Author: gamadmin

For Today: NRDC and Blue Green Alliance study on jobs in clean vehicles, INRIX surveys drivers on autonomous vehicles

Clean vehicle job creation:  Manufacturing clean vehicles directly supports 288,000 jobs in the U.S. economy, according to a new study released by Natural Resources Defense Council and the Blue Green Alliance. These are manufacturing and engineering jobs at more than 1,200 factories and engineering facilities in 48 states who produce technologies designed to improve vehicle fuel efficiency. Nine of these stats have 10,000 or more workers employed in these jobs, with the five of them – Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky – have plants building cleaner vehicle technologies supporting nearly 160,000 manufacturing jobs.

Tesla going to India?:  Earlier this year, news came out about Tesla getting ready to enter the India market. Going to China has produced very strong sales results for the carmaker, and India has been seeing a growing auto sales market overall. Last week, CEO Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla would not be going to India due to the government’s requirement that 30% of the parts in Tesla cars would have to be sourced within that country. Tesla tends to do things its own way, so it may be holding off on entering the country until that can be worked out; or not entering at all. The electric carmaker recently denied that it will be forging a joint venture with the Chinese government after Musk met with a high-ranking government official. Tesla has wanted to build its own factory in China, and that may not happen if the government requires a joint venture with one of its government-owned companies. Both governments would like to see more electric cars sold locally to hit targets on vehicle emissions.

Rebates from utilities:  Southern California Edison announced yesterday that it’s offering a $450 rebate to customers who own an all-electric or plug-in electric hybrid vehicle. The utility has been receiving state funds coming from California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard program. Several electric utilities around the country are offering special rate programs for vehicle owners, including time-of-use (TOU) rates, to reduce the cost of powering an electric car or plug-in hybrid. In January, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) launched the Clean Fuel Rebate for residential, electric customers who are electric vehicle drivers. It’s one-time $500 rebate for eligible EV owners can receive one rebate per owned or leased EV.

Mobility & Innovation:  INRIX study says consumers trust tech giants more than Uber for autonomous vehicles 
INRIX, a leading provider of traffic information, has released a survey report on what U.S. and European drivers think about the future of autonomous vehicles – and who should be doing it. The survey interviewed 5,054 drivers in the U.S., France, Germany, Italy, and U.K., to find that major automakers and tech giants should lead the way over ridesharing firms or Tesla.

“A new battleground is emerging between automakers, tech companies and ridesharing companies in the race to develop connected and autonomous vehicles,” explained Bob Pishue, senior economist at INRIX. “With hundreds of millions of connected cars expected to be on the roads within the next 15 years, the market share will be owned by companies that can educate drivers and gain consumer trust.”

The U.S. respondents preferred companies like Google and Apple providing self-driving cars., with 1.4 of them preferring tech giants over automakers. For those surveyed in the four European countries 1.5 times prefer major automakers (not including Tesla) over tech giants.

Ridesharing leaders Uber and Lyft had the smallest level of support as makers of autonomous vehicles. Following in a close second in the study is the category of newer carmakers that the study identifies as Tesla and “Fisker Motors.” That could mean the former Fisker Automotive, which is now split off into two companies – Henrik Fisker’s Fisker, Inc. startup and Wanxiang Group’s Karma Automotive.

For current connected car features and upcoming autonomous vehicles, many taking the survey believe that these technologies are bringing in a new era of vehicle safety. In the U.S., blind spot warning is the most desired new car feature; that’s followed by stolen vehicle warning/tracking, night vision, road incident alerts and re-routing, and rear/front collision alerts.

Millennials have less concern over their privacy through over their vehicle data than do Baby Boomers. That generation is also less convinced about how trustworthy autonomous vehicles with ll be, with 73 percent of Baby Boomers reporting in the study that they don’t believe autonomous vehicles will be safer than cars on the road today.

For Today: Daimler Breaks Ground On Large Lithium Plant, NAFA Starts Sustainable Fleet Certificates

Daimler quadrupling lithium-ion capacity:  Daimler officially broke ground yesterday on a lithium-ion battery plant it says will be one of the largest in the world. German chancellor Angela Merkel joined Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche and other officials for a tour of existing plant in Kamenz, near Dresden, that will quadruple production once the second plant is finished in mid-2018. Combined, the Kamenz plants will cover about 861,000 square meters. Along with powering EQ all-electric cars and plug-in hybrids, the plant will supply Mercedes-Benz Energy storage units and 48-volt on-board power systems. The Germany automaker is putting about $560 million into the new plant. The number of employees working there will double to more than 1,000 by the end of the decade. The plant will be sustainably powered from a combined heat and power plant and a photovoltaic solar plant in combination with stationary battery storage units. “The automotive industry is facing a fundamental transformation and we see ourselves as the driving force behind this change. The battery factory in Kamenz is an important component in the implementation of our electric offensive. By 2022, we will have more than ten purely electric passenger cars in series. We also continue to drive forward the hybridization of our fleet. Under the EQ brand, we are creating a holistic ecosystem for e-mobility,” Zetsche said.

Sustainable Fleet Certificate:  NAFA Fleet Management Association just released a listing of fleet managers who’ve earned a Sustainable Fleet Certificate. Fleet managers can now utilize the certificate to make a strong addition to their overall accreditation. Launched in April, the program was developed through a partnership between NAFA, Calstart, and NC State University. It’s been designed to educate fleet professionals in proven methods to develop sustainable fleet initiatives along with the skillset needed to meet their sustainability goals. Special recognition was given during the association’s recent annual conference in Tampa.

NAFA developed the Sustainable Fleet Certificate program in response to a need uncovered after NAFA launched its Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program (SFAP).

“It is clear fleet managers are extremely interested in our accreditation program,” NAFA President Bryan Flansburg said, “but many don’t know how to start a sustainable program for their fleet operations. This training provides all this information and guidance and will be a strong feeder into our accreditation program.”

The first-ever recipients of NAFA’s Sustainable Fleet Certificates are:

  • Martin Biffin, Principal Mechanical Engineer, Government of Bermuda Public Works
  • Mike Bisogno, CAFM, Director, Commonwealth of Virginia Office of Fleet Management Services
  • Anthony Bowe, Fleet Management/Shop Supervisor, State of Minnesota Department of Transportation
  • Michele L. Bowles, CAFS, Fleet Manager, Washington Gas Light Co.
  • Ray Brisby, CAFM, Fleet Manager, Calgary Fire Department
  • Richard Callis, CAFM, Sr. Analyst, Enterprise Fleet Management, Charter Communications
  • Mike Camnetar, CAFM, Director of Fleet Partnership Solutions, Element Fleet Management
  • Jeffrey Carter, Fleet Manager, Portland General Electric
  • Patti Earley, CAFM, Fleet Fuel Specialist, Florida Power & Light
  • Antoine Elias, Lead Senior Plant Engineer, Br. C.A.T. International Co. LTD
  • Robert Ellingsworth, CAFM, Fleet Manager, State of Minnesota Department of Transportation
  • Donald Eta, Director, Fleet Management Services, City of Vaughan, Ontario
  • Marie Gianetti, Insurance Coordinator, Varian Associates, Inc.
  • Scott Glew, Manager, Fleet Services, Town of Richmond Hill, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
  • Brad Hawthorne, Deputy Director, City of San Diego, Fleet Operations Department
  • Nina Hoffert, CAFM, Fleet Manager, City of Lakewood
  • Alia Khouri, Deputy Director, City of San Diego Fleet Services
  • James Laverty, CAFS, Manager, Vehicle Pool, University of Alberta, Canada
  • Gary Lentsch, CAFM, Fleet Manager, Eugene Water & Electric Board
  • Zachariah McLawhorn, Deputy Director, State of North Carolina, Motor Fleet Mgmt. Division
  • Quintonio Ratteray, Mechanical Superintendent, Government of Bermuda Public Works
  • William Rogers, DPW – Fleet Services Administrator, Indianapolis Fleet Services
  • Rick Sikes, CAFM, COO, CarbonBLU
  • Michael Simonds, Fleet Manager, City of San Diego Fleet Operations Department
  • James Tillman, Director, Business Development EV Services and Battery Storage, MaxGen Energy Services
  • Katherine Vigneau, CAFM, Professional Development Strategist, KMVS Fleet+ Consulting
  • Mike Wilkinson, Fleet Supervisor, Denver Water
  • Mike Wilson, CAFM, Strategic Fleet Management Specialist, Element Fleet Management

In order to earn a Sustainable Fleet Certificate, individuals had to attend a full-day training session for which they received a comprehensive study guide. The study guide provided the basis for the course materials, as well as the exam on which individuals were tested. Those who successfully completed the exam at the end of the training session earned a Sustainable Fleet Certificate.

NAFA is working to offer the sustainable certificate training in autumn 2017.   For information about NAFA’s Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program and future training events as they are released, please visit www.nafasustainable.org.

For Today: Ford changes over chief executive as profit pressure mounts, California sees leap in electric car sales

Ford changes over CEO:  Ford’s Mark Field is stepping down as chief executive as profit pressures increase from shareholders. He’ll be replaced by Jim Hackett, who’s known for his efforts transforming the world’s largest office furniture manufacturer, Steelcase, and hiring popular University of Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh while serving as athletic director. He most recently served as chairman of Ford Smart Mobility, a new division created last year to oversee Ford’s ventures in autonomous vehicles and mobility services. Ford Motor Co.’s share price has dropped 39% since Fields took over the CEO job from Alan Mulally in 2014, and the company’s U.S. auto sales are down 5.1% year-to-date. Fields has been pouring billions into self-driving car projects and ride-sharing units. While the company hasn’t introduced any new plug-in vehicles in its lineup lately, Fields did have big plans for increasing Ford’s electrified vehicle presence in China and adding slowly to Ford’s electric, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid vehicles, including the all-new hybrid police car. Several other management changeovers were announced by the company, including moving Jim Farley up to executive vice president and president, Global Markets. Fields had been seeing increasing pressure from shareholders lately, which was heightened earlier this month during the annual directors and shareholder’s meeting. Officially, the company said Fields has chosen to retire after 28 years with the company. Hackett, the new CEO, is being placed in a similar role to ex-Boeing executive Alan Mulally, an outsider brought in to stabilize the company in 2006. Executive Chairman Bill Ford compared Hackett to Alan Mulally during today’s announcement. “Alan captured the hearts and minds of our employees and made them feel not only could we win but that we would win,” Ford told reporters. “I think that’s something that you’ll see very much with Jim. Jim is a cultural change agent.”

PEV sales in California way up:  California saw a 91% increase of plug-in electrified vehicles during the first quarter compared to that same time period in 2016. All-electric vehicles led the way at 13,804 units sold, with the Chevy Bolt doing especially well at 2,735 vehicles sold during the first quarter. Tesla models and the Nissan Leaf also did well. Plug-in hybrids performed well, making up 10,466 units sold, a 54% increase over last year. Conventional hybrids like the Prius were down almost 10% during the quarter at 22,328 sold. The Toyota Prius Prime did well in the plug-in hybrid category. PEV sales made up 2.7% of new vehicles sales in California during the first quarter.

BMW wants leadership in electric:  BMW CEO Harald Krueger said the German automaker is focusing more on electric vehicles and connectivity than on increasing vehicles sales. Last year, the company reached its highest sales level at 2.37 million units sold from the BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce brands. It reached sales of 62,000 plug-in hybrids and 25,000 all-electric i3s last year. The goal is to hit the 100,000 units sold mark this year with electrified vehicles. While the company is committed to selling more battery-powered cars, Krueger sad that fuel cell vehicles will be important in the company’s future plans, as well.

Vehicle Launches: Subaru going electric on current models as it transitions from PZEVs to ZEVs

Subaru Corp. is taking electric cars more seriously than ever, as most automakers add these vehicles to their plans. The company is looking into adding electric drives to current models over designing an all-new electric car, said Chief Executive Officer Yasuyuki Yoshinaga, in an interview on Friday.

 

Subaru wants to stay with its reputation for making safe, well-rated vehicles, which would eliminate the need for partnering with another automaker, Yoshinaga said. The company will explore selection of suppliers for the battery and motor. A decision on it will have to be made in about a year, he said.

 

There had been a Subaru Crosstrek hybrid, but it was discontinued in 2017.

 

Subaru has been able to hit emissions targets through California’s partial zero emissions vehicle (PZEV) standards created in 1998 as part of the state’s vehicle emissions laws, which then were stricter than federal rules. It’s typical to see Subaru models with the PZEV badge all over the country. PZEV standards could be met by add-ons such as anti-permeation fuel system liners, carbon air intake traps, and close-coupled catalytic converters.

 

Government policies and subsidies are having their impact globally.

 

“If there’s already an attractive Subaru model, for example the XV crossover, and if a customer in Beijing wants one but is only allowed to buy an electric vehicle, if there’s no electric version then he can’t buy it,” he said. “Providing the choice of an EV means the customer can still desire the same Subaru.”

 

The company is spending more on electrification research and development than other technologies like connected, automated cars. Subaru is budgeting 134 billion yen ($1.2 billion) on R&D in the year through March 2018, more than double what it spent in the year ended March 2014.

 

It’s much less than other Japanese automaker like Toyota and Honda. Toyota, which owns a 16.9% stake in Subaru, plans to spend 1.05 trillion yen ($9.4 billion) on R&D in the current fiscal year and Honda plans to invest 750 billion yen ($6.7 billion).

 

Subaru will continue spending on automated technology by investing more in the EyeSight driver-assist system. The CEO said that they’ll be limiting price increases on the technology, allowing them to offer the same safety suite across all models.

 

EyeSight uses cameras that can detect objects such as vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, according to the company. It will be updated this year, with plans to add the ability to autonomously follow a car on congested highways. Fully autonomous highway driving is expected to be added in 2020, including the capability to change lanes.

For Today: More on the all-new Nissan Leaf, Qualcomm and Mercedes moving forward on wireless charging

All-new Leaf reveal:  A Nissan executive says that the next-generation Leaf will be unveiled on Sept. 6 in Tokyo. Pierril Pouret, Senior VP in Europe, confirmed the date and that the 2018 Leaf be an all-new offering. “This will be a brand new model, designed from a blank sheet, that will make sure we are still in the front,” he said. The company put out a teaser photo yesterday of the new headlights and announced that more will be revealed this summer. The automaker said that the Leaf is the world’s best-selling electric vehicle with more than 260,000 on the road globally.

Qualcomm and Mercedes bringing wireless charging forward:  Qualcomm is getting ready to bring wireless electric vehicle charging (WEVC) to market in a big way, starting next year with Daimler. Mercedes-Benz S550e plug-in hybrid drivers can park over a charging pad where charging begins automatically once the plug-in hybrid is close enough to the charging platform. It’s meant to take away the problem of plug-in vehicle owners forgetting to charge. The Qualcomm Halo division has designed WEVC units that use resonant magnetic induction to transfer energy. The WEVC system will be manufactured by an automotive electronics supplier which has licensed the technology Qualcomm Halo. Qualcomm worked with Mercedes on the FIA Formula E. Besides running the Qualcomm Safety Car with wireless charging, the company has worked with the Mercedes factory Formula One team, Mercedes AMG Petronas.

Uber gets into trucking:  Uber announced yesterday that it’s bringing its role as a third-party broker matching customers to drivers over the freight hauling business. Uber Freight is now available to large trucking firms and smaller independent operators nationwide; a test version had been run in Texas since September. It will be separate from its Otto driverless truck business, which has been at the center of a lawsuit by Google’s Waymo against an Uber employee who’s been accused of stealing its self-driving car technology.

Solar energy storage:  Mercedes-Benz Energy and Vivint Solar will bring the Mercedes-Benz customizable home energy storage system to the U.S., starting in California. It will offer cost savings to homeowners on energy bills, backup energy during blackouts, and clean energy for those driving electric cars. Vivint Solar is one of the largest solar providers in the U.S and will bring its experience installing solar at more than 100,000 homes across the country.

RNG academic research center:  The University of California, Riverside and Southern California Gas Co. this week announced the establishment of a new Center for Renewable Natural Gas. The Center is the first academic establishment in the U.S. dedicated to the study and applied research of renewable gas technologies. It was funded in part by SoCalGas with a matching donation from the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the National Center for Sustainable Transportation. It’s part of UC Riverside’s Center for Environmental Research & Technology (CE-CERT). “Renewable gas can play a key role in reducing greenhouse gases and meeting California’s renewable energy goals,” said Lisa Alexander, vice president of customer solutions and communications for SoCalGas.  “In California, the agriculture and waste industries produce a great deal of methane that could – and should – be used as renewable gas to heat homes, and fuel power plants and near-zero-emissions trucks.”

 

Global Markets: India’s potential and challenges for vehicle electrification

India’s national government is supporting vehicle electrification in a fast growing global auto market. Some of that will take place through generous incentives, government fleet vehicle acquisitions, and a growing charging infrastructure. The government wants to get rid of traditional petroleum-powered vehicles in the near future – but there are serious barriers to cross.

“The idea is that by 2030, not a single petrol or diesel car should be sold in the country,” India’s coal and mines minister Piyush Goyal said. “We are going to introduce electric vehicles in a very big way.”

Goyal said the government is ready to subsidize the development and sale of electric cars and to help Indian companies install electric charging infrastructure.

 

An advisory panel had recommended that the government place an order to purchase 2.7 lakh (about 270,000) electric vehicles including 20,000 buses for its agencies. The panel also suggested that the government provide free charging stations for the first three years to attract potential vehicle buyers.

 

The report has been issued as the government is working on a policy for electric vehicles expected to be put in place by the end of the year. “The aim is to reduce air pollution and our dependence on import of crude oil,” Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari said recently.

 

The Indian government would like to see vehicle electrification play a significant role in reducing carbon emissions and being dependent on foreign oil.

 

Niti Aayog, a government think-tank, recently sent a report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted at electrifying all vehicles in the country by 2032. It’s likely to shape a new transport policy, according to government and industry sources.

 

However, like the U.S. and other countries, vehicle electrification has a long way to go in India’s new vehicle sales. Plug-in electrified vehicle sales, like in most large vehicle markets around the world, have been slight in India. PEVs represent slightly more than 1% of new vehicle sales in that market.

 

Indian corporation Mahindra & Mahindra is the largest manufacturer and seller of EVs in the nation. The Mahindra e20 small electric hatchback is the top seller in India for that segment. Most of the EVs are built in India, such as the Mahindra e20 and e-Verito, and Maruti Suzuki electrified models. The BMW i8 import is another top seller in that market, as is the Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid.

 

Tesla plans to enter the marketing. “Hoping for this summer,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted earlier this year.

 

Automakers are seeing other global markets as being a higher priority for overall manufacturing, and for PEV manufacturing and sales.

 

General Motors is one of them. GM just announced plans to stop selling vehicles in India, along with South Africa, by the end of this year.

 

The company announced on Thursday it will take a $500 million charge in the second quarter to restructure operations in India, Africa, and Singapore. GM will also cancel most of a previously planned $1 billion investment to build a new line of low-cost vehicles in India.

 

China is different for GM, and a few other automakers. The company and its joint venture partners sold 3.87 million vehicles in China in 2016, up 7.1% from the previous year. China has been the U.S. automaker’s top market for a fifth consecutive year.

 

GM is also bringing several electrified vehicles to China, similar to several competitors such as Volkswagen. China is the leading market in the Asia-Pacific region for many automakers, and not India.

For Today: Revero delivered to dealers, Uber CEO wanted to partner with Tesla

  1. Here comes the Revero: Karma Automotive’s Revero are showing up at dealerships around the country, with 10 of the $130,000 plug-in hybrid sports cars being loaded up and starting deliveries on Friday. The company has set up a sales network with dealers in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Fort Worth (Texas), Miami, Montreal, Palm Beach (Fla.), Pasadena (Calif.), Philadelphia, and Toronto. Customers need to make an appointment at some of the dealerships for a test drive. The cars are being built at the Moreno Valley, Calif., assembly plant, and the batteries are coming from A123, another Wanxiang-owned company that had previously supplied batteries to Fisker Automotive.
  2. Self-driving car partnership: A book coming out next week says that Uber CEO Travis Kalanick put in a call last year to Uber CEO Elon Musk to become partners in autonomous vehicle development. Kalanick said that Musk spent the rest of the call trying to convince him that the whole idea was too far out, and that Kalanick should stick to what Uber does best and stay focused. That was just a few days before Musk published his 1,500-word blog post outlining a series of very big moves, such as encouraging Tesla vehicle owners make income off renting out their self-driving Tesla instead of leaving the cars sitting around for hours in a parking space.
  3. Light & Charge stations: BMW Group is bringing Light & Charge stations to North America through an alliance with BMW’s ReachNow mobility service, Woodland Park Zoo, and the City of Seattle. The system uses the city’s existing street and parking lot infrastructure through a smart city network. Existing light poles are set up with LED lighting, electric car charging, and a sensor unit. The partners opened the first of 20 charging locations Monday that will host both DC fast chargers and Level 2 chargers, bringing 100 new chargers to the city. BMW started up the Light & Charge system three years ago in Europe. The ReachNow fleet has the BMW i3 and other BMW vehicles in its fleet.
  4. Pickens on succeeding: Boone Pickens, a founder of Clean Energy Fuels and an icon from the oil and gas industry, published “An Open Letter to This Year’s Graduating Seniors,” in LinkedIn. He gave graduates a few tips on succeeding in today’s economy, which he’s learned from several years out in the field. Pickens, who’s turning 89 years old on May 22, made a reference to being 68 years old and “basically starting my career over.” A reporter interviewing him came from the idea that Pickens was going to need to step aside – the old horse was going to have to step aside from the trough. “That’s simply not true: The feeding trough in America is endless. Step up, work hard, and everyone has the opportunity to succeed,” Pickens wrote.
  5. Urban mobility terminology: Want to know the difference between carsharing and carpooling? Dynamic ridesharing and driverless driving? Audi announced that it has founded a working group together with city governments, business and scientific institutions. Together, they’ve put together a catalogue of terms for the city of the future. It comes from a DIN specification (Germany’s institute for standardization), with more than 200 related terms, for “intelligent individual urban mobility.“

RNG Will Be Important Part of Hitting Port Clean Truck Goals

There’s a lot happening right now as the largest port in the U.S. moves farther toward clean transportation.

 

Earlier this month at ACT Expo, the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition (CNGVC) announced submission of the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) Now Plan to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The coalition is giving input as the ports adopt the 2017 Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), the next phase of the clean truck program. They want to see emissions further reduced from the 13,000 heavy-duty trucks that currently serve the ports.

 

The ACT Now Plan encompasses all zero- and near-zero emission technologies and fuels, including natural gas, propane, battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell electric, and others that meet a 0.02 g/bhp-hrNOx standard and can achieve a minimum 40% reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using renewable fuels or energy.

 

For now, port commissioners are showing more interest in electrified transportation in hitting emissions targets. While that would more than meet these emission reduction targets, it will take several years for the heavy-duty electric trucks to become available at that scale. Renewable natural gas could serve as an ideal bridge fuel during that time, according to members of the coalition.

 

Currently, the ports have about 700 natural gas-powered trucks serving them, according to the Southern California Gas Co. All of these trucks operating in the region currently have access to RNG, also known as biomethane, through natural gas fueling stations. Southern California has been the hub of these natural gas fueling stations, which will help drayage and carrier truck companies convert over to the fuel.

 

The benefits of using RNG in trucks equipped with natural gas-powered engines are becoming well known among fleet managers. In a 2011 study of RNG production methods (PDF), Argonne National Laboratory concluded that all RNG methods show significantly less GHG emissions and fossil fuel consumption than conventional fossil natural gas and gasoline.

 

Both of the ports are reviewing the ACT Now Plan as part of the process, with more expected to be decided upon this summer. You can read the announcement here, find a summary here, and the see the plan here.

 

For those interested in learning more about the port’s clean truck program and the role ACT Now Plan will play, attending the upcoming FuturePorts 2017 Annual Conference would be ideal. Conference speakers will be looking at the 10-year mark since the Clean Air Action Plan was implemented at the ports; and some of them have been involved in bringing clean trucks to the ports. The conference “will focus on the trends in energy, port operations and efficiency that are disrupting historical business models and setting the course for a competitive future.” It’s taking place Thursday, June 22, 2017, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach.

For today: Lift joins up with Waymo, Musk boring underground LA

  • Lyft partners with Waymo: Ride-hailing firm Lyft has forged a partnership with the Waymo self-driving car firm. The partners will work on pilot projects and product development in self-driving car technology, with the end goal of bringing needed transportation to fast-growing cities. The timing of the deal comes about as Waymo has taken ride-hailing giant Uber to court over allegedly stealing that technology. Uber had acquired the Otto startup, which led Waymo filing the lawsuit based on claims of intellectual property theft. Yesterday, the federal judge ruled that Uber must return Waymo documents. The judge also said that Uber can continue working on self-driving car technology, but Anthony Levandowski must be removed from any work relating to a key automated technology called lidar. Levandowski had been a leader in Google’s self-driving car research and a founder of the Otto self-driving truck firm.
  • Boring in LA: In a set of photos and video on his Instagram page Friday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk showed what’s been happening with The Boring Company concept. What started in late 2016 as a set of Twitter posts about his frustrations being stuck in traffic while driving to Hawthorne (SpaceX HQ and Tesla service center), shows an “electric sled” that can go up to 125 mph through an underground tunnel somewhere in Los Angeles. The word “Boring” has to do with boring a tunnel underground. Musk has been secretive about where it’s located, and how much ground it covers. The tunnel has got to be at least a mile long, if you watch the videos. Musk said that the tunnel will run from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Culver City, Santa Monica, Westwood, and Sherman Oaks. There will be more tunnels, and they’ll cover all of the greater Los Angeles area, he said. No word yet on whether Musk has regulatory approval to continue the track – or Boring Machine 1, which he’s nicknamed Godot.
  • Chinese EV plant: Guangzhou Automobile Group, or GAC Group, has started building a vehicle assembly plant in China’s southern Guangdong province that will have the capacity to product up to 200,000 electric cars a year by the end of 2018. It should cost the company about $700 million to get there. The company’s first electric car, the GE3, was introduced at the 2017 Detroit auto show in January. Its new plug-in hybrid sedan, the GA3S, and plug-in hybrid SUV, the GS4, were unveiled at the Shanghai auto show in April.
  • Propane fueling acquisition: Agility Fuel Solutions’ Powertrain Systems unit has acquired the assets of CleanFUEL USA and some of its employees. The company will add business locations in Wixom, Mich., to focus on fuel systems, and Georgetown, Texas to focus on refueling equipment. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Powertrain Systems will be able to offer complete propane fuel systems for commercial vehicles based on patented liquid propane injection technology. The company said it will be able to offer “turnkey propane fueling packages for both private fleet and retail locations, enabling a complete propane solution for commercial fleets globally.”
  • Renewable diesel station: Ryder System has begun to offer renewable diesel (RD) fuel at its San Francisco fueling facility, located at 2700 3rd Street. With this implementation, Ryder customers will be better able to address their sustainability goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while still utilizing diesel vehicles. Based on production levels and availability of RD, Ryder will continue to monitor other markets with plans for expanding this offering. The company also plans to analyze market opportunities that would benefit its customers to have RD available for their fleets.
  • GM’s sustainable tires: General Motors Co. is taking on another corporate sustainability drive by changing over to tires made from sustainable natural rubber. The automaker is working several tire suppliers to create an industry first. The definition of sustainable tires includes that the natural rubber “did not lead to deforestation,” was harvested to aid an area’s economic and social development, and is “managed in a transparent and traceable manner.” This will apply to about 49 million tires that the Detroit automaker buys each year. GM is also known for its going “landfill-free” at its facilities around the world, with all waste from daily operations recycled, reused or converted to energy.

Clean Fuels and Energy: What happened to big carmakers endorsing LCFS?

If you take a take a look at a letter sent last week to California officials supporting extension of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, you’ll see an impressive list of sustainable transportation stakeholders.

 

Calstart played a role organizing representatives of 155 vehicle fleet operators, vehicle manufacturers, fuel producers, and industry groups to endorse a letter last week that was sent to Gov. Jerry Brown, Kevin De León, Senate President Pro Tempore, and Anthony Rendon, Assembly Speaker. The group supports LCFS, which is aimed at reducing the carbon intensity of California’s transportation fuels 10% by 2020, and at a higher level by 2030.

 

Stakeholders want their say in Sacramento as policymakers consider extending the state’s comprehensive climate change laws going back to AB 32 in 2006. LCFS came about in 2009 and was first implemented in 2011. It’s said to have increased the use of clean fuels in the state by 57% between 2011 and 2016. The carbon intensity standards take into account every step of producing, transporting, and consuming the fuel. It’s fuel-neutral, which means it doesn’t favor any one fuel but opens the door for those using the fuels to choose from the best, economical, low-carbon options.

 

The endorsement list provides a comprehensive look at leaders in the clean transportation sector, with most of them playing a visible role earlier this month at ACT Expo 2017 in Long Beach, Calif. Medium- and heavy-duty vehicle makers are well represented, but what’s missing is light-duty vehicle manufacturers. Tesla and BYD, leaders in plug-in electrified vehicles, are the only two carmakers on the list; however, BYD isn’t currently selling any cars in the U.S., just electric buses and trucks.

 

So what happened to automakers that have been selling a lot of green vehicles in California? General Motors, Nissan, Ford, Toyota, and Honda should be on the list – especially given that they’ve sold a lot of vehicles across the spectrum of fuels – GM and Ford with CNG and propane conversions of trucks and vans, and all five offering electrified vehicle options.

 

On the federal level, these automakers and several others have called out to President Donald Trump to extend the fuel economy and emissions public comment periods; and some, especially Ford CEO Mark Fields, would like to see the mandate softened up.

 

What’s the deal with California? Could it be related to the state’s zero emission vehicle mandate, that several automakers don’t see viable for being able to meet? Is it too California-centric, giving the state even more influence over future policies nationwide?

 

Any thoughts? Then email me.