NEWSNOTES | September 10, 2022
News Notes

Thanks to the $5 billion the federal government will be delivering to states across the country, a lot of planning is underway to accelerate clean transportation. Illinois is looking at significant investments in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure as a companion to Governor Pritzker’s aim to have 1 million EVs on the road in the state by 2030.

The state of New Jersey is investing in electric school buses to the tune of $45 million over the next three years. The state Department of Environmental Protection will oversee the pilot program which prioritizes equity. At least half of the buses will serve students in low income or urban communities. 

ABC Companies is on a mission to educate customers about the promise of zero emission, battery electric buses. They recently partnered with Proterra and MTR Western in Seattle on a Zero Emissions Tour. As part of the tour, stakeholders were invited to participate in a vehicle demonstration and a test drive.

The climate bill that passed the U.S. Senate this week includes $3 billion for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Postmaster Louis DeJoy calls the shots for the USPS, and he has opposed President Biden’s effort to electrify the entire fleet saying he would need $3.3 billion more to adopt a 100% battery electric fleet. Now he has it but so far he has yet to acknowledge it with a commitment to move forward with a 100% EV fleet.  

Nikola has been busy manufacturing battery electric semi-trucks in quarter two and they have shipped forty-eight of the Tre BEV’s to dealers. They plan to ramp up production and are targeting deliveries of between 300-500 trucks in 2022. Their plans also include completing prototype testing of its upcoming hydrogen fuel-cell truck.

Autocar is in the news as they begin field testing for their E-ACX electric refuse trucks which feature a zero-emissions, all-electric powertrain. In partnership with select customers, they are testing and verifying performance metrics and getting operator input. Orange EV, which specializes in Class 8-yard trucks, is working to transform trucking by electrifying the vehicles that move trailers and containers in distribution centers, manufacturing facilities, warehouses, ports, and other places where goods movement is essential. The company has just raised $35M to build more of these trucks.

There is a company called Autonomy that launched early this year and their business model is an EV subscription service. The company has announced an order of 23,000 EVs with seventeen automakers for $1.2 billion. Ford, General Motors, Rivian, Tesla, VinFast and Volvo are among those who have received orders. Autonomy will leverage its national partnership with AutoNation for the acquisition and intake of most of these vehicles.

READ THIS-CALSTART’s membership is growing, and we get to add more people to our membership team. We are eager to welcome someone with experience and passion about our industry who will thrive collaborating with the great companies entering the market. Here’s the job description and here’s where you can find the complete list of our openings.

RESOURCES 

Illinois Investment in EV’s and Charging, Chicago Sun Times | https://bit.ly/3JHNf8Q

New Jersey’ $45M for Electric School Buses, New Jersey Monitor | https://bit.ly/3QwwqQm

ABC Companies’ Zero Emissions Tour, Metro Magazine | https://bit.ly/3zOlN4L

Senate Calls USPS Bluff, electrive | https://bit.ly/3SI7iIo

Nikola Delivers 48 Tre BEVs, INSIDE EVs |https://bit.ly/3zLTbsW

Autocar Starts Field Testing for Electric Refuse Trucks, NGTNews | https://bit.ly/3JHQ3mo

Orange EV Raises $35M for More Electric Yard Trucks, CleanTechnica | https://bit.ly/3A9CFnY

Autonomy Ordering 23,000 EVs, electrek | https://bit.ly/3JHEnA9

Membership Job Opening, CALSTART | https://bit.ly/3PeW3Eb