Federal Agencies

 

Department of Transportation (DOT)

 

DOT Opens $700M Grant Program For EV Chargers, Alternative Fuels — “The Transportation Department on Tuesday opened a $700 million funding opportunity for states and local governments to install EV chargers and other alternative fuel infrastructure, part of its initiative to build a national charging network of 500,000 public chargers by 2030. Funds from the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure program — which will total $2.5 billion over five years — will flow directly to state and local agencies to build infrastructure for electric, hydrogen, propane and natural gas vehicles. The money will be split equally between projects in two categories: those along state-designated alternative fuel corridors, and those at community gathering points like stores and apartment complexes, the latter of which will be prioritized for rural areas and disadvantaged communities. Background: The CFI program is designed to work in conjunction with the other major EV charging program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. While the NEVI program is focused on helping states build fast chargers along interstate highway corridors, primarily for long-distance trips, CFI grants will mostly fund slower, ‘Level 2’ chargers at common stopping points and near residences.” [Politico, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

Biden Admin Unleashes $2.5B For EV Charger Network — “The Biden administration on Tuesday announced $2.5 billion in funding to extend the coast-to-coast network of electric vehicle chargers from highways to cities, towns and rural areas. The Charging and Fueling Infrastructure discretionary grant program will complement the $5 billion in funding announced last year to put EV chargers every 50 miles along interstate highways by filling in gaps and putting charging ports in the places where Americans live and work. It’s the second tranche of money from the bipartisan infrastructure law dedicated to achieving President Joe Biden’s goal of building an American-made network of 500,000 EV chargers by 2030. The network is the centerpiece of the administration’s effort to stimulate EV adoption as it looks to reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and slash greenhouse gas emissions. ‘By helping bring EV charging to communities across the country, this administration is modernizing our infrastructure and creating good jobs in the process,’ said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. ‘With today’s announcement, we are taking another big step forward in creating an EV future that is convenient, affordable, reliable and accessible to all Americans.’” [Politico, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

Biden Admin Announces $2.5B In Grants For EV Chargers — “The Biden administration announced $2.5 billion in new grants on Tuesday toward the construction of electric vehicle charging stations and alternative fueling infrastructure. The move was aimed, in part, at increasing access in underserved neighborhoods and communities. The grants also have an emphasis on highway chargers. Under the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program, the money will be given over a five-year period. The Department of Transportation said it was a ‘key step’ toward President Biden’s goals of building a national network of 500,000 public EV charging stations and reducing national greenhouse gas emissions by 50%–52% by 2030. The department did not specify how many chargers it expects to help build off the latest round of funding. ‘By helping bring EV charging to communities across the country, this Administration is modernizing our infrastructure and creating good jobs in the process,’ Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. ‘With today’s announcement, we are taking another big step forward in creating an EV future that is convenient, affordable, reliable and accessible to all Americans.’” [FOX Business, 3/14/23 (-)]

 

$700 Million For Community EV Charging Now Available From Federal Grant Program — “The U.S. Department of Transportation opened applications today for the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program, a $2.5 billion, five-year program to support community and neighborhood electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The first round of funding will make $700 million available from fiscal years 2022 and 2023 to cities, counties, local governments and tribes. The CFI program was created by the 2021 infrastructure law. Funding is divided equally between the community program, which aims to place EV charging infrastructure in publicly accessible locations, and the corridor program, which will install infrastructure along designated alternative fuel corridors. Hydrogen, propane and natural gas fueling infrastructure can also be funded under these programs. The FHWA is ‘committed to helping towns and cities, large and small, build modern, sustainable infrastructure that promotes equity and opportunity for their local economies and net-zero emissions for the nation by 2050,’ Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said in a press release.” [Smart Cities Dive, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

$2.5B From Feds For EV Chargers Is Aimed At Underserved U.S. Areas —“The federal government on Tuesday announced $2.5 billion in new grants for the construction of electric vehicle charging stations and alternative fueling infrastructure, aiming in part at increasing access in underserved neighborhoods and communities. Known as the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure or CFI program, the grants will be doled out over a five-year period, with an emphasis on both highway chargers but also locations in traditionally underserved and disadvantaged urban, rural and tribal communities. A statement from the Department of Transportation said the grants will be targeted to ‘fill gaps in the national charging and alternative-fueling network.’ Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the statement that the overarching goal is ‘modernizing our infrastructure and creating good jobs in the process.’ He hailed the fresh funding as ‘another big step forward in creating an EV future that is convenient, affordable, reliable, and accessible to all Americans.’ The $2.5 billion in funding is split evenly into two tracks: a Community Program which seeks to strategically distribute chargers in underserved locations in cities and communities; and a Corridor Program, which will focus on highways with the goal of establishing Alternative Fuel Corridors to enable gasoline-free cross-country travel and long-haul trucking.” [Autoblog, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

Biden Administration Opens Applications For Community EV Charging Aid — “The U.S. Department of Transportation on Tuesday opened the first round of applications for $2.5 billion in funding for alternative fueling infrastructure, including electric vehicle chargers. The five-year program will fund EV chargers as well as fueling stations for hydrogen, propane and natural gas. Only medium- and heavy-duty propane stations are eligible. Half of the funding will go to projects along the nation’s ‘alternative fuel corridors,’ which are major highways designated by each state that connect it to the rest of the region and in-state population centers. The other half will go to state or local governments interested in using the funding to address community fueling and charging needs, DOT officials said. Both are intended for ‘filling gaps’ in the larger, $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program that is appropriated to each state based on formula funding and aims to install high-speed chargers within one mile of alternative fuel corridors. ‘By helping bring EV charging to communities across the country, this Administration is modernizing our infrastructure and creating good jobs in the process,’ said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. ‘With today’s announcement, we are taking another big step forward in creating an EV future that is convenient, affordable, reliable, and accessible to all Americans.’” [The Detroit News, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

Biden-Harris Administration Opens Applications For First Round Of $2.5 Billion Program To Build EV Charging Infrastructure — “The Biden-Harris Administration today opened applications for a new multi-billion-dollar program to fund electric vehicle (EV) charging and alternative-fueling infrastructure in communities across the country and along designated highways, interstates, and major roadways. This is a key step towards the President’s goals of building a national network of 500,000 public EV charging stations and reducing national greenhouse gas emissions by 50–52% by 2030. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s new Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program, established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will provide $2.5 billion over five years to a wide range of applicants, including cities, counties, local governments, and Tribes. This round of funding makes up to $700 million from fiscal years 2022 and 2023 funding available to strategically deploy EV charging and other alternative vehicle-fueling infrastructure projects in publicly accessible locations in urban and rural communities, as well as along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs).” [CleanTechnica, 3/14/23 (+)]

 

 

Manufacturers, Fleets, & OEMs

 

BMW Group

 

BMW Cautiously Optimistic On 2023, EV Targets Ahead Of Schedule — “BMW (BMWG.DE) expects over 50% of new sales to be all-electric vehicles well ahead of its 2030 target and could envision a hydrogen-powered car going into production in the second half of the decade, the premium carmaker said on Wednesday. The carmaker forecast slightly higher deliveries and an 8-10% margin for the year, up from its 7-9% target in 2022, but cautioned that it still expected high costs from supply chain troubles and had not factored a deep recession in its key markets into its outlook. BMW finance chief Nicolas Peter, who is due to retire later this year, said he expected energy and chip supply to stabilise but still predicted significant cost burdens from logistics bottlenecks and high raw material prices. The company said it planned to keep prices stable, after years of dealing with rising costs by passing them on to customers. The forecast chimes with a broadly cautious tone across the auto industry hoping for a stronger 2023 but still keenly aware of supply chain problems, high inflation in Europe and uncertainty over China’s post-pandemic economic recovery.” [Reuters, 3/15/23 (=)]

 

Honda Motor Corp.

 

Honda To Move Accord Production To Indiana As Part Of EV Shift — “Honda Motor Co’s U.S. unit said on Tuesday it would move production of its Accord sedan to Indiana in 2025 after assembling the model in Marysville, Ohio for more than 40 years, as part of its shift to electric vehicle (EV) production. Marysville will be Honda’s first U.S. auto plant to transition to making EVs. The move comes after Honda and South Korea’s LG Energy Solution Ltd (373220.KS), (373220.KS) in October announced they would build planned $4.4 billion joint-venture battery plant at a site near Jeffersonville, Ohio and broke ground earlier this month. The battery plant, to be completed by the end of 2024, will cover more than 2 million square feet (185,806 square meters) and aims for about 40 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of annual production capacity. Honda said last year it was separately investing $700 million to retool three Ohio plants for electric vehicle production by 2026, including Marysville. Marysville will begin preparing for EV production as early as January by consolidating its two production lines to one to enable it to begin building the EV infrastructure, the company said.” [Reuters, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

How Honda Is Turning Ohio Into Its EV Hub, Starting At The Site Of Its First US-Made Vehicle — “Honda is moving forward with the next stages as it gets ready to build electric vehicles in the US. The automaker is setting the stage for its planned EV Hub in Ohio, with plans to transition the Marysville Auto Plant (MAP), where Honda began US production in 1982, to build EVs. Alongside its Japanese peers, Honda looks to play catch up in the rapidly expanding electric vehicle market. Honda announced last October it was investing $700 million to retool three separate Ohio plants to prepare them for producing EVs and the associated components. In addition, Honda teamed up with LG Energy Solutions (LGES) to invest over $3.5 billion in a new battery factory in Fayette County, Ohio. The goal is to establish an ‘EV Hub’ in the state. The automaker’s first electric SUV and first dedicated EV coming to the US, the Honda Prologue, is set to hit the market in 2024 as a collaboration with General Motors. Looking to make up for lost time, Honda revealed its plans to revamp business operations earlier this year in order to ignite momentum in its electric mobility business, including passenger vehicles, motorcycles, and other power products.” [Electrek, 3/14/23 (+)]

 

Hyundai Motor Co.

 

How The Kia EV9 Electric SUV Is Literally The Next Big Thing For Kia Design — “As it expands its electric offerings, Kia has made a purposeful decision: It will elevate the role of design and designers. ‘It is really an organization that really understands the importance of design,’ said Karim Habib, the carmaker’s global head of design, as we sit in a balcony in Seoul, overlooking the brand’s latest battery-powered vehicle, the EV9. ‘Where design thinking and design are becoming more of a real strategy to define not just how things look, but what products do you build.’ The newfound prominence shows in this offering. SUVs certainly dominate the global automotive landscape, but when the EV9 goes on sale later this year, Kia will be among the first to market with a fully electric SUV with an actually usable third row. And the brand has made the most of the opportunity, creating a design that, while not quite as outrageous as the concept it showed in 2021 (it lacks the rear-hinged back doors and cameras-for-side-mirrors) is quite a stunning derivate of its show-car version. In fact, its sharply-creased and box-flared fenders, sneering grille-less cyborgian front end, and ski jump rear pillar treatment give it more of a familial resemblance to Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 than to Kia’s own EV6.” [Autoblog, 3/14/23 (+)]

 

Tesla Inc.

 

Buttigieg Loves Tesla’s Charging Stations But Not Its Autopilot — “US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recalls meeting over Zoom with auto manufacturers about a year and a half ago when Elon Musk said Tesla would be willing to adapt some of its electric-vehicle chargers for other cars to be able to use them. ‘I was delighted,’ Buttigieg said in an interview Monday with Bloomberg News in Washington. ‘I thought, ‘It sounds amazing; let’s see if they actually follow through.’ And, to their credit, less than two years later, it’s moving forward.’ The EV charging initiative Buttigieg refers to was notable not only for its content — that Tesla will open at least 7,500 plugs to all EVs by the end of next year — but also because of who announced it. The same White House that Musk accused of being biased against Tesla briefed reporters on how the company’s move was consistent with its effort to create a national network of half a million chargers. ‘That’s a big deal, and it’ll make a big difference,’ President Joe Biden said in a tweet last month. Musk, who once described Biden as a damp sock puppet, replied within an hour: ‘Thank you, Tesla is happy to support other EVs via our Supercharger network.’” [Bloomberg, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

Tesla Accused In Consumer Suit Of Monopolizing Parts And Repairs — “Tesla Inc. was sued by customers who claim they’ve been forced to pay exorbitant prices and endure long waits for car repairs due to the company’s monopolization of replacement parts and maintenance services. The proposed class action was filed Tuesday in San Francisco federal court on behalf of Virginia M. Lambrix, who lives in Sonoma County and owns a Tesla Model S. She says owners of traditional combustion engine cars have multiple options for maintenance and repairs, or do the work themselves. Those repairs can rely on parts from the original manufacturer or parts made by other companies, according to the complaint. Tesla owners, on the other hand, have just one option: getting their cars serviced by the company or a network of Tesla-approved service centers using only Tesla parts, according to the complaint, which cites federal antitrust laws. Lambrix argues the limitation is due to Tesla leveraging its market power to restrain repair and maintenance services.” [Bloomberg, 3/15/23 (=)]

 

Tesla Walks Away From Public Funding For Superchargers Because Of Payment System Integration — “Tesla has decided to walk away from millions of dollars in public funding for Superchargers in California due to a requirement to integrate a payment system. Public money is flowing into electric vehicle charging infrastructure right now. There’s the $7 billion from the federal government that is about to be distributed, but other grants are also being distributed at all levels of government. For the former, Tesla had to adapt and open up stations to non-Tesla electric vehicles in order to get access to funding. But other financing programs have different requirements. In California, Tesla was in the running for $6 million in funding for four large Supercharger stations with 420 charge points. The California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program Rural Electric Vehicle Charging program was behind the funding.” [Electrek, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

Volkswagen Group

 

Volkswagen Will Invest $193 Billion In Electric Cars And Software — “Volkswagen said on Tuesday that it would spend $193 billion on software, battery factories and other investments as it aimed to make every fifth vehicle it sold electric by 2025. The automaker, the world’s second biggest after Toyota, will also focus on expanding its presence in North America, where it has struggled for years, and becoming more competitive in China, one of its most important markets, said Oliver Blume, Volkswagen’s chief executive. Mr. Blume laid out a 10-point plan for helping Volkswagen pivot to electric vehicles, a path it began in earnest when it effectively abandoned diesel technology after an emissions cheating scandal in 2015. The plan’s centerpiece are investments totaling 180 billion euros, or about $193 billion. Two-thirds of that sum will be channeled into producing battery cells, developing software and shoring up supply chains of critical raw materials. ‘For me, it is important that we have a clear orientation of where we are going,’ Mr. Blume told reporters, adding that 2023 would be ‘a decisive year’ for the company. It is his first as chief executive; he took over in September from Herbert Diess, who aggressively pushed Volkswagen to embrace electric cars but was forced out after just four years because of disagreements with the company’s board.” [The New York Times, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

Volkswagen Invests In Batteries, Raw Materials In Race For Affordable EV — “Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) plans to invest 180 billion euros ($193 billion) over five years in areas including battery production and raw material sourcing in a bid to cut electric vehicle costs and protect its market share, it said on Tuesday. Over two-thirds of the company’s five-year investment budget announced on Tuesday is allocated to electrification and digitalisation, including up to 15 billion for batteries and raw materials. With markets in turmoil over the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Chief Financial Officer Arno Antlitz told analysts however that the company could postpone some battery investments if the market did not grow as expected. ‘The overall target is having at all times solid financials,’ Antlitz said. Volkswagen, Europe’s top carmaker, is striving to close a gap with electric vehicle (EV) pioneer Tesla (TSLA.O) by expanding its slice of the growing market for battery-powered cars.” [Reuters, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

Volkswagen: Still Targeting An Affordable EV By 2025 — “Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) still wants to bring an affordable electric vehicle - costing around 25,000 euros ($26,790.00) in today’s prices - to market by 2025, the carmaker said on Tuesday, describing it as a model below the ID.3. ‘We will have significant scale by then... our Valencia plant cell factory gives us additional improvement on the cell side. By then we (will) hopefully have also made significant progress in attaining a significant supply (of) raw materials,’ Chief Financial Officer Arno Antlitz said on an analyst call. Asked how the carmaker would respond if demand was not as strong as expected in coming years, Antlitz also said the company was open to postponing or shifting its battery investments. ‘The overall target is having solid financials,’ he said. In the lead-up to an announcement expected in June on the outcomes of mock listing exercises instigated by CEO Oliver Blume at each brand, Blume said the brands had already set profitability and cash flow targets for each brand at a January summit.” [Reuters, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

Volkswagen Doubles Down On Its EV Strategy With A Nearly $200B Investment — “After battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales rose 26% in 2022, Volkswagen is doubling down on its EV strategy, investing nearly $200B (€180 billion) over the next five years to ramp production. Despite overall delivery totals falling 7% in 2022, Volkswagen says it remains well positioned for future growth. The Volkswagen Group delivered 572,100 electric vehicles last year, maintaining its position as BEV market leader in Europe, while deliveries in China, the world’s largest EV market, grew by 68%. That said, the automaker is looking forward to carrying the momentum into 2023 with several new models and initiatives planned. CEO of the Volkswagen Group, Oliver Blume, said 2022 ‘was an important year’ for the business, claiming: ‘BEVs accounted for a record 7 percent share of total deliveries – a significant milestone that we will build upon this year as our popular model range continues to grow.’” [Electrek, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

 

EV Charging Cos. & Parts Mfrs.

 

CATL

 

China Battery Giant CATL's $5 Bln Swiss Listing Delayed Amid Beijing Regulatory Concerns – Sources — “Chinese battery giant CATL’s plan to raise at least $5 billion in Swiss global depository receipts (GDR) has been delayed as Beijing regulators raise concerns over the large scale of the offering, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The world’s largest battery maker, formally known as Contemporary Amperex Technology Co (CATL) (300750.SZ), had expected to receive a green light for the listing in Zurich from the Chinese securities regulator by the end of January, said one of the sources. But the process is taking longer than expected, all three sources told Reuters. The delay has come to light a week after Chinese President Xi Jinping told CATL that he had mixed feelings about its status as the biggest player in a soaring business tracking the rise of electric vehicles around the world. Xi’s comments came in a rare public intervention about one of China’s most globally competitive sectors. read more In a response to a presentation by CATL’s chairman Robin Zeng on the sidelines of China’s annual parliament meeting last week, Xi was quoted by official media as saying that he was ‘both happy and worried’ - glad about CATL’s industry-leading position, but concerned about the risks as the company expands rapidly overseas and moves to undercut domestic rivals.” [Reuters, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

 

Electric Vehicles

 

EV Sales & Transition

 

Number Of The Day: $120 Billion — “That’s the amount of EV-related manufacturing investments — vehicles, batteries, and components — in the U.S. announced over the past eight years, per new analysis, Ben writes. Why it matters: About 40% has surfaced since passage of the big climate law, signaling how the major tax incentives are speeding investment, per the Environmental Defense Fund and the firm WSP.” [Axios, 3/15/23 (+)]

 

North American EV Production Is Slowly Catching Up To Demand — “It’s been almost a year since the Volkswagen factory in Tennessee went fully electric. Last July, the 12-year-old plant, located between Couch’s Barbeque and Fat Boy’s Roadside Eats in Chattanooga, made 25 of Volkswagen’s ID.4 electric SUV, the first US production of the automaker’s first mass-market EV. By December, the factory was stamping out 100 ID.4s every day. Electric vehicle production in North America is finally creeping up on EV demand, as industry incumbents like Volkswagen flex their manufacturing muscles. While newcomers such Lucid and Rivian are hustling to catch up to Tesla (and to their own targets), the old guard is quickly closing the production gap with the longtime EV frontrunner. In December 2022, the latest month for which figures are available, fully electric vehicles accounted for 7% of North America car production, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence. That’s an increase from 4.7% in December 2021, and up from 4% for the first half of 2022. Tesla led the pack by stamping out 52,300 vehicles in December, followed by Ford with an estimated 9,300 electric cars, trucks and vans. ‘We’re selling every one we can,’ Ford Chief Financial Officer John Lawler said on a conference call last month.” [Bloomberg, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

Survey Shows Pathway To Speeding Up EV Adoption In Rural Areas — “Regardless of where we live, we should all have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits provided by electric vehicles. These benefits range from the reduced cost of operation, the reduced need for maintenance and the improved performance, to the fact that electric vehicles have no tailpipe emissions. Everybody’s health stands to gain from reducing local air pollution from tailpipes: communities located near roads, families getting into a car in their garage, children boarding a school bus, and anybody in the vicinity of an idling vehicle. The planet stands to gain too, as EVs emit about half the global warming emissions of a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle, and transportation is the largest emitter of global warming emissions in the U.S., with passenger cars in the lead.” [CleanTechnica, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

EV Infrastructure

 

Waze Says It’s Added EV Chargers To Its Map, But It’s Still Sending Me To Gas Stations — “It looks like Google-owned navigation app Waze is finally going to make it possible to add your EV and plug type into its app to find EV chargers along your route – but when, exactly? I have two EVs: a VW with a J1772 plug and one with a Tesla plug. Sometimes I use Waze on Apple CarPlay in the VW, so I’m really glad Waze is launching this. (It’s not necessary to use Waze in a Tesla to find EV chargers, of course.) Waze says in its news announcement today that its new EV charging station feature is coming ‘starting today,’ and it also says it ‘will roll out globally over the coming weeks.’ So I went into Settings, then to Vehicle Details. I tapped Vehicle type and then selected Electric. Waze writes that ‘you’ll be able to enter your electric vehicle (EV) car and plug type into the Waze app to find relevant EV charging stations along your route.’ Despite having selected Electric as my Vehicle type, my app is still asking me for preferred gas type, not for plug type. There is nowhere to enter a plug type. It also still has Gas Stations as an option in Settings, which contains Preferred gas type and Preferred brand of gas.” [Electrek, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

 

States & Local

 

Oklahoma Lawmakers Reflect On Economic Development Loss — “In the wake of news on Monday that Oklahoma had lost out to Canada as the site for a coveted electric vehicle battery production facility planned by Volkswagen, state lawmakers have undertaken to figure out why. The loss of the plant – and an estimated 3,500 jobs that over time would have come with it – stung lawmakers, who had authorized nearly $700 million in incentives for Volkswagen. The German automaker’s announcement of plans to build the factory in St. Thomas, Canada, likely also rekindled feelings of disappointment that resulted from similar news in 2020 that Tesla had opted against building a major production facility in Tulsa in favor of investing instead in Austin, Texas. Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat announced plans for development of a business retention and economic development select committee to study the economic landscape in Oklahoma and lay groundwork to attract more employers and investment to the state. ‘Oklahoma has abundant resources, qualified employees and a legislature and executive branch that is friendly to the business community,’ Treat said. ‘We have a history of going out of our way to offer advantages other states cannot. There is no reason for us to continuously lose out to another state in this country on major business developments.’” [Journal Record, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

Op-Ed: Public Utilities And Private Retailers Should Stay In Their Lane On EV Stations — “The modern American road trip was born in Oklahoma. Route 66, the brainchild of a Tulsa businessman, is where Americans first got their taste for the freedom of the open road, and its construction in the 1930s sparked a gas station building bonanza throughout the state. The gas stations, convenience stores and truck stops that line our highways today are proud to carry on that entrepreneurial tradition. We have spent decades serving the drivers traveling in and across our state. We know where they go, what they want and how to meet their expectations in an ever-evolving market. Just as those first gas station operators saw opportunity in selling gasoline and diesel to drivers, we want to serve the electric vehicle (EV) drivers of the future. Unfortunately, Oklahoma public policy is making that nearly impossible today. Businesses need certainty when deciding where to invest for the future, and Oklahoma’s EV charging marketplace is filled with uncertainty right now. Current state law allows for the possibility of our state’s public utilities entering the EV charging marketplace and enjoying near monopolistic power.” [The Oklahoman, 3/14/23 (+)]

 

 

International

 

Canada

 

Quebec Pushes Public Chargers Via Private Companies — “The Quebec government is investing nearly $60 million to expand its public network of EV charging stations by 30 per cent. The province has selected 81 projects so far and expects around 400 new charge stops to be created through these public-private partnerships. Quebec’s Environment Minister Benoit Charette said as much in a statement on Monday, where she specified that 367 new charging stations would be available at 131 sites across the province. The funding amounts to the equivalent of just under 41 million euros. The grant per station amounts to CA$ 164,000, or about € 110,000. The announcement followed a call for projects that ended in October 2022; the government of Quebec selected 81 projects totalling 367 terminals of 100 kilowatts or more, distributed across 131 sites in the territory. The program was geared to offer financial support to private companies enabling them to purchase and install public charging stations public. These will complement Hydro-Québec’s Electric Circuit network. The latter reportedly also works to roll out 4,500 charging stations by 2028 in partnership with Québec’s municipalities.” [Electrive, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

European Union

 

Germany Finds Several Allies In Demanding Changes To Combustion Car Ban In EU — “Following a meeting amongst transport ministers from several EU countries on Monday, Germany has now formed an alliance with Italy and additional territories in Eastern Europe in opposing the commission’s proposed ban on combustion cars by 2035 until exemptions are added for vehicles propelled entirely by carbon-neutral e-fuels. The saga continues. Throughout 2022, European Parliament, the commission, and EU members worked through months of negotiations before finally agreeing to enact a groundbreaking law to ban the sale of new combustion vehicles in the EU by 2035. By last October, the ban had been approved by the EU’s 27 member states, including Germany. Last week, ahead of the final vote to formalize the combustion ban into law, Berlin and transport minister Volker Wissing suddenly broke from the pack, rescinding Germany’s vote of confidence, stating that further changes pertaining to e-fuels were required first. Wissing argued that the guidance on the use of carbon-neutral fuels remained unclear, demanding exemptions for vehicles running entirely on e-fuels. German automakers like Porsche backed the sentiment from Germany’s pro-business government party led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. As a result, the EU Commission postponed the final vote as Germany’s blessing would be required.” [Electrek, 3/14/23 (=)]

 

 

 

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