NEWSNOTES | April 4, 2024
News Notes

The Biden-Harris administration has prioritized key freight corridors and hubs as part of a national zero-emission freight corridor strategy. CALSTART applauds the move which aligns with key recommendations in its roadmap, Phasing in U.S. Charging Infrastructure.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has completed an assessment of total cost of driving competitiveness of zero emission trucks. The authors modeled the total cost of driving for all trucks (Classes 3-8) in the United States (U.S>). They found that ZEVs can reach total cost of driving parity by 2035 in all market segments. They also found that a full transition to ZEV sales by 2035 results in 65% emissions reduction by 2050 compared to 2019 without supportive policies.

The Windrose electric semi project is gaining traction in China. BorgWarner has announced a new, ultra-high speed 960KW EV charger that can charge up the Windrose semi-truck in half an hour. EV Realty along with their equity partner GreenPoint Partners are investing $200 million in truck charging as they position the charging sites as “an emerging, dynamic asset class for real estate investors.” EV Realty is a minority investor based in San Francisco, and they will own and operate the hubs.

Gage Zero is an Austin-based fleet electrification solutions company that deploys and operates electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. They have partnered with Fort Worth-based Hillwood, a real estate community developer, to produce Texas’ first public commercial EV charging facility. 

Happy birthday to ConMet, a company that supplies wheel hubs, aluminum castings, and structural plastics to the commercial vehicle industry. The 60-year old company acquired TruckLabs, a technology company focused on reducing carbon emissions. They are also at work on the next generation of its Nmotion energy regeneration system for trailers.

Hyundai ended last year by becoming the sixth best-selling EV in the U.S. and their momentum continues. March turned out to be a strong month for the company as they set a new March and first quarter IONIQ 5 EV record with sales surging 100%.

CALSTART’s bus lead Jared Schnader spends a lot of time these days thinking about the decline in bus manufacturing just as schools and transit agencies are beginning to green their fleets. In an interview with FastCompany Jared offered that there are areas of hope including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding which might play a part in bringing more manufacturing to the U.S.

Evolectric is pleased to announce their grand opening on Friday, April 12 in Rancho Dominguez, California. Evolectric’s mission is to advance global electrification by making green mobility cleaner and more accessible. They will be hosting guided tours of their new headquarters, there will be a Ride and Drive, as well as networking. Sign up here. 

 

RESOURCES