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by Jon LeSage, editor and publisher, Green Auto Market 

Here’s my take on the 10 most significant and interesting occurrences during the past week…….

1. CAR Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City: While a huge storm postponed the start of CAR Management Briefing Seminars last week in Traverse City, Mich., things got underway later that day for the 50^th annual thought leadership event. Here are some of the highlights from what’s considered to be the most important annual conference for automotive executives…….

• The practicality of US and California fuel efficiency and emissions rules set off a heated debate in Traverse City. Automakers are struggling to meet California’s demand to see 15% of new vehicle sales be zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2025, according to executives of two major automotive lobby groups. Diarmuid O’Connell, vice president of business development at Tesla Motors, made the opposite argument. California and the nine other states that have adopted the ZEV policy should make the rules tougher. Tesla profits from selling the ZEV credits to other automakers who aren’t hitting those targets.
• Chris Grundler, director of the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality (and featured in the photo above), said that the federal agency has not already set in stone the 4 mpg mandate for corporate average fuel economy. That will be determined by April 2018 after a review in 2017 and 2018. Issues such as fuel process and acceptance of new technologies will be reviewed; and the EPA administrator will make the final decision and will for the next president, Gundler said.
• Ford Motor Co. was the winner of the 3^rd annual Altair Enlighten Award for its use of various lightweighting materials in the 2015 Ford F-150. The award is given out by Altair and the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) and was created to acknowledge innovation in vehicle weight reduction. Ford was named the winner for taking 700 pounds off of the Ford F-150 while improving its performance, safety, and fuel efficiency.
• China is seeing the manufacturing of a high volume of electric vehicles – 84,700 battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles last year; and up 83,100 units in the first six months of 2015, according to Yonghe Huang, director of policy research at the China Automotive Technology Center. Challenges prevail, including a lack of public charging stations, a limited number of garages for parking the cars, and not enough demand to sell all these electric vehicles. Air pollution in its major, developing cities and abundant government incentives are spurring the production volumes. Automakers are skeptical about whether all of this will work as sales have been soft; even Tesla Motors has been struggling to get the ball rolling, as indicated by its recent Chinese management turnover right after sales objectives were not met.
• Using modular parts is dramatically reducing costs for batteries, motors, and other components in General Motors’ six electrified cars, said Pam Fletcher, GM’s executive chief engineer for electrified vehicles, during one of the management briefing seminars. All of these vehicles – the Chevrolet Bolt, Volt, Spark EV and Malibu Hybrid and the Cadillac ELR and CT6 PHEV – share powertrain components and technologies, Fletcher said. For example, the gasoline-electric powertrain in the upcoming Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid is nearly identical to that of the 2016 Chevrolet Volt. Editor’s Note: Ramping up to reach economies of scale and bring down production costs, leveraging its marketing muscle, and retailing through its dealer networks are other benefits that GM holds over small, startup electric vehicle manufacturers.

2. Tesla guards against hackers: Cybersecurity researchers found they could take control of a Tesla Model S in a test project in one of six ways that need to be corrected. Tesla sent out a software patch to address the security flaws and protect Model S owners and the general public from hackers. Cybersecurity firm Lookout and technology company Cloudflare decided to hack a Tesla car because the company has a reputation for understanding software that is better than that of most automakers, they said. Tesla chief technology officer JB Straubel appeared at the Def Con annual hacker convention last week in Las Vegas to thank the researchers who uncovered vulnerabilities in Model S electric car software. Straubel also announced a hike in Tesla’s hacking bounty to $10,000.
3. EV sales in July: Tesla Model S was the clear leader in plug-in sales during the month of July, while the Chevrolet Volt increased to the second position and the Nissan Leaf fell back to No. 3. The BMW i3 had a strong month with a 70% sales increase over June and about 157% higher than a year earlier. Overall, U.S. plug-in sales were down 13.5% from the previous month and 21.4% from a year ago. Editor’s Note: See this week’s feature, “Sales are soft, but OEMs aren’t giving up on zero emission vehicles” for analysis of what’s ahead for green car sales.
4. Stop-start technologies seeing major growth: Chicago-based research firm Navigant Consulting predicts that 35% of new vehicles sold in North America will have stop-start systems, up from 10% this year. It’s part of automakers moving forward on hitting the federal government’s 54.5 mpg by 2025 target. The stop-start system shuts off the vehicle’s engine when it comes to a stop, and then restarts the engine when the driver takes his or her foot off the brake.
5. Mike Calise leading Car Charging Group: Car Charging Group, Inc., a publicly traded supplier of electric vehicle charging services, has named Mike Calise as CEO; Michael Farkas will continue to service as board chairman and Chief Visionary Officer. Calise most recently served as Head of North America EV Solutions at Schneider Electric; prior to that, he was founder of EVadvise, a consulting firm focused on mass scale electric vehicle infrastructure, where he developed the EV Charging infrastructure technology plan for Marin Transportation Authority’s countywide charger deployment as well as others.
6. Clean Power Plan increases goals: The Obama Administration has released the final version of the Clean Power Plan, which raised the bar on cutting carbon pollution from electric power plants to 32% from the initial 30% target. There has been some increased flexibility in the new plan – they must comply by 2022 instead of 2020 and the emissions reductions are phased in on a “gradual glide path” to 2030. The final Clean Power Plan also gives states more flexibility to meet the ambitious carbon standards: they must comply by 2022 instead of 2020 and the emission reductions are phased in on a “gradual glide path” to 2030. On Friday, 365 companies and investors including General Mills, Mars, Nestle, Staples, Unilever and VF Corporation sent letters voicing their support for the plan and encouraged states to release “timely finalization” of state implementation plans to meet the new standards. The National Association of Manufacturers said the rule will threaten manufacturers’ competitiveness and drive up electricity costs.
7. What EV owners think: Ford Motor Co. recently surveyed 10,000 electric vehicle (EV) owners in the US to gain understanding of their perceptions. Overall, EV owners love their vehicles and smart phone applications; 83% will consider, or already have installed, solar power to charge their vehicles at home to reduce emissions and save money; 92% of battery electric and 94% of plug-in hybrid drivers plan to purchase another EV in the future; EV owners use smart phone apps regularly and want to see vehicle health alerts, public charging station locators, charging time indicators, and reserving and paying for charging functions. About half of plug-in hybrid drivers and more than a quarter of battery electric drivers are using conventional outlets (120/110 volt) to charge at home; 88% of EV drivers would like to have a fast charger installed at their home.
8. Propane seeing a strong year: Sales of propane-powered fleet vehicles, and the propane needed to run them, are taking off this year. Propane prices are at a 13 year low and are 75% cheaper than diesel, along with bringing environmental gains of 12% less carbon dioxide than gasoline. The price differential is driven by a glut of propane coming from shale wells, with much of that coming out of the Marcellus field. ICF International Inc., a Fairfax, Virginia, consulting firm, expects U.S. sales of propane-powered vehicles to reach 20,000 units this year, a 35% jump over 2014, and slightly higher than what’s expected to be seen in fleet purchases of natural gas vehicles this year.
9. Tesla quarterly earnings good or bad?: During its quarterly earnings call last week, Tesla Motors said that its energy storage products are taking off in customer orders while the company also downsized its prediction for electric car sales this year – from 55,000 to around 50,000. CEO Elon Musk thinks it will be “quite a challenging production ramp” to deliver a realistic number of soon-to-be launched Model X units at the quality level the company wants to meet. The company reported $1.2 billion in Q2 revenue, up from $857.5 million a year ago. Fortune analyst John Kell thinks it’s all much worse than Tesla reported. Kell wrote that Tesla is losing more than $4,000 on every Model S it sells. The analysis goes to Tesla burning through $359 million in cash last quarter. Tesla had just $1.15 billion on hand as of June 30, down from $2.67 billion a year earlier. Tesla reported that the $359 million was spent on expanding capacity at its Fremont, Calif., plant to make room for the Model X; and for construction costs at the Gigafactory in Nevada.
10. Hyundai and Kia jumping into electrified sector: Hyundai will be expanding its green car offerings through its Hyundai and Kia brands. Along with the Tucson hydrogen model, Hyundai and Kia may be launching four hybrid models, two plug-in hybrids, and one battery electric car between the 2016 and 2018 model years, according to sources familiar with the company. The hybrids may be built on the compact-car platform that will be used in the next-generation Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte. The hybrids would be powered by a direct-injected 1.6L gasoline engine paired with an electric motor. The Kia might end up being designed as a crossover, and the Hyundai as a liftback sedan similar to the Chevrolet Volt.

by Jon LeSage, editor and publisher, Green Auto Market 

Here’s my take on the 10 most significant and interesting occurrences during the past week…….

1. AFV training schedule: The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) has released its fall alternative fuel vehicle training schedule ideal for professionals serving the clean transportation space – including service technicians, fleet managers, municipalities, and consumers interested in learning about alternative fuel vehicles The schedule includes courses for automotive technicians, including Light-Duty Natural Gas Vehicle Training, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Vehicle Fuel System Inspector Training, and Electric Drive Vehicle Automotive Technician Training. The schedule also includes the Hydrogen, Hydrogen Vehicle, and Hydrogen Fleet Awareness Workshop. All classes feature a combination of classroom and hands-on training and will be held at the NAFTC headquarters in Morgantown, WV. Continuing Education Units from West Virginia University are available for all training classes.
2. Mcity seeing investors: Ford, General Motors, Honda, and Toyota are among the companies each investing $1 million over three years in the University of Michigan’s Mcity. This testing ground if considered to be the first controlled environment specifically designed to measure the potential of connected and automated vehicle technologies that will lead the way to mass-market driverless cars. Thirty-three Affiliate Members are also contributing, and investing $150,000 over three years, to the University of Michigan’s Mobility Transformation Center. Current Leadership Circle companies are: Delphi Automotive, Denso, Econolite Group, Ford, GM, Honda, Iteris, Navistar, Nissan, Qualcomm Technologies, Robert Bosch, State Farm, Toyota, Verizon Communications, and Xerox.
3. China following California: China has been learning lessons from government policies in California to encourage automakers and consumers to purchase plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles. China’s program will extend incentives for hybrids, which had been downplayed due to the strong presence of Japanese automakers like Toyota in that market segment. Chinese carmakers such as BYD Co and SAIC Motor Corp. will benefit, but so will global rivals on a more level playing field.
4. GM investing $5B: General Motors will be spending $5 billion over the next decade on a new family of Chevrolet models aimed at emerging markets such as China, India, Brazil and Mexico. Most will be small cars but may include crossovers. “This new vehicle family will feature advance technologies focused on connectivity, safety and fuel efficiency delivered at a compelling value,” said Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president.
5. EPA certification: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has certified Blossman Services’ propane-autogas-powered Ford Transit van. Blossman upfits the Transit with a Prins bi-fuel VSI 2 system with Ford’s 3.7-liter V-6 engine.The bi-fuel system is designed to cut installation time in half and ensure consistent performance, says Alliance AutoGas, which is managed by Blossman Gas.
6. Prius Plug-In range extension: Editors at Green Car Reports have recently heard from an industry source that the next Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid will have “30 to 35 miles” of rated battery range. The fourth-generation 2016 Prius hybrid is expected to launch within the next few months. The company has said that the plug-in hybrid version will lag the conventional hybrid model by about a year.
7. EVs vs. hydrogen: A recent Green Car Reports article dealt with hydrogen fuel cell car drivers being frustrated with the unreliability of current hydrogen fueling stations in Southern California. That story has accumulated more comments than any other article published in Green Car Reports, with about 2,000 coming in by the end of the day. Opinions expressed by electric vehicle (EV) advocates were similar to public comments made by Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk; they disdain hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and think there’s been way too much attention on that technology and fuel this year. Drivers of hydrogen-powered cars tend to be just as, or more, passionate about the topic as EV drivers – but their numbers are so far much smaller.
8. NGV refueling stations: Navigant Research expects to see huge growth in global natural gas vehicle (NGV) refueling stations – from 23,001 this year to 38,890 in 20205. A large drivers of this trend will be fleets making NGV acquisitions. “As fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards become increasingly stringent in world markets—particularly for medium and heavy duty vehicles (MHDVs), where electrification is less practical— (natural gas) is becoming an attractive alternative to diesel,” the study says.
9. Apple buying technology from BMW?: German business magazine Manager has reported that Apple proposed to BMW that the i3 – or parts of it – could form the basis of Apple’s own electric-car project. Apple had no comments to make, and has been staying in secrecy about its plans to enter the automotive industry as a manufacturer.
10. Coal-powered plants: The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that coal’s share of U.S. electricity generation will decline from 44% in 2011 to 32% in 2040. Most of these coal-powered plants are located in or near Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, which are accounting for 8GW of the expected retirements. The rest of the 13-GW total will include plants in Alabama and the Midwest.

by Jon LeSage, editor and publisher, Green Auto Market 

Here’s my take on the 10 most significant and interesting occurrences during the past week…….

1. Clean transportation product launches coming up: Ford, Cummins Westport, the North American Council on Freight Efficiency (NACFE), Rush Enterprises, Alliance AutoGas, ClipperCreek, Parker, Bauer Compressor, Quantum Technologies, Superior Transportation Solutions, and other companies will be introducing new alternative fuel and clean vehicle technologies at the Alternative Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo. Event organizer Gladstein, Neandross and Associates (GNA) expects that more than 3,500 clean transportation stakeholders and 200 plus exhibitors will convene May 4-7 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas for ACT Expo, the industry’s largest annual alternative fuel conference and expo. “As the transportation industry faces volatile oil prices and continually tightening emissions regulations, it’s vital for fleet operators to understand the wide range of options available—including electric, hybrid, hydrogen, natural gas, propane autogas, renewable fuels, DME, clean diesel, and efficiency technologies,” said GNA CEO Erik Neandross.
2. Enterprise and Trucking Moves America Forward Honor Earth Day: With the 45^th annual Earth Day taking place on April 22, Enterprise Rent-A-Car announced its contribution for the 10^th consecutive year to the Arbor Day Foundation. The Foundation uses funding from the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation to plant one million trees throughout the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany as part of the Enterprise 50 Million Tree Pledge. By the end of 2015, 10 million trees will have been planted through the program in forests  through this unique public-private partnership, which – in addition to the Arbor Day Foundation – also includes the US Forest Service, US National Park Service, Tree Canada, Trees Ontario, the U.K.’s Woodland Trust and the German Forest Protection Association (Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald). Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF), the industry-wide image and education movement representing all areas of the professional truck driving industry, honored Earth Day by celebrating the progress the trucking industry is making toward a more sustainable future, which includes adopting industry recommendations to reduce carbon emissions. Some of the many programs, efforts and technologies that trucking companies and drivers support include: training that emphasizes fuel-saving driving techniques; reducing wait times at loading and unloading docks to decrease engine idling emissions; reducing pollution through ongoing participation in the EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership program; advancing alternative-fueled vehicles and fuels; lowering fuel consumption by reducing empty miles driven; and promoting more efficient freight hauling and freight packaging practices.
3. Tesla-rama: Hackers took on Tesla Motors by attacking its Twitter site and media-relations email account on Saturday. Tesla joins Sony Pictures and several other companies in getting hacked; in this situation, the hackers who entered Tesla’s Twitter feed were able to post messages to the company’s more than 564,000 followers, and one of the attackers responded to an email message to Tesla’s press contact……….. JB Straubel, co-founder and CTO of Tesla Motors, will be a keynote speaker at the 2015 EIA Energy Conference. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) will hold the conference on June 15 and 16 at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel in Washington, DC………. Tesla CEO Elon Musk only earned $35,360 from his Tesla paycheck last year; however, Musk has done very well with his Tesla stock portfolio over the past two years and from his salary at SpaceX, the private rocket launching service he also founded.
4. No more Bullsh*t about hydrogen:  As Toyota begins production of its Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car, the automaker is taking on hydrogen critics. It’s the most abundant element in the universe, but critics say that hydrogen fuel cells are not going to work as a viable alternative energy for transportation – it’s dead on arrival. Those that call it “bullsh*t” are right, but not in the way they think, the Toyota video says. Manure provides an enormous amount of energy, as do water and other sources, explains Toyota engineer Scott Blanchet while visiting a farm.
5. Audi plug-in hybrids: Audi believes plug-in hybrids are the best alternative to offer customers, and will be making that option a preferred choice for customers on several models over the next 10-to-15 years. First up will be a full-electric model – an Audi SUV with a 310-mile range that will take on Tesla’s upcoming Model X crossover, says CEO Rupert Stadler.
6. Americans support RFS: Renewable Fuel Association just paid for a consumer survey and found there’s bipartisan, majority support for the Renewable Fuel Standard. More than six in 10 Americans support it with Democrats at 65%, Independents at 61%, and Republicans at 57%. Less than two in 10 oppose it, and 20% have no opinion. Now it’s time for the US Environmental Protection Agency to release its volume standards.
7. Allied Specialty Vehicles has CNG and Propane partnerships: Big announcements from Allied Specialty Vehicles (ASV), a maker of vehicles for commercial, fire and emergency, and recreation markets……… ASV has an exclusive partnership with Westport to expand availability of the compressed natural gas (CNG) Westport WiNG™ Power System beyond school buses manufactured by Collins Bus; the CNG system will be added to commercial bus, emergency, and other vehicle products.  A week earlier, ASV announced its exclusive partnership with CleanFUEL USA to expand its lineup of propane autogas products. ASV will move beyond propane-powered Collins Bus school buses to “increase the breadth of propane autogas systems we can offer to our customers,” said Tim Sullivan, ASV president and CEO.
8. BMW adding to i series: BMW is adding to its plug-in electric i subbrand with the i5, which will be based on its 5 series. BMW will begin selling the i5 in 2018 and expects that it could be its best-selling i model. The plug-in hybrid executive sedan will have a gasoline engine and two electric motors.
9. Quantum adding to offerings:  Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc., is expanding its offerings beyond natural gas storage systems and plug-in hybrid F150s – hydrogen fueling dispensers. Quantum received multiple orders from Linde North America to develop and manufacture retail hydrogen fueling dispensers for the further development of hydrogen fueling infrastructure in California, which should be delivered by the fourth quarter of 2015.
10. EV used vehicle values: NADA Used Car Guide’s Perspective: Electric Vehicle Retention Report Card was just released this morning. Here’s part of it: “For the most part, used EV prices continue to be very soft, which really isn’t much of a departure from how prices have tracked over the past couple of years. Used EV demand continues to be hampered by range and technology concerns, as well as by stiff competition from highly efficient—and more affordable—gasoline-powered cars.” Top performers on the list are the Tesla Model S at 83.1% retention value and Porsche Panamera S-E at 78.4% retention value. The Nissan Leaf is near the bottom of the list at 43.5% retention value.

For fleets of all types – from light-duty passenger vehicles to heavy-duty commercial vehicles – the challenge these days is making the business case for new vehicle acquisitions and refueling infrastructure that hits targets balanced with cost containment. Vehicle safety, fuel expense, route efficiency, maintenance and durability, and air quality and greenhouse gas emissions might be on the list – under the reality of limited budget constraints. Meeting sustainability targets is going higher up on the list for government and business fleets. Resources now being offered by carbonBLU, Fleet Vision, and NAFA Fleet Management Association will streamline the process and bring value to fleets needing to make that business case.

Rick Sikes, former Fleet Superintendent at City of Santa Monica, has taken the position of Chief Operations Officer (COO) for carbonBLU, which provides fleets with analytics, optimization, and deployment services for reducing spending and pollution. Sikes brings over 35 years of fleet management experience with a wide variety of equipment and alternative fuel vehicles; along with fleet positions at Frito-Lay and UPS, Sikes spent the previous 10 years at City of Santa Monica, which included help organizing the annual AltCar Expo in Santa Monica since 2006. Sikes also played a role in the testing phase of the new NAFA Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program. Sikes and the carbonBLU team will be promoting that program to fleets as a tool to become more sustainable.

Sikes replaces Sedale Turbovsky, who will continue in his role driving innovation at carbonBLU, but will also be serving as Director of the Center for Alternative Fuels. carbonBLU recently received grant funding from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to create two physical and one virtual Centers for Alternative Fuels. These centers are a free resource dedicated to implementing economically and environmentally sustainable transportation energy strategies. The virtual center for alternative fuels allows fleet managers access to some of carbonBLU’s proprietary analytics tools and a wealth of information to help accelerate commercial deployment of alternative fuels.

Last week, Vision Fleet released a report, prepared for the Colorado Energy Office, on the economic suitability of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), efficiency improvement technologies, and alternative fleet management approaches for Colorado’s state fleet. The study holds relevance for other public fleets considering large-scale adoption of AFVs. Vision Fleet has become well known with fleets for its role with the City of Indianapolis in the largest to-date deployment of electric vehicles in a public fleet with 425 plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles.

The Vision Fleet report gained input from more than 30 agency fleet coordinators and sustainability contacts to identify appropriate options based on agency-specific vehicle use cases. The study utilized a total-cost-of-ownership (TCO) approach to assess where fuel and maintenance savings would likely offset the higher purchase price of AFVs.

The report recommends several procedural measures for making the case for AFVs and fuel-saving technologies, including committing to targeted, large-scale AFV deployments; replacing appropriate vehicles in the fleet;  effectively bringing drivers into the process; leveraging third-parties to make the business case with management; and identifying cost-effective opportunities for deploying AFVs, telematics, and idle-reduction technologies. “Electric and other alternative fuel vehicles already make economic sense for most public fleets,” said Michael Brylawski, Vision Fleet’s CEO. “The challenge is identifying the right vehicles to replace and then committing the necessary resources and effort – especially in the areas of education, tracking, and reporting – to ensure the program is successful.”

In this video interview with Fleet Management Weekly, Bill Van Amberg, Senior Vice President at CALSTART, talks about the recently announced NAFA Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program. Van Abmerg says that in the program, NAFA Fleet Management Association and CALSTART look at a fleet’s portfolio to analyze the types of vehicles and fuels that are being used to set a baseline. Fleets are guided over a period of time on using different fuels, phasing in more fuel-efficient vehicles, changing how the fleet is operated, training drivers, and implementing idle reduction. The fleet will later be measured again and given a report card assisting fleets in making environmental improvements while at the same time showing a bottom-line value to their organizations.

The NAFA Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program is now being structured on a four-tier rating system that evaluates fleets based on their environmental performance against world-leading goals. During the NAFA I&E conference in Orlando, NAFA Fleet Management Association, in conjunction with CALSTART, announced how the program has been designed to become an industry standard for recognizing concrete improvements in reducing emissions, increasing fuel efficiency, and reducing fuel use.

by Jon LeSage, editor and publisher, Green Auto Market 

Here’s my take on the 10 most significant and interesting occurrences during the past week…….

1. Launched last year, NAFA’s Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program has rolled out of the beta-test phase and has become a distinct system. It’s now being structured on a four-tier rating system that evaluates fleets based on their environmental performance against world-leading goals. During the NAFA I&E conference in Orlando, NAFA Fleet Management Association, in conjunction with CALSTART, announced how the program has been designed to become an industry standard for recognizing concrete improvements in reducing emissions, increasing fuel efficiency, and reducing fuel use. “With this new program, fleets will be able to measure, manage and improve. Fleets start at any level of activity – the point is to start down the path: first by base lining where they are, then by validating their progress, and finally, by benchmarking themselves against rigorous standards and the actions of their peers,” said Bill Van Amburg, CALSTART Senior Vice President. “It is the new measure of fleet sustainability.” The NAFA standard can be applied to fleets of all sizes and types ranging from passenger cars to Class 8 big rigs. CALSTART provided technical assistance and worked with NAFA to develop the standards. To learn more, or to join the program, visit NAFASustainable.org.
2. Big EV announcements from GM: The Chevrolet Spark battery-electric vehicle has a $1,650 price cut and “bonus cash” incentives, at first in California and Oregon, that can cut another $1,000 to $3,500 off the sticker price; with the $7,500 tax credit, the electric Spark can sell for as low as $15,000. Cadillac launched a plug-in hybrid version of the CT6 luxury sedan at the Shanghai Motor Show; it has an adaption of GM’s second-generation Voltec hybrid system. Cadillac has a few more plug-in hybrids in its product pipeline – and did announced that its 2016 Cadillac ELR will have a slightly different powertrain than the CT6 and 2016 Chevrolet Volt; the 2016 ELR will keep its existing 17.1-kilowatt-hour battery pack and 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine but with a lot more horsepower and torque……..
3. SoCalGas is bringing together industry experts, natural gas truck manufacturers, and fleet operators for dinner and discussion on making the switch to natural gas for your truck or fleet of trucks. Topics will include making the business case for natural gas heavy-duty vehicles, natural gas truck refueling, and funding natural gas heavy-duty vehicles. Upcoming events include Inland Empire on May 12 at Riverside Convention Center in Riverside, Calif.; and San Joaquin Valley on May 19 at Hodel’s Country Dining in Bakersfield, Calif. There will be other events in Southern California in July, September, and October. Here’s a link to learn more about the event and to register.
4. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn offered some interesting statements: Nissan plans to raise sales of its electric Leaf to 50,000 units a year from about 30,000 last year, with potential growth in public charging stations driving those anticipated sales. In China – where Nissan operates under the Venucia domestic brand – Ghosn would like to see the government increase incentives to move electric vehicle sales out of the stuck phase.
5. Tesla is waiting to hear whether Maryland Larry Hogan will sign a bill allowing the electric carmaker to sell directly to consumers. The bill was supported by the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association and would allow Tesla up to four licenses; having a cap on the number was enough to gain support from the dealer group. The governor will sign or veto the bill in about a week, or by mid-May, his office said. (In other Tesla news, a book will be coming out next month stating that management was going to sell the company to Google for $6 billion, but pulled the plug after seeing its first profits and stock share prices shoot up.)
6. A very impressive collective of trade groups has been formed to deal with the impending connected car, autonomous vehicle reality. The new Smart Transportation Innovation Coalition includes Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Association of Global Automakers, National Automobile Dealers Association, Information Technology Industry Council (which has Apple, Google, Intel and Microsoft as members), Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association, Intelligent Transportation Society of America, and Intelligent Car Coalition. The group’s main agenda will be educating lawmakers and policymakers about the potential benefits offered by advanced vehicle technologies.
7. It’s been a while, but there’s been another biofuels fraud case being prosecuted by government officials. Joseph Furando of Montvale, NJ, pleaded guilty last week in federal court in Indianapolis to all of the charges he faced, including conspiracy, wire fraud, lying to investigators, and money laundering. Prosecutors said Furando and his executive team face a May trial involving an allegation of about $55 million in illegal profits being generated through the scam.
8. For the third straight year Penske Truck Leasing has been honored by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a SmartWay Affiliate Challenge Award winner. Penske is one of seven organizations across the US to be given the award last week at the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) Capital Ideas and Exhibition Conference in Orlando, Fla. EPA honors organizations for doing an exceptional job in supporting the SmartWay partnership’s freight sustainability goals.
9. Plug-In America is honoring its 10^th anniversary by profiling 10 of its early adopter leaders who had been driving early editions of the Toyota RAV4 electric model and other limited volume electric cars in California; and in more recent times, the very first models of the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt. Among the 10 “pioneers” are Paul Scott and Linda Nicholes who have been very visible at EV events for several years.
10. Allied Specialty Vehicles (ASV), a leading manufacturer of motor vehicles for commercial, fire & emergency and recreation markets, has an exclusive partnership with CleanFUEL USA, an industry leader in propane autogas technology. Under the partnership, CleanFUEL will provide products and services to expand ASV’s line of alternative fuel vehicles, namely propane autogas.
11. Extra: In this week’s Green Auto Market Extended Edition…….. Clean vehicles being recognized as part of 45^th annual Earth Day features coverage of Kelley Blue Book’s “Ten Best Green Cars,” Clean Auto Alliance announcing the first-ever recipients of its Environment & Safety Elite Award, and Cars.com on which cities have the most eco-friendly buyers. Plus, the latest on the US fueling and charging station infrastructure and how much it’s grown in the past year (with one category declining in size). You can read more about it here.

by Jon LeSage, editor and publisher, Green Auto Market 

Here’s my take on the 10 most significant and interesting occurrences during the past week…….

1. Tesla Motors Q4 financial reporting showed sales growth and profit loss. Tesla Motors’ financial performance during 2014 hit both ends of the spectrum. Revenue soared 59% to $3.2 billion for the year while Tesla’s net loss increased to $294 versus a loss of $74 million in 2013. Fourth quarter revenue hit $957 million, up from $615 million from the fourth quarter of 2013. Using Tesla’s preferred non-GAAP accounting method, revenue rose 44% to $1.1 billion. Net losses widened to $108 million in the fourth quarter from $16 million. The company did meet its goal of producing 35,000 vehicles for the year, but did not meet its Model S P85D delivery target. Severe winter weather and shipping problems reduced its number – 1,400 vehicles shipped in December didn’t arrive until the next quarter. There had already been growing concerns about Tesla’s delivery problems based on the brand’s slower-than-expected launch in China, with the company last month confirming demand there was “unexpectedly weak.” Tesla said it ran into concern from potential buyers in China about the lack of charging infrastructure in the country. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has expressed frustration that problems in China have raised with investors, saying that the issue “is being blown way out of proportion.” The company has approached the final stages of development for its Model X crossover. Tesla expects to ship 55,000 Model S and X units in 2015, yielding more than a 70% year-over-year increase in deliveries. Forty percent of the deliveries are expected to take place in the first half of the year. Tesla entered 2015 with over 10,000 Model S orders and nearly 20,000 Model X reservations.
2. This Month in Green Auto Market – Extended Edition: Former biofuels industry leader and Propel Fuels CEO Matt Horton takes on a new role with an electric vehicle manufacturer………. What the new Ford Interceptor Utility means for police departments – and what law enforcement thinks about alternative fuel vehicles………. Monthly figures for hybrid and plug-in sales, alternative fueling stations, and fuel prices……… All this and more for those interested in subscribing to the monthly edition of this newsletter.
3. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded 10 projects teams to deploy 55 low and zero emission fuel cell, battery electric, and electric hybrid buses across the US; 38 of them will be electric or fuel-cell powered. CALSTART will be working with three transit agencies to purchase and deploy 15 of these vehicles: Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) will receive $8,877,405 for five hydrogen fuel cell buses from the Integrated Product Team of Ballard Power Systems, BAE Systems, and ElDorado National; SunLine Transit Agency will receive $9,803,860 to build and deploy five hydrogen electric hybrid fuel cell buses. BAE Systems, Ballard Power Systems and ElDorado National will team up to build the new zero-emission buses; and San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) will receive $4,702,011 and purchase five Proterra battery-electric buses and a charging station. You can read all about it at the FTA site.
4. Canadian company Ballard Power Systems has entered into an $80 million “technology solutions” transaction with Volkswagen that involves transfer of automotive fuel cell intellectual property and a two-year extension of an engineering services contract. Audi will acquire a package of patents from the fuel-cell company that will be applied across all VW Group brands. Along with cars, Ballard produces cells for use in forklifts, buses, and stationary used in distributed power generation.
5. Solar-powered electric car Stella has won the TechCrunch award for biggest technology achievements during the 8th annual “Crunchies Awards.” Stella was up against an impressive list of contenders — Apple Pay, The Block Chain (Bitcoin), Rosetta Mission’s Comet Landing, and SpaceX Lateral Booster. Stella, created by Solar Team Eindhoven from the Eindhoven (Netherlands) University of Technology, has been widely recognized and is gaining support. Partners include National Drive Electric Week, Plug In America, and the Coast to Coast EV Connection project. Stella’s car uses a roof-mounted solar panel that can provide enough power to move the car 500 miles on a full charge of the battery.
6. Agility Fuel Systems, a leading designer and producer of natural gas fuel storage and delivery systems for heavy duty trucks and buses, and Clean Energy Fuels announced a joint CNG fuel system sales program to reduce the incremental cost of heavy-duty natural gas trucks. Agility and Clean Energy will work with trucking customers and offer CNG fuel systems installed at a substantially reduced cost when there is a natural gas fueling agreement. Last year during ACT Expo 2014, Agility announced a joint venture with Hexagon Lincoln to manufacture both a new type of lightweight Type IV CNG fuel cylinder, and the assemblies needed to mount them on heavy duty vehicles.
7. Volkswagen of America says it will invest $10 million to support electric vehicle infrastructure by 2016. During a presentation at the 2015 Electric Drive Congress in Washington, DC, Volkswagen’s Jörg Sommer, vice president, product marketing and strategy, made the announcement during a presentation about the automaker’s approach to e-mobility surrounding the launch of the electric 2015 e-Golf. The automaker would like to see federal financing support for setting up fast-charging networks in urban areas and interstate corridors.
8. Technical support for those repairing hybrids and EVs. I-CAR®,the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, launched the Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Disable Search on the I-CAR Repairability Technical Support (RTS) Portal to build a robust, centralized hub of valuable industry information to give collision repair professionals the answers they need as quickly as possible. Users can find information on how to identify where parts of the hybrid or electric system are located, how to disable the system before beginning a repair, welding best practices, and refinish precautions.
9. UK testing autonomous vehicles. The United Kingdom government has launched a test program for autonomous vehicles in four cities across the country. No major automakers appear to be involved in the test program, and the projects include smaller vehicles such as a pod-like microcar and another test model that looks like an oversize golf cart. The project has the equivalent of about $30 million in government funding.
10. Higher mileage Chevy Volt. Automotive News analyzed what’s behind General Motors increasing the battery-only range on a single charge of the 2016 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid from 38 miles to 50 miles. Some of that improved fuel efficiency comes from reducing its weight 243 pounds from the prior model. Subscribers have access to a chart with popups explaining where those gains were made in the battery pack, engine, and electric transaxle.

by Jon LeSage, editor and publisher, Green Auto Market 

Here’s my take on the 10 most significant and interesting occurrences during the past week…….

1. The Keystone XL pipeline could see a clear decision made this month in Washington. The US Senate last week passed a bill approving the Keystone pipeline, 62 to 36. House Republican leadership would like to vote next week on the Senate’s bill which would allow for a pipeline between Alberta and Houston that would transport refined tar sands oil back to refineries in Canada. It’s been nearly six years that the Canadian government and its oil industry have been pushing to get this through. President Obama may veto the bill while waiting for feedback from the State Department and other federal agencies on the pipeline; the State Department had asked agencies to turn in their feedback comments by the end of yesterday. The final decision from the State Department may be released this month, along with a decision by the White House on whether to support or reject the $8 billion pipeline project.
2. Hyundai will be reducing the price of its Tucson fuel cell vehicle in the home market of South Korea by 43% — bringing it down to the equivalent of $77,189. The challenges are there – besides the high price, there’s only one hydrogen station in South Korea with a second one scheduled to open within the first six months of 2015. The government has set a goal to increase that that number to 200 by 2025. In the US, the Tucson fuel cell model is currently available on a 36-month lease for $499 a month with $2,999 as the down payment. More details on pricing and delivery in global markets is expected to be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show next month.
3. Green Fleet Conference & Expo, which has been in operation since 2008, will change its name to Fleet Technology Expo on Aug. 24-26 of this year in Long Beach, Calif. It’s sponsored by Bobit Business Media’s Automotive Fleet, Green Fleet, and Heavy Duty Trucking The perspective will be wider on fleet operations than the Green Fleet Conference had been focused on. There will be a special track designated for converting to and maintaining an alternative-fuel fleet. Two additional tracks, Fleet Analytics and Heavy Duty, will expand the available education and expo floor offerings.
4. The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) debuted its first-ever logo and brand identify for propane autogas with the phrase, PROPANE AUTOGAS Clean American Energy™. Leaders in the propane industry commissioned PERC to develop a single symbol and identity to solidify propane autogas as the official name of the popular alternative fuel. PERC President and CEO Roy Willis also thinks it will support building a brand that advances propane as an increasingly abundant, American-made energy source.
5. Ford Motor Co. has released its 2015 Alternative Fuel Buyers Guide featuring compressed natural gas, propane autogas, biodiesel, ethanol, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and all-electric vehicles. Beyond the available vehicles and their configurations, you can see a list of qualified vehicle modifiers, fleet testimonials, available infrastructure, and incentives.
6. Vincentric worked with Business Fleet magazine on a cost analysis model for fleets deploying electric vehicles. The Smart fortwo Electric had the lowest cost per month at $455 at the three year, 12,250 mile (delivery service – local) and $535 for three year, 16,680 mile (sales driver) intervals. The Chevrolet Spark EV had the lowest cost at $651 per month in the three year, 22,175 mile (delivery service – longer distance) segment. The cost models look at total depreciation, total fuel cost (electric and gasoline), total cost to own, cents per mile, and cost per month.
7. Two car enthusiasts separately caught on camera what appears to be a camouflaged Tesla Model X driving down a test track at the Alameda Airport, near the Oakland Airport, in California. What they thought was the Tesla Model 3 that will be released in 2017 was likely the Model X crossover model that will be coming out later this year. See the video here. One thing is certain – the all-wheel drive dual-motor Model S is now in production, according to Tesla Motors. “Unlike conventional all-wheel drive vehicles that sacrifice fuel efficiency for increased traction, the All-Wheel Drive, Dual Motor Model S provides superior control while actually improving both range and acceleration, even in tough winter conditions,” the company said.
8. “Electric Vehicles and the Grid: Business Opportunities for Vehicle-to-Grid Integration Technologies” is a webinar taking place on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 2:00 EST. Navigant Research analyst Scott Shepard, Scott Fisher, director for alternative energy at NRG Energy, and Greenlots CEO Brett Hauser, will discuss the market forces and challenges driving the vehicle-grid integration (VGI) sector. Topics for discussion will include the range of V2G business opportunities, stakeholder incentives for technology development and adoption, and regulatory requirements to enable VGI.
9. If you’re bored and looking for something interesting to watch, check out the “insane” button on the Tesla Model S P85D. A Tesla driver shows the passenger what happens when you push the button and both the rear and front engines are engaged at the same time. The Model S shoots off 0 to 60 in three seconds, and you get to see passengers express every type of emotion you can imagine. The video is titled, “Tesla P85D Insane Mode Launch Reactions Compilation – Explicit Version.”
10. A police department in Illinois is saving about $0.61 per gallon equivalent with propane autogas instead of gasoline. Most of these 10 patrol cars being tested on propane drive about 250,000 a year, meaning a significant savings; and the department will be applying for a state rebate program, says Police Chief David Brey of Lake in the Hills, a village in Illinois. The department is working with ICOM North America to convert 10 Chevy Tahoes that range from the 2012 to 2014 model years with ICOM’s bi-fuel system that runs on propane autogas and gasoline.