CALSTART NewsNotes 3-29-18

Greetings:

Up next—the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) isn't convinced that automakers can meet fuel efficiency standards that were established under the Obama administration. Auto manufacturers are expressing concern over a potential weakening of the targets and Ford has said that they are not asking for a rollback. CALSTART has just announced the latest findings from auto suppliers and 84% of the largely Tier 1 suppliers back the 2025 standards as being effective in spurring job growth. This reflects a 25% increase over a similar survey conducted by CALSTART in 2016 in support of strong fuel-economy standards.

And now a shout out to Clay Siegert, COO at XL for his excellent summary of the effectiveness of voucher programs for fleets, particularly showcasing the California Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program (HVIP). Anyone interested in exploring the program, which is administered by CALSTART, can get more information here.

The Harvard Business Review is showcasing UPS and what's behind their electric vehicle adoption strategy. In addition to up-front cost barriers being broken down, the industry is seeing greater efficiency as well as brand benefits associated with innovation. Scott Phillippi (UPS Senior Director of Maintenance and Engineering) also talked about the UPS partnership with Workhorse which yesterday held a media event to announce the deployment of four all-electric N-Gen delivery vans in the San Francisco Bay area. UPS previously announced that they will lease 50 Class 5 electric vans from Workhorse.

Motiv Power Systems has received the first zero-emission chassis certification from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The company showed its battery electric EPIC chassis earlier this month at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis. Eberspaecher Controls is out with news about their plug-in power mini relay component which can control and switch electric loads for various applications including passenger cars, commercial vehicles, off roaders or industrial applications.

Efficient Drivetrains has been contracted to participate in a Department of Energy program to provide an electric drivetrain for school buses as a replacement for diesel engines. The award is $4.4 million and with other project funding partnerships the total project is about $9 million. EDI has collaborated with several OEMs on bus electrification projects.

SoCalGas is on a mission to get more natural gas (NG) trucks on the roads in Southern California and toward that end they have announced new efforts that are part of a South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Prop 1B incentive pool. 400 diesel trucks will be replaced with NG trucks if all of the submitted applications are funded. Participating fleets can receive up to $100,000 toward the purchase of a new NG truck.

Move LA and CALSTART are partnering to explore a new initiative for 2020 that could yield substantial funding to clean up the freight sector and convert truck and bus fleets to zero/near-zero technologies in LA County. You are invited to "Vision 2020 Can California Conquer Both Clean Air & Climate Change" which is scheduled for Thursday, April 19, 2018 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (lunch is included) at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator. Join CALSTART, Move LA, Mary Nichols, Chair, California Air Resources Board, and retired Senator Fran Pavley along with other targeted influencers to launch the discussion. You can sign up here.

Until Next Week,
Kimberly

Trump Officials Prepare to Undo CAFÉ Targets Despite Misgivings, Washington Post

Survey Says Auto Suppliers Back Tougher Fuel-Economy Standards, Wards Auto

Vouchers are Becoming the Clean Vehicle Incentive of Choice for Fleets, Green Car Congress

HVIP Voucher Program

Inside UPS's EV Strategy, Harvard Business Review

Electric N-Gen Vans From Workhorse Begin Delivering Goods, Trucks.com

Motiv Scores First California Cert for MD EV Chassis, Trucks.com

Solid State Power Mini Relay Targets Automotive Applications, EENews

EDI Selected by DOE to Provide Drivetrains for Electric School Buses, ChargedEVs

Hundreds of SoCal Fleets Make Moves Toward NG, NGT News

Move LA and CALSTART Invitation

Kimberly Taylor
Director Member Services, CALSTART
HQ: 48 S. Chester Ave. Pasadena, CA 91106

Offices in New York, Denver, Fresno, SF Bay Area
626-622-6229 – ktaylor@calstart.org