Federal Agencies

 

Battle Lines Emerge On ICE, Electrification Roles In Car, Truck Rules — “Public debate is intensifying about two broad issues as EPA prepares to issue major proposals for light- and heavy-duty vehicle emissions standards -- the extent to which electrification will affect the rules, and the stringency of fuel-saving requirements for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. EPA and environmental advocates say the upcoming rule for light- and medium-duty vehicles should have strong ICE controls, though traditional automakers say overly stringent limits could curb electric vehicle (EV) investments and that multiple obstacles could frustrate the Biden administration’s electrification goals. Meanwhile, environmentalists are offering increasingly aggressive zero emission vehicle (ZEV) projections for heavy trucks given Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentives, even as industry representatives cite infrastructure challenges to ZEV deployment and argue that strong greenhouse gas limits for ICE trucks would clash with EPA’s recently final nitrogen oxides (NOx) limits. ‘It is going to take a whole lot of actions that are all dependent on each other,’ to reach the Biden administration’s 50 percent car and light truck annual ZEV sales goal by 2030, said Alliance for Automotive Innovation senior environment director Michael Hartrick, during a Jan. 18 panel at SAE International’s Government/Industry Meeting in Washington, D.C.” [InsideEPA, 1/23/23 (=)]

 

Depleted Under Trump, A ‘Traumatized’ E.P.A. Struggles With Its Mission — “The nation’s top environmental agency is still reeling from the exodus of more than 1,200 scientists and policy experts during the Trump administration. The chemicals chief said her staff can’t keep up with a mounting workload. The enforcement unit is prosecuting fewer polluters than at any time in the past two decades. And now this: the stressed-out, stretched-thin Environmental Protection Agency is scrambling to write about a half dozen highly complex rules and regulations that are central to President Biden’s climate goals. The new rules have to be enacted within the next 18 months — lightning speed in the regulatory world — or they could be overturned by a new Congress or administration. … The E.P.A. is at an unusual juncture. The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law and the climate law enacted last year have begun to pump $90 billion into the agency over the next 10 years for climate projects like $1.5 billion for new technologies to monitor and reduce methane emissions from oil and gas wells, $5 billion for states to purchase low-emission school buses and $3 billion to cut pollution at ports. For the first time, the E.P.A. has ‘a little bit of walking-around money,’ Mr. Regan joked to staff at a recent meeting. … A recent report card from Evergreen, an environmental group, found the E.P.A. was behind its own deadlines on nine key environmental regulations, including limits on power plant emissions of mercury and other toxic substances, ozone standards, and curtailing the storage of coal ash to avoid spills and contamination.” [The New York Times, 1/23/23 (=)]

 

 

Manufacturers, Fleets, & OEMs

 

Nikola Corp.

 

GP Joule To Acquire 100 FC Nikola Tre Trucks — “GP Joule plans to procure 100 Nikola Tre trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells. This is provided for in a letter of intent signed by both companies. The first vehicles could go to GP Joule in 2024 – provided the German government approves the corresponding funding.” [Electrive, 1/23/23 (=)]

 

Nikola Founder’s Sentencing On Fraud Convictions Delayed Until June 21 — “Nikola Corp. founder Trevor Milton remains free on $100 million bond as his sentencing on three fraud convictions scheduled for Friday was delayed until June 21. Milton asked for a new trial in December, claiming juror misconduct before and after his trial in the U.S. District Court in New York. Federal prosecutors filed a 28-page motion Friday, opposing arguments by Milton’s legal team. ‘The defendant seeks to cast blame for his conviction on, among other things, the headings in the written jury instruction and on the jurors themselves, who, consistent with the responsibility thrust upon them, rendered a just — if lenient — verdict,’ according to the filing signed by Damian WIlliams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Milton was convicted Oct. 14 after a 12-day trial on three of four charges, two of wire fraud and one of securities fraud. The government contended that Milton repeatedly lied about the electric truck and hydrogen-making startup’s technology accomplishments. His purported goal was to inflate the price of the stock, defrauding investors who lost millions when the price collapsed.” [Freight Waves, 1/23/23 (=)]

 

Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance

 

Nissan Is Exploring A Mid-Size Electric Pickup Truck Similar To The Frontier — “Nissan is exploring a mid-size electric pickup for US buyers that could look a lot like its current Frontier model. Nissan may bring a Frontier-like electric pickup to the US Although Nissan jumped out to an early start with electric vehicles, releasing the Leaf back in 2011, the company has watched its lead slip after taking over a decade to release its second EV. Nissan finally announced prices for the 2023 Ariya electric crossover, starting at $43,190, after delaying it several times. With the company’s second electric vehicle hitting the market, Nissan looks to bring more production to the United States. In February, the Japanese automaker announced it would invest $500 million in its Canton Vehicle Assembly plant in Mississippi to transform it into a ‘center for US production.’ The plans include ‘two all-new, all-electric vehicles.’” [Electrek, 1/23/23 (=)]

 

Rivian Automotive Inc.

 

Rivian’s First Solar-Powered EV Charger In Tennessee Is Now Live — “Rivian and solar company Clearloop have debuted the first of Rivian’s solar-powered EV chargers in Tennessee. Rivian’s first Waypoints EV charger is in Paris, Tennessee, a city with a population of around 10,000 that’s two hours northwest of Nashville. Rivian’s new Waypoints at Eiffel Tower Park in Paris, at 1020 Maurice Fields Drive, has a J1772 plug. And bonus: It’s right next to a 70-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower that drivers can admire while they’re charging. Rivian and Clearloop’s 1 megawatt (MW) Paris Solar Farm-Puryear project is powering the Level 2 EV charger. The two companies deliberately ‘aim to put renewables on more fossil-fueled grids where they can displace more coal and natural gas.’” [Electrek, 1/23/23 (=)]

 

Tesla Inc.

 

On Our Radar: Tesla’s New Semi-Truck Plans — “Tesla will reveal plans today for a multi-billion dollar Nevada plant to manufacture the electric automaker’s semi-truck, Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) said last night, Ben writes. Driving the news: ‘I am looking forward to joining Elon Musk and the team at Tesla tomorrow when they unveil plans to build a brand new $3.5 billion dollar advanced manufacturing facility in northern Nevada,’ he said, per a transcript of his ‘State of the State’ address. What we don’t know: Much of anything, including how this may affect previously announced plans to build the truck in Texas. More details on production targets could emerge on Tesla’s analyst call Wednesday after reporting Q4 earnings, though in reality the company’s plans are generally written in pencil.” [Axios, 1/24/23 (=)]

 

Tesla To Announce $3.5b Nevada Plant For The Semi Today: Governor — “For a long time, it was assumed that Tesla Semi production would eventually move to the Giga Texas plant after low-volume manufacturing began in late 2022 at a private site near its Gigafactory Nevada facility. Now, it looks like Tesla has different plans as an official announcement about the opening of a new $3.5 billion plant in northern Nevada for the Semi Class 8 electric truck is imminent.” [Inside EVs, 1/24/23 (=)]

 

Traton SE

 

DB Schenker To Procure 100 Electric MAN Trucks — “The logistics service provider DB Schenker plans to procure a total of 100 heavy-duty e-trucks from MAN by 2026. The first MAN eTruck vehicles are to be handed over in the first half of 2024. This is provided for in an agreement freshly signed by DB Schenker and MAN Truck & Bus.” [Electrive, 1/23/23 (=)]

 

Volta Trucks

 

Volta Trucks Sells Over 300 All-Electric Trucks Totaling More Than $92M In Revenue — “Ahead of its start of series production next quarter, commercial EV startup Volta Trucks announced it has locked in customer orders for over 300 of its all-electric Volta Zero trucks. These orders alone secure a huge chunk of the company’s overall production targets for 2023, representing customer demand and cause for optimism as Volta Trucks finally looks to begin initial EV deliveries and expand to additional markets. Volta Trucks is a London-based commercial EV startup that offers ‘Trucks as a Service’ (TaaS). Since its inception in 2019, the company has been consistently working to deliver its first commercial truck, the Volta Zero, which began as a mere concept drawing.” [Electrek, 1/24/23 (=)]

 

 

States & Local

 

California

 

Oakland, California, Aims To Improve Curb Management With Smart Loading Zones — “Dive Brief: Oakland, California, and technology company Populus are launching ‘smart loading zones’ for commercial fleet operators in the city, according to a press release Thursday. The city will issue permits to commercial fleet operators that allow them to pay for curb use by the minute automatically. The program’s goals are to lower traffic congestion, improve road safety and speed deliveries by reducing parking violations, the press release said. The program will help the city ‘better manage the rapid rise in delivery vehicles’ as the demand for ‘very limited curb space has increased dramatically over the past decade,’ Fred Kelley, director of the Oakland Department of Transportation, said in a statement. Other local governments facing such issues, including Chicago, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, are using curb-management technologies to improve traffic flow, lower vehicle emissions from excessive idling and streamline parking enforcement.” [Smart Cities Dive, 1/23/23 (=)]

 

Massachusetts

 

More Massachusetts Districts Are Switching To Electric School Buses — “In a school bus lot in Beverly, bus driver Henry Birkemouse starts up an electric school bus. A green light on the dashboard signals to the driver he can hit the accelerator. The bus resembles a traditional gas- or diesel-powered bus, yellow exterior and all, with the exception of the lettering on the hood that says ‘high voltage.’ ‘It operates the same as any other bus,’ said Birkemouse. ‘It drives sort of like a golf cart.’ Using about 60% less fossil fuels than gas-powered buses, electric buses are also a lot quieter and more energy-efficient than a traditional school bus, which emits exhaust fumes during idling. Diesel fumes, for example, can lead to eye irritation and nausea. And it can sometimes cause asthma and even lung cancer. But with a price tag of roughly $350,000 — or two-and-a-half times that of a regular school bus — the electric model can be cost-prohibitive for school districts. It also presents logistical challenges due to the need to install charging stations and coordinate with local power companies. Even so, a greater number of electric buses are appearing on Massachusetts’ roads given new financing models, state and federal grants and legal pressure from environmental groups against diesel bus operators.” [WBUR-Radio, 1/23/23 (+)]

 

 

International

 

Ireland Launches First All Electric Bus Service — “Athlone, located in central Ireland around 100 kilometres west of Dublin, will become Ireland’s first city with an all-electric city bus fleet. From this Sunday, 29 January 2023, all bus operations in Athlone will be switched to eleven Enviro200EV electric solo buses supplied by BYD-ADL.” [Electrive, 1/23/23 (=)]

 

 

 

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