NEWSNOTES | April 26, 2023
News Notes

An impressive 21% of all new light vehicles sold in California in the first quarter of 2023 were electric vehicles (EVs). This equates to about 124,000 new EVs sold in the quarter, the highest quarterly sales to date in the state. The state has met its goal of having more than 1.5 million clean vehicles on the road two years ahead of schedule. 

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. said this week that it has finalized a $5 billion EV battery joint venture in the U.S. In partnership with SK Innovation, the company will set up a new battery manufacturing plant in the state of Georgia. The plant is expected to begin manufacturing battery cells in the second half of 2025. California-based battery manufacturer startup Sparkz has entered an agreement with the United Auto Workers establishing a national labor-management agreement and statement of neutrality. Sparkz initial plan is to complete its Giga Campus in California’s Central Valley to employ an estimated 500 workers. 

Jobs creation is front and center for Siemen’s, too, as they recently opened a new manufacturing hub in North Texas and expect to create 100 new jobs. The facility will help the company meet their goal of making 1 million EV chargers for the U.S. Walmart is putting a lot of thought into how to add thousands of charging stations at their store locations by 2030. The companies 4700 stores and 600 Sam’s Clubs are located within 10 miles of around 90% of Americans. 

People in West Michigan should be on the lookout for new Amazon electric delivery vehicles. The company is using vans that were specially designed for Amazon by Rivian. The company aims to put 100,000 electric delivery vans on the road by 2030. Up north in Canada the Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) will incorporate a Nikola Tre battery-electric vehicle and a Nikola Tre hydrogen fuel cell EV into their operations. This first-of-its-kind project in Canada offers Alberta carriers the opportunity to use and test Class 8 vehicles that operate with hydrogen fuel. 

No doubt many of you are busily preparing for a marathon of industry conferences and I would like to pile on lest you’ve left something off your list. You have plenty of time to prepare for the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) EV Symposium and Expo (EVS36). That takes place June 11-14 in Sacramento and members should keep your eye out for some CALSTART happenings there.  A more immediate CALSTART gathering point is our National Conference in San Diego on May 17. A who’s who of the industry will be there and you are invited to join by registering here. 

As for next week, the highly anticipated ACT Expo takes place in Anaheim, California on May 1-4. A who’s who of CALSTART members and staff will be in attendance. If you are interested in meeting with us please send me a message!

 RESOURCES

California Reaches 1.5 million in ZEV Sales, ArsTECHNICA | https://bit.ly/41Vzvjf 

Hyundai to Invest in EV Battery Cell Production, Green Car Congress | https://bit.ly/3LdbNHI 

Sparkz Strikes Partnership with Auto Workers, U.S. News | https://bit.ly/44013p3 

Siemens EV Charger Manufacturing in Texas, WFAA | https://bit.ly/41ZMKyJ 

Walmart to Add Thousands of EV Chargers, CNBC | https://cnb.cx/3L7lLuh

 Amazon Debuts EV Fleet in Grand Rapids, Wood TV | https://bit.ly/3nbnp67

 AMTA Orders Nikola Trucks for Demonstrations, Trucknews.com | https://bit.ly/41XQjWj 

EDTA to Convene in Sacramento in June, GlobeNewswire | https://bit.ly/3V8c1Vc

 CALSTART National Conference May 17, 2023 | https://bit.ly/41XpWQc 

ACT Expo, Advanced Clean Transportation | https://bit.ly/2HgLWQr