NEWSNOTES | December 6, 2023
News Notes

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced that the state fleet of 8,000 vehicles will be electric by 2040. The plan calls for all light-duty vehicles to be zero-emission by 2033 with heavy-duty vehicles required to transition by 2040. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has set aside $100 million to incentivize school districts to convert their buses to zero-emission. The funds can be applied to battery (BEV) or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEV). A webinar explaining the opportunity will be held next Monday, December 11. You can register here.

Highland Electric Fleets, a leading school bus fleet Electrification-as-a-Service provider, has partnered with Charlotte-Mecklenburg North Carolina schools in their first move toward electrification. The district has a fleet of 1,061 buses and it will begin the electrification process with three school buses and three chargers. Highland will provide the implementation of the charging infrastructure.

One of CALSTART’s newest members is IVECO (Industrial Vehicles Corporation) which is a large vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Turin, Italy. IVECO Bus has announced a contract to supply 140 electric buses to QBUZZ, a public transit operator in the Netherlands. 

In Tesla news, the company has delivered its Cybertruck to a dozen people as part of a celebration in Austin, Texas. Some of the details that were revealed include a price of $60,990 (original price in 2019 was $39,900) and it will get 250 miles of range on a full charge. Prior to the event Elon Musk warned investors that it would be 12-18 months before it would generate a positive cash flow.

Rivian has announced a new leasing program for its electric truck which is eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit. For now, leasing opportunities are available to those residing in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington.

Kudos to wireless inductive charging provider Electreon. Along with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) they have unveiled the first U.S. Road to be outfitted with integrated wireless EV charging infrastructure. MDOT and Electreon have entered a five-year agreement. Electreon’s Stefan Tongur noted that they are creating the nation’s first electric roadway.

RESOURCES

Michigan Governor Direct Government Fleet to go Electric, Detroit News | https://tinyurl.com/ms2dnvc

NY $100M for Electric School Buses, JDSUPRA | https://tinyurl.com/ys3s557y

NY School Bus Webinar Registration, Webex | https://tinyurl.com/m4t7pe38

North Carolina School District Electrifies, NGT News | https://tinyurl.com/yc79w255

Xcel, Ford Partner to Install 30,000 EV Chargers, UtilityDive | https://tinyurl.com/ysf938xe

Iveco Bus Will Supply 140 Electric Buses, Sustainable Bus | https://tinyurl.com/mmht4bsj

Tesla Cybertruck is Here, The Verge | https://tinyurl.com/4cdkdfnu

Rivian’s Electric Truck in 14 States, engadget | https://tinyurl.com/424kbeze

Detroit Road Marks Major Step Toward Wireless EV Charging, Forbes | https://tinyurl.com/mrxfh2pc