NEWSNOTES | February 1, 2023
News Notes

Karma automotive and B-ON (an electric vehicle solutions provider) are partnering to produce a fully electric light commercial vehicle at their facility in California this year. Karma will produce an initial run of delivery truck vehicles for B-ON this year and they expect to produce up to 30,000 annually starting in 2024. Audi is out with a new concept vehicle which is an all-electric luxury SUV that uses augmented reality glasses and it can double as a small pickup truck. Automakers often use concept vehicles to gauge customer interest or signal a future direction of a brand. The vehicles aren’t intended to be sold to customers.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced in his 2023 State of the City address that Uber and Lyft will be required to operate zero emissions electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030. The new initiative has the potential to affect an estimated 100,000 for-hire vehicles.

General Motors has invested in lithium producer Lithium Americas, giving GM access to the Thacker Pass mine in Nevada which holds the largest known source of lithium in the US and the third largest in the world. The expectation is that the lithium extracted and processed will be enough for one million EVs annually.

Rivian is looking back on 2022 recognizing the challenges as well as the successes which includes producing 25,000 EVs and delivering over 20,000 to customers. What’s ahead? The company expects to add a night shift resulting in increased production.

Lightning eMotors is celebrating that its Class 3 Lightning ZEV3 all-electric passenger van is Buy America certified. Combined with its Altoona Testing certification, their passenger van is fully eligible for funding through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Low-and No-Emissions grant program. And, just in time, CALSTART has released its updated zero-emission bus (ZEB) inventory report for the U.S. and Canada. Zeroing in on ZEBs is funded by the FTA and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). It provides an index of adopted Zero Emission Buses (ZEBs) that have been funded, ordered, and/or delivered.

Federal and state policies are also expected to favor electrification of the battery electric refuse truck market. As a result of incentives like the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, the International Council on Clean Transportation and Energy Innovation projects that battery electric vehicles could be 63% of refuse truck sales by 2030.

Kudos to ABB E-mobility which has announced the delivery of its one millionth electric vehicle charger. The company has a presence in more than 85 markets and produces one DC fast charger every 20 minutes!

RESOURCES

Karma Automotive to Produce Electric Commercial Vehicles for B-ON, electrive | https://bit.ly/40m1qZe

Audi unveils Latest Concept Car, The Verge | https://bit.ly/3jqnnph

NYC Wants Uber & Lyft to be 100% Electric by 2030, CleanTechnica | https://bit.ly/3HOwKbO

General Motors Invests in Lithium Americas, Tech Crunch | https://tcrn.ch/3RojL3C

Rivian Celebrates Production Milestones and Progress, InsideEVs | https://bit.ly/3jh8jKF

Lightning eMotors Announces Buy America Certification, StreetInsider.com | https://bit.ly/3HKm3H3

CALSTART Releases Updated ZEB Inventory Report, CALSTART | https://bit.ly/3wMUdE0

Battery Electric Could be 63% of Refuse Truck Sales Come 2030, WasteDive | https://bit.ly/3HQvTHD

ABB E-mobility Delivers Millionth EV Charger, Green Car Congress | https://bit.ly/3jnrjHi