NEWSNOTES | February 14, 2025
News Notes

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A warm welcome to new CALSTART member: The Mobility House.

Electric-powered trailer manufacturer Range Energy has announced a partnership with ZF to accelerate development of the Range eTrailer system across North America. Utilizing ZF’s AxTrax 2 e-axle in Range’s eTrailers will increase efficiency, resulting in reduced emissions and extended range. ZF will also help Range build relationships with OEMs and component suppliers to speed deployment. Compatible with any tow vehicle, Range trailers can help fleets transition towards electrification with minimal disruptions.  

Rivian Automotive is opening sales of their commercial vans to any fleet in the U.S., no longer exclusive to just Amazon. In 2019 Rivian announced plans to produce 100,000 electric vans for Amazon and has delivered ~20,000 so far. They’ve also changed the name from “Electric Delivery Van” to “Rivian Commercial Vehicle”, signaling a broader applications beyond delivery vehicles. The vans are still not available to individuals for purchase, although businesses can purchase as few as one vehicle, starting around $80k. Rivian is expecting to start delivering orders in April, so we might be seeing more vans on the road sooner rather than later.  

While the current and future status of federal funding for EV initiatives remains unclear, New York State has reaffirmed its commitment to electrification by awarding $60 million to electric rideshare and infrastructure startup Revel. The funding is a loan from the New York Green Bank, the state’s clean-energy investment fund, and will support building 267 charging stalls across nine new sites. The New York Governor’s office says 178 of the stalls should be active within the next 12 months, with the first sites near LaGuardia Airport, JFK Airport, and an impressive 60-stall site in Queens. The announcement shows that despite the current administration’s ongoing plans to reverse Biden-era climate policies, states still have considerable power in pushing the EV industry forward.  

In anticipation of the new administration, dozens of organizations have spent the past several months archiving information related to climate-related policy like IIJA and IRA. Along with the disbursement of IIJA and IRA funds being halted, a significant number of resources have been removed from federal websites. Atlas Public Policy has created a Federal Archives page with hundreds of webpages preserving fact sheets, program guidance, tool kits, and more.  

RESOURCES

• Range and ZF expand electric trailer adoption, The EV Report
• Rivian will now sell its commercial van to any fleet, starting at $79,900, Electrek  
• Revel snags $60 million to build 267 EV chargers in New York, InsideEVs  
• Outlining the federal data archiving initiative, Atlas Public Policy