NEWSNOTES | April 27, 2022
News Notes

It is interesting to see how many new players are entering the U.S. market. VinFast is an ambitious electric crossover SUV from Vietnam and comes to North America from a well-financed startup automaker. Autoblog looks at how they plan to enter the U.S. mainstream.

Hailing from Israel is Electreon which has created end-to-end wireless charging infrastructure. The company is actively working in the U.S. now and among their partners is Aspire Engineering Research Center and Kenworth. They are in the process of demonstrating a dynamic wireless charging system at ASPIRE’s research test track in Utah.

Volta Trucks is an Anglo-Swedish start-up with zero-emission, full-electric trucks and they have registered offices in Stockholm and London. The company has plans to launch in the U.S. and they have unveiled their second product family which includes a 7.5- and 12-ton Volta Zero variant.

Richmond, California, and Via launched their first on-demand public shuttle service this week in neighborhoods that are underserved by other mobility options. The project, funded by the Clean Mobility Options (CMO) Voucher Pilot Program and administered by CALSTART, aims to fill access gaps allowing riders to connect with key transit hubs more easily.

Popion Mobility’s Battery Exchange Energy Platform (BEEP) offers a battery-swapping charging solution for electric trucks and buses. The San Francisco-based company has announced several leadership and advisory board appointees, including a who’s who of industry leaders.

A shout out to Proterra, manufacturer of electric transit buses and electric charging systems, for receiving Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) gold-level certification. Proterra is the first EV maker to achieve multiple TRUE-certified zero waste facilities.

Good things are happening in Michigan and the most recent is a collaboration between CALSTART and our member Michigan Department of Transportation. Michigan has released a statewide procurement contract that will help transit agencies procure zero-emission buses. There is potential for three hundred battery-electric buses to be purchased through this contract once it is awarded.

School Transportation News is reporting results from a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) study in White Plains, NY which included Con Edison in partnership with Lion Electric, First Priority Group Electrified, Nuvve and others. The findings, among other things, showed that V2G technology in a fixed route service is viable for grid support.

I could not resist the headline “If a Scooter and an e-Bike Had a Baby.” Check out this pedal-free e-bike which is classified as a scooter in some areas because it has no pedals, chains, or gears. It weighs twenty-four pounds, has a 12-mile range, costs $1,200 and the top speed is 20mph. It’s called the JackRabbit and engadget offers all you need to know to decide if this is for you.

RESOURCES

How Vietnam’s VinFast Wants to Reach America’s EV Mainstream, Autoblog | https://bit.ly/3vReJm1

Electreon and Partners to Demo In-Road Wireless Charging, ChargedEVs | https://bit.ly/3kiReN6

Volta Unveils Full-Electric Trucks, NGT News | https://bit.ly/3vltPB9

Richmond Launches CMO Project, Mass Transit | https://bit.ly/3Kzefq1

Popion Mobility Announces Advisory Members, EIN News | https://bit.ly/3MAXkEE

Proterra Earns Multiple Zero-Waste Certifications, Electrek | https://bit.ly/3OSl7SL

MI Procurement Makes Buying BEBs Simpler, Metro Magazine | https://bit.ly/3vLI5BZ

V2G Findings from NY State Electric School Bus Project, School Transportation News | https://bit.ly/3OIsZWP

Is Vehicle-to-Everything Charging Ready for Prime Time?, Canary Media | https://bit.ly/3KfI6nb

If a Scooter and an e-Bike Had a Baby, engadget | https://engt.co/3kg5Rkk