Congress

 

Divided Congress Opens Door For Executive Branch Agenda: MEMA — “A ‘divided’ country and the divided U.S. Congress will make passing substantial legislation ‘much more difficult, if not almost impossible,’ Ann Wilson, MEMA senior VP for government affairs, explained during last week’s Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue here. Given congressional gridlock, expect the Biden administration to pursue a climate-focused package of regulations; for commercial vehicles, that means emissions. ‘A little over a year ago, Congress passed the bipartisan [Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act],’ Wilson said. ‘Then they passed the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act, as well as the CHIPS Act. But those bills actually started in the Senate, where the Democrats had control, then they moved to the House, where Nancy Pelosi needed to just get the minimal number of Democrats to kick it over the finish line and send it to a Democratic president. Obviously, that phenomenon no longer exists.’ Still, with proper messaging—with the heavy-duty vehicle industry making its case as being essential for the nation—targeted bills may have a chance, she noted. The key is to identify those members of Congress who are serious about serving their constituents and explain how the needs of the aftermarket industry align with the needs of their districts.” [Fleet Owner, 1/27/23 (=)]

 

 

Federal Agencies

 

Biden Admin Offers $1.7B For Electric Buses — “A barrage of $1.7 billion in federal grant money from the 2021 infrastructure law could lower emissions from urban transit systems by accelerating a nationwide shift to electric and hydrogen buses. The Biden administration announced Friday two competitive funding opportunities for regional transit authorities and local governments that want to upgrade their bus systems with low-emission vehicles. Selected agencies and governments would also invest in building charging facilities and a workforce capable of navigating the new technologies. The announcement marks a second round of federal money from the infrastructure law for clean bus systems, following last year’s $1.6 billion funding for the Low or No Emission Grant Program and the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program. The infrastructure law provides $5.5 billion for the Low or No Emission Program for fiscal 2021 to 2025, more than six times the amount of funding for the previous five years. ‘This is the down payment,’ said Michael Pimentel, the executive director at the California Transit Association. ‘Congress, in approving the bipartisan infrastructure law, has really demonstrated its commitment to public transit and in passenger rail, by increasing the level of investment for those modes, within the structure of federal transportation spending.’” [E&E News, 1/30/23 (=)]

 

Year 2 Underway — “We’re now into the second round of plussed-up federal grants funded by the infrastructure law, as FTA announced Friday that $1.7 billion will be available for replacing old buses with low- and no-emission vehicles. The money comes from two programs, the Low or No Emission Program that allows transit agencies to buy or lease new buses and the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program, which provides funding for rehabilitating vehicles and bus facilities. The two programs, created by the infrastructure law, have a combined $7.2 billion in funding for five years. In August, $1.6 billion was awarded by FTA for the first round of the program.” [Politico, 1/30/23 (=)]

 

 

Manufacturers, Fleets, & OEMs

 

Canoo Inc.

 

Canoo Deal Sets Up Saudi Arabian Sales — “Ulrich Kranz, co-founder & former chief executive officer of Canoo, arrives in his first electric van model at AutoMobility LA auto show in Los Angeles in 2019. Kranz left Canoo in April 2021. (AP) Canoo Inc., an electric vehicle maker with operations in Bentonville and plans to place its headquarters there, said Wednesday that it has reached an agreement to sell its vehicles in Saudi Arabia. The first phase of deal with GCC Olayan -- a subsidiary of Olayan Saudi Holding Company -- is for the sale, distribution, service maintenance, and repair of Canoo vehicles, according to a release. The deal also includes plans to develop a network for repair, local assembly and manufacture of Canoo vehicles. ‘The Olayan Group is a global business leader with decades of experience in distribution partnerships with some of the world’s leading brands and they are a proven partner to support EVs in the region,’ Tony Aquila, chairman & chief executive officer at Canoo, said in a statement.” [Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 1/26/23 (=)]

 

Nikola Corp.

 

Nikola Motor Founds Hydrogen Energy Brand HYLA — “HYLA is Nikola Motor’s new brand for the company’s energy products and is charged with producing, distributing and dispensing hydrogen to fuel its zero-emissions trucks. Five sites in the US have been designated to develop access to up to 300 metric tons per day of hydrogen.” [Electrive, 1/26/23 (=)]

 

PACCAR

 

Paccar Takes Deliberate Approach To Electrification — “Look up the word deliberation in a dictionary. It perfectly describes Paccar’s approach to trucking electrification. Sure, the company offers nine commercial electric trucks for those who want them, but there is little froth. Paccar’s patience with electrification de-lib-er-ate: adjective/dəˈlib(ə)rət/ done consciously and intentionally. engage in long and careful consideration. Paccar CEO Preston Feight is nothing if not consistent when it comes to the role electric vehicles will play in his company’s near and midterm future. ‘The EV market, the zero-emissions vehicle market, will just gradually grow. Customers are experimenting with it now trying to understand it, they’re buying chargers, putting an infrastructure around it,’ he told Chad Dillard of Bernstein Research on Paccar’s Q4 earnings call Tuesday. ‘We think it’ll be in the hundreds [of trucks annually], and it’ll stay in the hundreds for a little while,’ Feight said. ‘And then as regulations come in, and experiences become more familiar, it’ll grow into the thousands and extend from there. We’re well positioned for that growth.’” [Freight Waves, 1/27/23 (=)]

 

Tesla Inc.

 

Tesla Production Sites By Model Assignment, Capacity: January 2023 — “Tesla, the world’s largest electric car manufacturer, has a potential annual output to produce roughly 2 million electric vehicles annually. Considering that in Q4, the company produced and sold more than 400,000 units, we can assume that the plants are already running at over 1.6 million units per year, with a target to achieve 1.8 million sales in 2023. In this post, we will walk through Tesla’s EV manufacturing plants to see what’s new at each of the sites and what is the progress related to the Tesla Semi Class 8 all-electric truck and the Tesla Cybertruck pickup.” [Inside EVs, 1/28/23 (=)]

 

 

Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles

 

Electric School Buses Can Fight Inequity In The USA, Or Worsen It — “More than 20 million students in the United States ride school buses every year. This equals approximately 7 billion trips per year, making school buses one of the most widely used forms of public transport in the United States. But those trips aren’t always safe ones. Most students — especially those from low-income and communities of color — ride diesel-powered buses that regularly expose them to toxic fumes linked to asthma, cancer and other illnesses. And while electric school buses offer a solution, they can actually deepen inequities if programs aren’t designed and deployed properly.” [CleanTechnica, 1/28/23 (+)]

 

 

 

Responses to this email are not monitored.

 

Please contact Mitch Dunn (mitch@beehivedc.com) with clips related questions and comments  

 

Please contact Anisha Mehta (amehta@partnershipproject.org) with distribution related questions