners with Microgrid Labs, AltEnergyMag | https://bit.ly/3F1f6gS

Cummins to Build H2 Fuel Cell Innovation Center, Hydrogen Fuel News | https://bit.ly/3ytl1ZO

Forbes 30 Under 30, Forbes | https://bit.ly/31S80gJ

Transporting the Capitol Christmas Tree, HDT | https://bit.ly/324AjrZ