NEWSNOTES | April 6, 2022
News Notes

Startup Watt EV has ordered 50 Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 trucks as they launch their Truck-as-a-Service (Taas) model in California. Their system involves the construction of three truck charging depots in the California cities of Bakersfield, San Bernardino and near Long Beach. The 115-acre Bakersfield location which has one hundred acres dedicated to solar energy production, would be able to charge two hundred trucks per day. All their depots are expected to go live by the end of the year.

It is all about Taas these days and Zeem Solutions has announced the grand opening of the first commercial EV transportation-as-a-service depot near Los Angeles International Airport. Zeem owns and maintains electric trucks, vans, shuttle buses and other vehicles that are leased to businesses. The company has plans to expand nationwide to support medium-and heavy-duty fleet electrification.

Are you catching onto the Taas theme here? Next up is Volta Trucks announcing its first Truck as a Service Hub where vehicles will be serviced and maintained. Volta will operate eight workshop bays for the routine servicing of vehicles in Paris. This is part of a bigger strategy that will provide customer service in several locations in Europe.

Lucky FedEx Ground has received their order of 15 Xos battery-electric step vans which will operate in Southern California. The vehicles will operate in Bakersfield, Ventura, North Hollywood and in Santa Maria. Xos manufactures Class 5 through 8 battery electric vehicles and powertrains, as well as providing charging infrastructure and fleet management software.

Next up with a big hairy audacious goal (BHAG or “bee hag”) is Uber with a new superapp model that will include planes, trains, buses, and rental cars. Uber will not provide the travel services but will invite users to book them through its app. Another company that keeps on innovating is UPS and make sure to click here to look at their four-wheeled “eQuad” electric cargo bike. It is designed for deliveries in highly populated urban areas and one hundred of the bikes will be tested in several European countries.

Feeling frustrated that these cool mobility options are focusing on Europe? Look no further than Brooklyn-based Clip which has an e-bike conversion kit. Clip can instantly upgrade your bike to a pedal-assist-e-bike at a fraction of the price of a traditional one. Check it out on YouTube.

For further evidence that everyone is doing it, the city of Bakersfield, CA has added 125 new e-bikes through its partnership with Spin. The idea is that people can hop on a bus and meet their last mile needs with the e-bike. The Chicago Pace Suburban Bus Regional Transportation Authority has purchased 20 Proterra ZX5 electric buses for an award of $26.5 million dollars. This is Pace’s first order of electric buses but will not be their last as they work to transition to a zero-emission fleet by 2040.

RESOURCES

WattEV Orders 50 Volvo VNR Electric Trucks, ChargedEVs | https://bit.ly/3uZjTf5

Zeem Solutions Launches First Commercial EV Transportation Depot, Truckinginfo | https://bit.ly/3j9CnUT

Volta Unveils Truck-as-a-Service Plans, Renewable Energy Magazine | https://bit.ly/3DLALtK

FedEx Ground Operators Receive XOS EV Step vans, NGT News | https://bit.ly/3uVVtmU

Uber Looks to Create Travel ‘superapp,’ CNBC | https://cnb.cx/3ufiZfu

UPS Tries out eQuad Electric Bikes, autoblog | https://bit.ly/3DMX4iD

Clip is Finally out of the Lab!, YouTube | https://bit.ly/3v2wEW6

Bakersfield Rolls Out New Partnership with Spin, Mass Transit | https://bit.ly/3LMGSAY

Pace Suburban Bus Orders e-buses from Proterra, Metro Magazine | https://bit.ly/3uf1BHJ