Trucks Clips: February 2, 2024

 

 

Manchin Responds To EPA Decision To Rescind Clean School Bus Funding For Mon, Mineral And Harrison Counties — “U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) is reacting to a ruling by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rescind award funding Monongalia, Mineral, and Harrison Counties to purchase zero or low-emission school buses. As part of the Bipartisan Law Clean School Bus Program $18,560,000 was made available for Cabell, Clay, Calhoun, Kanawha, Mineral, Monongalia, Harrison, Grant and Lewis Counties. The EPA removed Monongalia, Mineral and Harrison Counties because of methodological errors in their identification of rural areas in mountainous regions. ‘I am disappointed that Mineral, Monongalia and Harrison Counties will not be able to purchase new buses due to the EPA’s flawed and outdated methodology. For over a decade, I have been working on making sure rural areas within Appalachia receive the federal investments they deserve and this is a clear example that more work needs to be done. The EPA committed to working with my office to ensure their methodology is improved so these counties can receive full funding in the next grant cycle,’ said Senator Manchin.” [WAJR-Radio, 2/1/24 (=)]

 

 

 

Revoy Auto Group

 

Revoy Launches Atypical EV For Class 8 Freight Market — “A Bay Area startup launched an electric add-on unit that will convert an existing Class 8 diesel vehicle into a hybrid, without any changes to the tractor, while at the same time increasing fuel economy and cutting emissions. The kingpin of the add-on unit, made by Revoy, connects to a tractor’s fifth wheel while the fifth wheel of the add-on unit connects to the kingpin of a trailer so that the whole truck becomes a hybrid vehicle. Sensors mirror the driver’s actions, Revoy CEO Ian Rust told Transport Topics in an interview. There is no communication with the truck, he said, adding that Revoy’s product detects the direction the tractor is moving. Revoy’s add-on improves fuel efficiency up to 20 to 35 mpg from 6 to 8 mpg, representing a 70% to 90% plus reduction in emissions, according to the company.” [Transport Topics, 2/2/24 (=)]

 

 

 

Eaton Corp., plc

 

Eaton Q4 Profit Jumps 31% On Record Revenue — “Profit at Eaton Corp. jumped 31% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2023, powered by higher revenue at both its largest and smallest reporting units — Electrical Americas and eMobility. The electrical, aerospace and automotive component manufacturer posted net income of $947 million, or $2.35 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared with $722 million, or $1.80 per diluted share, in the year-ago period. Dublin-based Eaton posted adjusted earnings per share of $2.55, beating analyst expectations. Consensus analyst expectations for adjusted EPS came in at $2.47, according to Zacks Investment Research. Eaton also topped quarterly consensus analyst expectations for revenue of $5.91 billion. The company’s sales in the most recent three-month period totaled $5.967 billion, a record, and up 11% from $5.384 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022, driven by 10% organic sales growth, it said. … Revenue for the Electrical Americas segment totaled a record $2.672 billion in Q4, up 16% compared with $2.296 billion in the same period a year earlier. The division’s operating margin in the quarter was a record 28.5% compared with 23.7% in the year-ago period, Eaton said.” [Transport Topics, 2/2/24 (=)]

 

 

 

Colorado

 

West Grand School District To Receive Funding For 2 New Electric Buses — “A number of school districts across Colorado have been awarded funding through the Environmental Protection Agency’s first Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition to help purchase clean school buses for students across the state. The funding supports two new electric buses for West Grand School District, as well as 14 new electric buses for the following school districts: Thompson, Summit, Steamboat Springs, and Poudre, plus Boulder Prep Charter High School. West Grand will also receive funding for Level 2 charging infrastructure, and is partnering with Highland Fleets to make a smooth transition to electric possible. ‘We would like to acknowledge the expertise and assistance of Highland Fleets for compiling the data for 11 school districts in our EPA Region 8 application,’ West Grand School District Transportation Director Bethany Aurin stated. ‘Their herculean effort resulted in EPA awards to fully support the deployment of 55 buses across the 11 school districts included in our application.’ West Grand is at the forefront of the electric transition for school bus fleets in Grand County. In 2021, they became the second district in the state with an electric bus, and the first to bring it to high elevation. They purchased the vehicle with funds from a state grant and Mountain Parks Electric.” [Sky-Hi News, 2/1/24 (+)]

 

Maryland

 

25 Electric School Buses Start Serving Baltimore Schools — “In a bus lot in East Baltimore, city school officials, members of the Biden administration and school bus manufacturers braved the cold on Tuesday to cut the ribbon for 25 new electric buses for Baltimore City Public Schools. These are not the noisy, sputtering, diesel-stenched yellow behemoths of many a childhood; in fact the vehicles are practically silent when turned on. The new fleet will serve about 300 of the city’s 75,000 students, reducing greenhouse gasses and contributing to a quieter, more comfortable quality of life around the city’s neighborhoods. At least, that’s the hope for city and government officials. ‘They’ll be quieter rides and better for the environment. And I think most importantly, it really will contribute to the health of our young people. Baltimore City schools [have] a disproportionate amount of students who suffer from ailments like asthma,’ said CEO of schools Sonja Santelises.” [The Baltimore Banner, 2/1/24 (+)]

 

Oregon

 

Beaverton School District Receives $20 Million Grant For New Electric School Buses — “The Beaverton School District (BSD) has received a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency worth tens of millions of dollars for electric school buses, making it the largest in the region this year. The district’s head of transportation and local representatives for the EPA announced the $20 million grant Wednesday. The grant will fund the replacement of 50 of the district’s 225 school buses with zero-emission electric school buses. ‘We are thrilled and deeply grateful for the opportunity to partner with the EPA to spearhead this transformation from diesel-powered to electric school buses in the Pacific Northwest,’ Craig Beaver, BSD’s administrator for transportation, said in a statement. ‘It is an honor to be entrusted with an award of this magnitude, and we look forward to working with the EPA, Portland General Electric and our school bus providers to deploy these 50 buses in the service of our students, especially those in historically underserved areas, as well as the broader community who stand to benefit from the reductions in emission and noise pollution.’” [KOIN-TV, 2/1/24 (+)]

 

Texas

 

Charging Forward: AISD Launches Electric School Buses As It Moves From Diesel To Battery — “On a bright, sunny Monday, a fleet of bright yellow school buses glints in the Austin school district’s Southeast Bus Terminal at 7200 Bluff Springs Road. Kris Hafezizadeh, the schools’ executive director of transportation and vehicle services, walked aboard one of the district’s newest buses as it clicked to life, with almost no detectable sound. In about 10 years, Hafezizadeh hopes Austin residents will no longer have to hear the familiar school bus rumble, nor see the black smoke or smell the diesel fumes that are ever-present with traditional buses. The district’s three newest buses, which began rolling on Austin streets this week, are electric, and their purchase marks Austin’s first steps toward its commitment to have a fully electric school bus fleet by 2035. Officials hope the shift will be better for students’ and residents’ health and will produce environmental benefits. The buses — two that are 40 feet and a smaller, accessibility bus — are the first electric ones for the Austin district, Hafezizadeh said. ‘It’s zero emissions, which is good for our employees, our students and the environment,’ Hafezizadeh said.” [Austin American-Statesman, 2/1/24 (+)]

 

Electric School Buses Join Fleet At Kilgore ISD With EPA Grant — “School buses take roughly 28% of Texas students to and from school every day. Kilgore ISD received a $1.5 million grant from EPA’S clean bus program to replace aging buses in their fleet with four electric buses. Brady Wheeler, the director of transportation for the district says this change helps lower diesel emissions. ‘The federal EPA and even the TCEQ, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, they realized school districts do use a lot of diesel fuel and do drive vehicles that traditionally less clean burning, so they wanted to provide that funding to districts to be able to receive cleaner, more efficient vehicles,’ Wheeler said. Each bus costs between $375,000 and $381,000 and also comes with two charging stations that can charge two buses at a time. Wheeler says there aren’t many differences between the new buses and the traditional diesel ones. ‘The seating is the same, the components are the same, it has all the same equipment as a school bus. Besides being a lot quieter, and the manufacturers of the school buses have built in a noise variance at a low speed so that approaching traffic can hear these buses. Other than that, they are going to be like any other traditional school bus,’ Wheeler said.” [KLTV-TV, 2/1/24 (+)]

 

Kilgore ISD To Add 4 Electric School Buses To Fleet Thanks To Grant — “Kilgore ISD announced Thursday they are adding electric school buses to their fleet. Thanks to a $1,580,000 grant through the EPA’s Clean Bus Program, the district will be able to purchase four EV buses and the necessary charging equipment. KISD says the buses can travel up to 120 miles between charges. ‘We are thrilled to introduce these electric buses to our fleet, and we are very grateful to receive the grant funding to make this transition possible,’ said Brady Wheeler, Director of Transportation for Kilgore ISD. ‘The electric buses will be integrated into local bus routes, contributing to a cleaner and quieter environment for both our students and the community.’” [KYTX-TV, 2/1/24 (=)]

 

West Virginia

 

Will EPA Ruling Drain Momentum For West Virginia's Battery-Powered Bus Pilot Program? — “An EPA decision to rescind battery-powered bus grant funding could have a logistical impact on a West Virginia pilot program involving the green vehicles. The EPA originally announced a total of $18.56 million for green bus purchases by Harrison, Monongalia, Lewis, Mineral, Grant, Calhoun, Clay, Cabell and Kanawha counties. Now, however, officials in Harrison, Monongalia and Mineral counties won’t be able to use that money due to EPA’s ‘methodological errors in their identification of rural areas in mountainous regions,’ according to U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. For the buses to take students on extended trips for athletics or other activities, special, expensive charging stations are a must. Setting up several counties — Kanawha, Clay, Lewis, Harrison and Monongalia — along Interstate 79 was part of the plan in addressing that.” [WV News, 2/1/24 (=)]

 

 

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