NEWSNOTES | June 29, 2022
News Notes

European Union (EU) countries have reached a deal backing stricter climate rules that will eliminate carbon emissions from new cars by 2035 after Italy gave up demands for a five-year delay. The 27 EU members agreed to draft legislation to slash greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55% in 2030 compared with 1990 rather than by a previously agreed upon 40%.

With electric vehicle (EV) purchases numbering about two million in the U.S., the supply of EV charging may need to increase by as much as twenty times, to over one million public and twenty-eight million private chargers. CNBC looks at the strategies being employed by Ford, General Motors (GM) and Tesla as they set out to meet demand through cross-sector collaboration and policy support.

Demand for EV charging funding has been robust for the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) EnergIIZE Commercial Vehicle Project, which provides incentives for zero-emission fleet charging infrastructure equipment. The program, which is implemented by CALSTART, will open the hydrogen fueling funding incentive application window tomorrow June 30, and it will close on July 14. This is the second of four “funding lanes.” Future funding opportunities include public charging infrastructure and EV Jump Start applicants.

Fleets are taking note of the convenience that comes with wireless charging. Josephine Community Transit (JCT) in Grants Pass, Oregon has expanded its original order from Wave and instead of a single charger they will now have four depot chargers. The provider is WAVE which allows bus operators to park over a charging pad and when the targeted charge level is reached, the system powers down.

Enel X builds and manages battery storage projects and they have installed more than 100,000 smart EV charging station in North America. This week the Italian-based energy company launched Enel X Way as a new business to expand EV charging solutions globally.

Swedish based Einride is a freight technology company that develops electric commercial Class 8 trucks and trailers. The company operates in the U.S. and has received National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) approve to operate its Autonomous Electric Transport (AET) trucks on public roads here. The company said this marks the first time that an autonomous, electric truck without a driver on board has been permitted to operate on public roads in the U.S. Volvo is another company with headquarters in Sweden and they’ve begun testing trucks with fuel cells powered by hydrogen. The company says refueling the vehicles will take under 15 minutes.

Volta Trucks has completed its first customer evaluation of the Volta Zero Design Verification prototype. The opportunity, which took place in Paris, gave customers a first-hand experience driving their zero-tailpipe emission medium-duty truck designed for urban logistics. The prototypes will be loaned to customers for extended periods later this year.

RESOURCES

EU Lawmakers Support Banning Gasoline Car Sales by 2035, autoblog | https://bit.ly/3I1q6NG

How GM, Ford and Tesla are Tackling EV Charging, CNBC | https://cnb.cx/3Adrc76

Speed of CALSTART, CEC’s Allocations Shows Demand for EV Charging, NGT News | https://bit.ly/3OxMzoa

WAVE Brings Wireless Depot Charging to Oregon, Mass Transit | https://bit.ly/3ORtVra

Italian Utility Enel Launches Global e-Mobility Offshoot, The Driven | https://bit.ly/3bwmK9j

Einride Gets Approval for Autonomous EV Trucks on US Roads, electrek | https://bit.ly/3R9JkoL

Volvo Testing Fuel Cell Trucks Powered by Hydrogen, CNBC | https://cnb.cx/3yvQBrD

Volta Trucks Completes First Customer Evaluation, FleetPoint | https://bit.ly/3R1ivmC