NEWSNOTES | June 10, 2022
News Notes

Bloomberg is out with its seventh annual Long-Term Electric Vehicle (EV) Outlook and there are a lot of successes to tout. That said, without regulations and policies just a little over two-thirds of the global fleet will be zero-emission by 2050. There is something for everyone in this 200+ page report including how governments can help drive the transition.

The Biden administration has announced new standards for federally funded EV chargers+ with a larger aim to expand charging infrastructure throughout the U.S. The notice of proposed rulemaking would require EV charging station every fifty miles and at least four 150-kilowatt DC fast-charging ports per station. 

Ford is one of the many companies investing in clean technology having just announced 6,200 new jobs in Michigan, Ohio, and Missouri. Working in tandem with the United Auto Workers, $2 billion will be invested including 2,000 jobs to increase the production of the all-electric F-150 pickup truck in Dearborn, MI. Green Power Motor Company, manufacturer of zero-emission electric school buses, has signed a lease/purchase agreement for an 80,000-square-foot building in South Charleston, West Virginia. Manufacturing is expected to begin in September and will bring two hundred new jobs to the state.  

CALSTART member AmpUp is an electric vehicle management company that just received an investment from Holman, a global automotive services organization. AmpUp’s technology helps fleet operators monitor and manage their EV charging infrastructure to optimize energy consumption.

From the ACT Expo last month to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and CALSTART’s Zero-Emission Truck Expo and Ride and Drive earlier this week, Hyzon’s Class 8 fuel cell truck is garnering a lot of attention. Total Transportation Services’ (TTSI) safety specialist Ryan Sickles has had a chance to drive it several times and he is a fan. The drayage fuel cell truck is built on a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia chassis and can operate with up to a 400-mile (zero-emission) range.

CALSTART’s newest member Walmart is expanding its transportation pilots as part of its efforts to achieve zero-emissions by 2040. Later this summer the company plans to run a battery-powered pilot using Freightliner’s eCascadia and Nikola’s Tre BEV. Walmart has 10,000 tractors and 80,000 trailers across its global operations. 

Uber Freight is getting into the autonomous trucking space in partnership with Waymo, which is focusing on goods delivery in both trucking and local delivery formats. Uber Freight connects truck drivers with shippers like how their ride-hailing app pairs drivers with those looking for a ride. 

Here is an interesting model. San Francisco is starting a free delivery bike pilot program where they are giving dozens of electric bikes to delivery drivers. It turns out that one-third of delivery drivers working for Amazon Fresh and Doordash, in the Golden City, receive public assistance. The program will not only take more cars off the road but will hopefully result in drivers earning more per mile per delivery. This pilot is funded by the California Energy Commission. 

RESOURCES

EV Outlook 2022, Bloomberg | https://bit.ly/3Qa9JSF

FHWA Proposes National EV Charging Standards, NGT News | https://bit.ly/3aUwp9q

Ford Investing $3.7B to create 6,200 Jobs, Detroit Free Press | https://bit.ly/3QfakSW

GreenPower to Take Possession of West Virginia Facility, Metro | https://bit.ly/3HgAalB

Holman Invests in EV Management Software Provider AmpUp, HDT | https://bit.ly/3xCb3qj

Hyzon Fuel Cell Truck Impresses, CCJ | https://bit.ly/3aMgZEe

Walmart Expands Electric, Hydrogen Vehicle Pilots, Reuters | https://reut.rs/3aLDLMh

Waymo Teaming up with Uber on Autonomous Trucking, The Verge | https://bit.ly/3Oa8K3b

City Gives Free Electric Bikes to Delivery Drivers, electrek | https://bit.ly/3xEj6D6