NEWSNOTES | August 16, 2023
News Notes

VinFast Auto made a successful NASDAQ debut yesterday with the opening price valued at US $23 billion. VinFast is an arm of Vietnam’s most prominent conglomerate, Vingroup. VinFast makes electric SUVs, scooter and buses that are sold in Vietnam and North America.

Miami-Dade public schools in Florida is starting off the new year with 20 Blue Bird Vision electric buses and 7 electric vans. Florida Power and Light will install 50 DC fast-charging stations and 10 of them will be operational by next month. Proterra’s leadership in the bus market began in 2004 with an aim to replace diesel-powered buses with battery-powered alternatives. The company has sold more than 1300 buses to 130 transit agencies in the US and Canada. Last week the company voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

David Crane is the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Under Secretary for Infrastructure and today he joins Canary Media to talk about the Inflation Reduction Act and how it has transformed clean energy in the U.S. since it was announced one year ago. It’s coming up at 3:30 eastern time and you can access it here.

Electrify America, the EV charging company created by Volkswagen, has announced that its 75-megawatt solar farm in Southern California is up and running. Renewable energy developer Terra-Gen will operate the farm which puts enough renewable energy into the grid to more than make up for its EV charging sessions.

General Motors (GM) continues its work to develop cheaper EV batteries. The company has invested $60 million into Mitra Chem which focuses on U.S. built batteries. Cirba Solutions is a North Carolina-based battery materials and management company which is expanding its lithium-ion processing operations in Lancaster, Ohio. Funding from the DOE supports the close to $200 million expansion which supports domestic manufacturing of batteries for EVs and the electrical grid.

Thanks to InductEV, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania is now home to a research and development center that is devoted to high-speed wireless charging for EVs and commercial fleets. InductEV is using its wireless charging to expand its go to market efforts in the municipal transit and commercial goods transport sectors. 

RESOURCES 

Vinfast Shares Jump After Nasdaq Debut, autoblog | https://tinyurl.com/2xste6t4

Miami-Dade Adds 20 New Electric School Buses, South Florida  NBC | https://tinyurl.com/jjb6un69

Proterra Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection, STN Online | https://tinyurl.com/fxsyhbpd

How the IRA Has Transformed US Clean Energy, Canary Media | https://tinyurl.com/m3fyfuva

Electrify America Opens Solar Plant to Offset Vehicle Charging, CleanTechnica | https://tinyurl.com/yeds354c

GM’s Latest Investment Could Speed EV Batteries, engadget | https://tinyurl.com/4fkwdp9n

Cirba Solutions Expands Ohio Lithium-ion Battery Operations, Recycling Today | https://tinyurl.com/2netxf3t

InductEV Unveils Wireless Charging Research Center, BUZZEV News | https://tinyurl.com/2zya56rv