NEWSNOTES | June 15, 2022
News Notes

Freight Waves this week digs into the available funding through California’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) as well as some of the companies that have taken advantage of the available funding. WattEV and Hyzon Motors are both mentioned. CALSTART administers the HVIP program for the California Air Resources Board and more information is available here.

Nikola customers have begun taking delivery of the Tre battery-electric semi-trucks which have qualified for the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program (NYVIP). Its trucks have qualified for the New York incentive which is up to $185,000 in rebates per truck. The vouchers are available to customers on a first-come, first-served basis. For those in New York City, keep your eyes open for a battery-powered, four-wheeled cycle that is hauling cargo for UPS customers. The eQuad is eye-catching, reduces inner city congestion, and the pedal-powered vehicle is getting a trial run in Europe as well as New York City.

Blink Charging has agreed to acquire SemaConnect (both CALSTART members) for $200 million in cash and stock. The transaction will give Blink 13,000 EV chargers, an additional 3,800 site host locations, and more than 150,000 EV driver members. Blink says it is now positioned to assist the Biden administration’s development of a national EV charging network.

While adverse weather events have run amok this week, Mass Transit is looking at how transit agencies can incorporate energy resilience into their electrification plans. Incorporating microgrids, running a cost-benefit analysis, and utilizing incentives are among the suggestions to consider in moving toward an electric bus fleet. Professional Services Company Stantec has been named as the construction management company for the $220 million Blue Line Bus Rapid Transit project in Indianapolis. They will provide construction management and overall integration services for the 24-mile, all battery-electric bus system.

Electreon is a provider of in-road wireless electric vehicle technology. The Israeli company also operates out of the United States but today they are making news for the completion of their Italy-based Arena of the Future project. Their wireless charging technology was named one of TIME’s 100 Best Innovations of 2021.

Kansas City-based global engineering company Black & Veatch has partnered with electric aircraft develop Ampaire to collaborate on the development of airport electrification and electric aircraft charging infrastructure. The partners are collaborating on evaluating opportunities to plan, engineer and construct electric infrastructure at airports.

With the growing electrification market, lithium-ion battery recycling is taking off. Canary Media highlights some of the companies in this space including Li-Cycle. The Canadian-based company has a factory in Arizona that recently opened as well as one in Rochester, NY. Their aim is to make recycled battery materials cheaper.

RESOURCES

Truck Tech: Electric Incentives Edition, FreightWaves | https://bit.ly/3mOqchR

HVIP Incentives for Clean Trucks and Buses, HVIP | https://californiahvip.org/

Nikola Gets $185k Incentive Boost, CleanTechnica | https://bit.ly/3txQbOv

UPS Tests Tiny Battery-Powered Cycles, AP | https://bit.ly/3b3ZMpU

Blink Charging Buys SemaConnect, Bloomberg | https://bit.ly/3NXNbmB

How to Build Resilience into Electric Bus Plans, Mass Transit | https://bit.ly/3mWjHtj

Stantec Selected for Bus Rapid Transit in Indianapolis, Metro | https://bit.ly/3QnvoHb

Electreon Completes Pilot in Italy, Green Car Congress | https://bit.ly/3xt6ZHu

Black & Veatch and Ampaire Partner on Aircraft Charging, Aerospace Testing | https://bit.ly/3ObBqcB

Startups With Battery Recycling Solutions, Canary Media | https://bit.ly/3xys2bT