Electric vehicle sales stayed strong in the U.S. while overall new vehicle sales were down in March. TrueCar expects Tesla will be the only automaker to see a gain during the month. The war in Ukraine and what remains of the Covid-19 pandemic have disrupted supply chains along with continued shortage of computer chips. Skyrocketing gasoline prices also had quite an impact.

Looking at quarterly numbers, Reuters reported other markets are seeing a strong gain for green car sales with 40% going to electric and hybrid vehicles in France. On the other side of the green car sales coin, gas guzzling, expensive SUVs did well in the U.S., with the Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade, seeing sales rise during the quarter compared to a year ago.

Tesla should be reporting strong numbers as its quarterly report comes out soon. Wall Street expects a gain over its fourth quarter deliveries of 308,650 electric vehicles. However, they will be watching to see if the company having to shut down its Shangai factory to comply with Covid-19 lockdowns could have a downward effect.

Kia has enjoyed marginal success in EV sales. Kia America just reported that it sold 3,156 all-electric EV6 models in March, its best-ever monthly sales. The company also reported a 55% increase of all its electrified during March.

Fuel prices reached highest level ever last month. AAA Gas Prices reports an average U.S. retail gasoline station price of $4.21 as today, compared to $2.87 as of a year ago. California has the highest price, with an average of $5.88. Diesel fuel’s national average is $5.10 versus $3.09 a year ago, AAA reports. The highest U.S. fuel prices ever recorded by AAA happened last month — $4.33 for regular unleaded on March 11 and $5.13 for diesel on March 12.

President Biden just announced the release of 1 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve every day through October to address the soaring prices, and which he blames on Russia’s chief Vladimir Putin. He’s hoping that could drop gas prices down by about 50 cents per gallon. Oil analysts don’t think it will have that much effect with a temporary dip that will go away from the usual spikes seen from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

The gas pump price hike is being felt with spikes like $6.25 per gallon at some California gas stations — and similar surges across the country relative to their average prices. But that price spike did start creeping up right before Russia invaded Ukraine. One the EV side of the business, those sales have been doing well for awhile — with significant increases in 2021 coming from more appealing and cost effective products to choose from, concern over climate change and air pollution, and improvements in charging stations and EV range.

The impact of Russia on the fuel prices and the global auto market is still too early to be determined. The country is the third biggest producer of oil in the world, behind the US and Saudi Arabia. Europe is feeling it the most, with more than half of Russia’s exports going there. That’s behind the tensions between Germany and Russia about production of a long-awaited oil pipeline — which Germany has put on hold for now.

The US is less reliant on Russian oil — getting about 3% of its imports from that country in 2020. That number went up to 7.9% in 2021 according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and it is thought to be a part of fuel prices spiking in the U.S. That places Russia right behind Mexico for third place in U.S. oil imports, with Canada still providing over five times as much oil as either Mexico or Russia provided last year.

EV maker startup Rivian Automotive Inc. has sent out a warning on the impact of chaos in Eastern Europe. In a regulatory filing Thursday, the electric truck and van maker blamed the war, along with the ongoing pandemic and inflation, for “disruptions to and delays” in operations. The company also listed the military conflict as a factor in higher component costs —  including battery metals, which Rivian said have risen “considerably.”

Chaos continues in Ukraine. News is coming out daily on the impact of air strikes in the region with the latest being Russia accusing Ukrainian forces of sending two helicopters to attack a fuel facilitate at Belgorod, about 20 miles inside Russia. A video showed the storage tanks on fire. A U.S. official did confirm the airstrike, and that another one had occurred at a Russian ammunition depot in that area two days earlier.

Ukrainian officials have not confirmed the attack yet, but they have raised concerns this week about the country’s national nuclear plant operator, Energoatom, reporting that the last of the Russian forces that had occupied the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant had pulled out. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russian troops who dug trenches in the still-contaminated forest around Chernobyl had been exposed to radiation. There have been no confirmation of reports that troops have been sickened by the radiation exposure. Global nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA, is conducting an investigation, and on Thursday said that it had “not been able to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radiation” in the exclusion zone around the decommissioned nuclear power plant.

And in other news………….

EVs visible at the Oscars: Aside from another type of chaos coming from the Will Smith slap, electric vehicle had a few shining moments during Academy Award commercials on Sunday night. While most automakers stayed away from the awards show TV spots they usually run, EV startup Lucid showed of its Air model. Disney’s ABC was asking for between $1.7 million and $2.2 million for a 30-second ad during the Oscars. Lucid has been promoting a few attractive features in its marketing materials lately — an EPA range of up to 520 miles per charge, a fast charging system, and the ability to design the details on Air ordered.

Other TV spots during they Academy Awards included:
—The BMW iX all electric SUV
—The Mercedes EQS Electric sedan, which the company just announced has a starting price of $147,500.
—FedEx’s “Priority Earth” commercial featuring electric vans.

Editor’s note: You may not have seen any or some of these TV commercials while watching the Oscars on Sunday night. The TV ads that we view will vary by how we watch TV, which has been affected by the near-end of traditional broadcast TV, explosive growth in streaming channels and how each one is showing its commercials, and whether we’re still watching cable TV.

NHTSA rules detailed: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced today it has finalized its light-duty vehicle fuel economy standards, which will:
—Increase fuel efficiency 8% annually for 2024-25 model years.
—Increase fuel efficiency 10% annually for the 2026 model year.
—Require an industrywide fleet average of approximately 49 mpg in the 2026 model year.
—Reduce U.S. gasoline consumption by more than 200 billion gallons, as compared with continuing under standards changed over by the previous administration.
—Reduce average fuel costs over the lifetime of 2029 model-year vehicles by $1,387, while increasing the average cost of those vehicles by about $1,087.

That average has been adjusted over the years from the initial target of about 54.5 mpg under the Obama administration. The revised and finalized standards will require an industrywide fleet average of approximately 49 mpg in the 2026 model year. It will start with an in increase fuel efficiency by 8 percent annually for cars and light trucks in the 2024 and 2025 model years, and by 10 percent annually for 2026.

ACT Expo speaker lineup announced for May event
Organizers of the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo this week announced the roster of featured speakers for the 11th annual event, taking place again at the Long Beach Convention Center from May 9-12, 2022.

Attendees will hear speakers talk about the history-making trend of rapidly accelerating decarbonization of commercial transportation during the four-day event. Top executives fromf all sectors will be present — global vehicle manufacturers, supplier partners, fleet operators, and other key stakeholders in the field.
That list includes:
John O’Leary, President and CEO, Daimler Truck North America 
Mathias Carlbaum, President and CEO, Navistar
Tom Linebarger, Chairman and CEO, Cummins 
Art Vallely, President, Penske Truck Leasing
Peter Voorhoeve, President, Volvo Trucks North America
Carlos Maurer, Executive Vice President, Sectors and Decarbonization, Shell
Mary Aufdemberg, General Manager of Product Strategy and Market Development, Daimler Truck North America
Marie Robinson, Executive Vice President, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Sysco 
Craig Harper, Chief Sustainability Officer, EVP, J.B. Hunt
Drew Cullen, Senior Vice President, Fuels & Facility Services, Penske Transportation Solutions
Matt McLelland, VP of Sustainability and Innovation, Covenant Logistics
Bill Bliem, Senior Vice President of Fleet Services, NFI Industries 
Patrick Browne, Vice President, Sustainability, UPS 
Emily Conway, Fleet Sustainability Manager, PepsiCo 
Jeff Wismans, National Director of Fleet Operations, UNFI
Lisa McAbee, Vice President, McAbee Trucking
Thomas Healy, CEO, Hyliion
Craig Knight, CEO, Hyzon Motors
Andreas Lips, CEO, Shell Recharge Solutions
Pablo Koziner, President, Energy and Commercial, Nikola Motor Company
Lining Zhou, President & Co-Founder, Coulomb Solutions (CATL)
Aaron Gilmore, CEO, WAVE
Çetin Meriçli, CEO & Co-Founder, Locomation
Charlie Jatt, Head of Commercial Trucking, Waymo
 
The full list of ACT Expo speakers can be viewed on the ACT Expo site.

How much clean fuel can a cow provide per year?
“With a good natural gas car, one cow could get you across the country,” said Neil Black, president of California Bioenergy, which installs the digesters that trap and repurpose the gas. “In addition to producing milk and cheese and yogurt and ice cream … each cow produces about 125 diesel gallon equivalents of methane a year.”

Read all about it, and the challenges being faced by renewable fuel suppliers, in an LA Times feature article.

And read about RNG Coalition members providing a bullish outlook on the future of that clean fuel hitting growth targets. 

Aside from historic tensions between Russia and NATO-member countries, there’s another factor that appears to be driving some of the conflict over Ukraine. Russia is the world’s largest supplier of natural gas, providing about 40% of Europe’s supply. Russia might be able to manipulate the supply chain, including cutting off gas pipelines running through Ukraine.

Most of the natural gas used in Europe heats homes, and there’s a large part of it powering industry in the continent. Russia’s biggest customer has been Germany, which needs natural gas to heat homes and run factories. While German has invested heavily in wind power and other renewables, natural gas still leads the way.

That was behind German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visiting President Joe Biden at the White House this week. The main topic of discussion was a Russia-to-Germany pipeline called Nord Stream 2. While it’s not yet in operation, it’s been the source of NATO-member debate for years, with Germany supporting the pipeline but the U.S. has been worried that it would increase Europe’s dependence on more Russian energy.

It would be highly disruptive if Russia decides to cutoff natural gas to Europe — unlikely as much or Russia’s economy is energy dependent. But it could be used if military and economic tensions between Russians the U.S. continue to escalate. The game of chess continues as Russia prepares its large combat force to go to war, if necessary, and the U.S. struggles to build more NATA support for a potential armed conflict.

Russia could cut off gas exports via pipelines in Ukraine — which would have a harmful impact on Germany and Europe overall. That’s been a driver for Germany to send it chancellor over to Washington to meet with Biden. There’s also a concern from Germany and others that Europe’s already high energy prices could soar if Russia were to alter the supply.

Ford taking electric trucks and commercial vans seriously
Ford is adding to the electric truck market through its F-Series — and more recently from an announcement it will begin shipping its all-new E-Transit electric commercial vans. Ford invested $100 million in Kansas City Assembly Plant and added approximately 150 full-time jobs to produce E-Transit as part of its commitment to American manufacturing. This vehicle follows the Mustang Mach-E sport utility vehicle, the F-150 lightning electric pickup, and the F-150 Lightning Pro, the first-ever all-electric F-Series truck purpose-built for commercial customers.

The company said it will be able to globally produce 600,000 battery electric vehicles by late 2023. The E-Transit already has more than 10,000 orders from businesses of all sizes and Ford is working on ways to increase production, the company said.

Ford is also selling another potential benefit to customers going the electric truck route. The company said it will be the first in the U.S. to offer the ability for customers to power their homes with the F-150 Lightning if the grid were to go dark. Ford and its F-Series until will be partnering with major solar company Sunrun to enhance home energy management. That comes soon after the nation saw its largest-ever energy interruptions during 2020.

BMW Brilliance being led by the German automaker
BMW AG has an increased majority stake in its Chinese joint venture BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd. (BBA). BBA just received the necessary business license from Chinese authorities, effective Feb. 11. It’s giving the German automaker a 75% stake and Chinese partner Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. is indirectly holding the remaining 25%. 

The BMW Group in 2020 worked with its Chinese partner on doubling battery production at the Tiexi, China, battery factory. That was done to increase supply coming from growing demand for its electric vehicles in that market.

These ownership changes have been in the works since 2018, when Tesla was given an exemption and kept full ownership of its Chinese operations. BMW first took a majority share in BMW Brilliance that year. But as of the beginning of this year, the Chinese government has stopped making the 50-50 mandate.

The government is taking a more cautious approach in other sectors as that ownership model continues to change across economic sectors. Much of that comes from its ridesharing giant Didi Global Inc’s controversial listing. Didi held an IPO in June last year, which placed pressure on Chinese companies doing business in the U.S. Filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission didn’t go well with Chinese authorities. China’s antitrust regulator, the State Administration of Market Regulators, ended up grilling leading Chinese tech companies last year, including Didi, about unfair competitive practices.

Shenzen, China-based BYD had a very good month — and year. Its EV sales totaled 92,926 and soared 367.6% of sales in January 2022 over that same month a year earlier. That followed a year of selling about 600,000 vehicles last year. Last fall, Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway was able to lead the raising of about $1.78 billion in stock placement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

And in other news………
Trucker battle in Canada: Auto parts maker Magna International Inc said disruptions at the Ambassador bridge caused by Canadian trucker protests against Covid-19 vaccination mandates have started to have some initial impact on its operations. Since late January, convoys of truck drivers going from British Columbia to Ottawa have been blocking traffic to protest Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s mandate. Some of Magna’s automaker customers have had to cut or idle production due to the gridlock at the Canadian capital; the route has always been a key supply route for U.S. automakers.

Funding strong for EV charging and vehicles: The Biden administration yesterday announced $5 billion will be available to states to fund electric vehicle charging stations over the next five years. It came out of the administration’s $7.5 billion in infrastructure funds tied to expanding the nation’s network of EV chargers. It’s a very good time for the charging infrastructure and EV makers to gain necessary financial backing. It topped $19 billion last year, according to Crunchbase data — more than double what came through in 2020. Electric truck maker did well, raising $2.65 billion in January 2021 and another $2.5 billion in July of that year. The solid-state battery space is finding backers too for battery companies and OEMs.

Tesla is going through a bit of turbulence for a few reasons…….
—A California civil rights agency sued Tesla this week, alleging racist harassment of and discrimination against black workers that has persisted for years at the company’s car assembly plant and other facilities in the state. That was tied into a three-year long investigation and review of hundreds of complaints from Tesla workers by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
—Tesla will be recalling nearly 580,000 vehicles in the U.S. — coming from 10 recalls with two of them in the past couple of weeks as increasing scrutiny has come from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). One of the most recent recalls ordered Tesla to roll back a self-driving feature that caused the company’s cars to break the law. While Elon Musk said “there were no safety issues,” federal regulators disagree. Teslas has attempted to slow down but not completely stop at all-way intersections with stop signs, under very specific conditions. The company first introduced the so-called “rolling stop” feature back in October 2020 as part of an update to its Full Self-Driving beta software update.

It was a good year for clean transportation and sustainability efforts, but not so good for the overall state of things.

Stakeholders in the field continue to do an admirable job of pushing forward the issues for government support and funding, technology innovations, sustainable transportation projects, and increasing public support for electrified, clean fuel vehicles and renewable energy.

All that, while an unstable landscape continues.

Weather disasters increased, with evidence mounting of climate change intensifying. For those attending and following COP26 — the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland — a consensus came out that the new climate agreement was too watered down, that very little came from the conference.

Positive moves came out of Washington, D.C., especially supporting electric vehicle sales and infrastructure. But the federal government has been overshadowed by investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the capitol and what came of it. And there’s the part about the federal budget not being passed yet. Of course, a resolution was passed that continues until Feb. 18. But if a deal isn’t reached and signed by the president, agencies will have to run at last year’s levels and not meet requests/demands for increases. And federal employees might not see their paychecks for a while, which is the case during typical budget agreement deals being dragged out.

The biggest issue of all — Covid-19 — is also continuing to present a distressing chain of events, with a small glimmer of hope coming through. Are we over the hump yet on it? When can we take off our masks?

It’s time to take a good look at how things are going in clean transportation and fuels — which is making very positive contributions to the planet, air quality, the economy, and opportunities for innovation. It’s also useful to look at what’s happening in the auto industry, affecting how well clean transportation adoption can go forward in 2022.

The state of the auto industry
New vehicle sales in 2021 finished a little bit over 15 million, up 3.4% from last year. That was a slight uptick from 2020 — but still about 2 million units below the year before Covid-19 hit, according to the Associated Press. Sales would have been even higher if the supply of microchips had been enough, which wasn’t the case. General Motors felt it harder than several competitors; the company lost its mantle as the No. 1 selling automaker in the U.S. to Toyota. GM reported a 13% sale drop last year, while Toyota saw its U.S. sales rise 10.4% during the year to 2.3 million units.

The must-attend CES annual conference and trade show in Las Vegas closed one day early as a pandemic safety protocol, running from Jan. 5-7, 2022, according to the  Consumer Technology Association. Automakers showed more of their presence in the autonomous vehicle arena, not to mention electric vehicles. More than a dozen new production and concept cars made their debut, including some from as far away as Turkey and Vietnam.

The Cadillac Halo Concept Portfolio was displayed, including InnerSpace, a two-passenger autonomous electric vehicle. GM and Qualcomm rolled out the Ultra Cruise cruise control product. GM’s Chevrolet Silverado EV drew a lot of attention at the conference.It’s scheduled to go on sale in 2023 as a battery-powered alternative in General Motors’ popular pickup offerings. Mercedes-Benz made a bold claim at CES — its EQXX concept gets 625 miles per charge and its batteries are 50 percent smaller and 30 percent lighter than those in its recently launched Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan. No production plans have been announced, but company executives say the batteries and other technologies will find their way into future Mercedes electric vehicles.

Bloomberg today published one of those articles we’ve seen quite a few times in the past decade: major automakers commit to knocking Tesla off its pedestal as the clear leader in plug-in electric vehicles. Volkswagen and Toyota are leading the charge, laying out $170 billion worth of investments to win, according to the article. We’ve heard many grand statements made by these and other companies; and yet, they still don’t really follow through. Let’s see how this one goes.

Tesla sees a good year
Tesla said it delivered 308,600 electric vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2021, beating its previous single-quarter record as well as analysts’ expectations. For the full year, the electric automaker delivered 936,172 vehicles, an 87% increase versus 2020 when it reported its first annual profit on deliveries of 499,647.

The company’s new facility in Austin, Tex., known as Gigafactory Texas, will begin production in mid-January. The Model Y crossover, and the upcoming Cybertruck, will come from this plant. The company is operating plants in Fremont, Calif., Nevada, New York, and Shanghai; and will be opening soon in Berlin and Austin.

Stock market analysts wonder why CEO Elon Musk has been selling so many of his Tesla shares, $16.4 billion worth since November. Perhaps $11 billion will go toward paying his federal tax bill; and another $2 billion could go toward paying off his $2 billion in taxes owed to the state of California. Some of it may go into his SpaceX company and into Gigafactory Texas. Musk did ask his Twitter followers for feedback on it in November before initiating a few efforts to sell those shares.

It probably helped for Musk to win the Time Magazine Person of the Year award for 2021. His credibility and support has been coming back.

The company just announced that it will be selling its “full self driving” (FSD) software for $12,000, up $2,000 from the previous price. Must tweeted on Friday that the new price will take affect on January 17th for customers “only in the U.S.”

Global EV sales
Global passenger plug-in electric vehicle sales not only continued to increase, but reached a new all-time record in November 2021. According to EV-Volumes data, over 721,000 global new passenger plug-in electric vehicles were registered during that month. That was 72% more than that month in the previous year, and a new monthly high. Another new record was set with EVs making up 11.5% of new vehicles sales globally for that month. About 72% of the new EV sales were battery electric — making up about 518,000 units versus 203,000 going to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles globally in November.

U.S. sales of EVs jumped 83 percent in 2021 to 434,879, but represented only 3% of the market, according to data from analytics firm Wards Intelligence. In 2020, the electric share of new vehicle sales was approximately 2.4%, for a total of 306,000 units sold in the U.S. That broke out to about 66,200 plug-in hybrids and 240,100 battery electric vehicles, according to Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 39, April 2021.

Forbes reported that Chinese automakers saw a very good sales year, with about three million EVs sold in that country last year. BYD’s EV sales increased 314% — from 189,689 in 2020 to 603,783 in 2021. Nio more than doubled sales volume with a 109% rise over 2020, coming in at 91,429 sold last year. Li Auto sold 90,491, a 177% increase over 2020. XPeng reported 98,155 EVs sold last year, a 263% increase over the previous year.

States are playing a very significant role in clean vehicle manufacturing and refueling/recharging networks going forward, according to Gladstein Neandross & Associates (GNA). Through its Policy 360 program, GNA has observed that several state have adopted policies to require the sales or purchase of passenger and commercial zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). California continued to lead the way, with Policy 360 tracking several initiatives in 2021. They could set the precedent for what to expect in a number of states in 2022. For California, these actions included “ZEV sales and purchase mandates; increased incentives such as grants, rebates, and loans for the acquisition of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure; and the introduction of pilot programs and other studies to understand the impacts of zero emissions fees and taxes, vehicle production, and freight corridors,” GNA wrote in coverage of the program.

Topics to follow in the new year………..
1. Biomethane advocacy nonprofit Energy Vision studied nine options that refuse fleets have available to power their vehicles. Fuels and technologies included biodiesel, renewable diesel, fossil, renewable natural gas (RNG), hybrid technologies, battery electric vehicles, dimethyl ether (DME), and hydrogen. The report found trucks equipped with natural gas engines powered by organic waste-derived RNG fuel achieved the greatest benefits at the lowest cost. These strong ratings included performance, cost, cutting lifecycle GHG emissions, and health-damaging pollutants. RNG-powered refuse trucks, compared to diesel-powered, see their nitrogen oxides emissions cut by 90% — and significant reduction in particulate emissions.

2. The electric vehicle grabbing most of the attention lately: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning.

3. A major stumbling block for advancement of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) to autonomous vehicles: the courtroom.

4. Keep your eyes on special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, which have been very attractive for more companies including batter company Solid Power, charging supplier ChargePoint, and EV startup Lucid Group.

5. International Energy Agency (IEA) says in a new report that the world’s capacity to generate electricity from solar panels, wind, and other renewable energy sources are on course to accelerate over the coming years, with 2021 expected to set a fresh all-time record for new installations.

6. A March 2021 analysis of the world’s 2,000 biggest publicly traded firms found that over 400 of them have embraced net-zero targets, according to Cleantech Group’s Ian Hayton, lead analyst, materials & chemicals. These 700 companies have some sort of neutrality pledge in place. These pledges came from several large firms across industries including Coca-Cola, General Motors, French utility Engie, and Nippon Steel.

7. Which type of vehicle is poised to lead the way over to autonomous vehicles? Commercial trucks.

8. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric SUV got an EPA-rating of more than 300 miles per charge. Pricing starts below $33,000 when you count in the $7,500 federal tax credit.

Upcoming Events

National Biodiesel Conference and Expo
Jan. 17 – Jan. 20, 2022 in Las Vegas

National Ethanol Conference
Feb. 21 — 23, 2022 in New Orleans

Green Truck Summit-Work Truck Show
March 8 – 11, 2022 inIndianapolis

Sustainability and Emerging Transportation Technology (SETT) Conference
March 15 — 18, 2022 in Irvine, Calif.

Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo
May 9-12, 2022 in Long Beach, Calif.

As the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) enters its final stretch in Glasgow, Scotland, here are a few highlights:

Phasing-out fossil-fuel vehicles — who’s on board: 2040 is the target year to remove fossil fuel-powered vehicles to fight climate change from a group of automakers, other companies, countries, and cities. Some major players are not backing it as of yet. Here’s how it breaks out so far for what’s being called the Glasgow Declaration on Zero Emission Cars and Vans:

Backing it: Over 100 signatories including General Motors, Ford, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, BYD, and Jaguar Land Rover; Leaseplan; Uber; food retailer Sainsbury’s; 33 national governments including India, New Zealand, and Great Britain; states such as California and New York; and cities such as Seoul, South Korea, and Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Not backing it: Toyota, Volkswagen, Stellantis, Hyundai, Nissan, Honda, and BMW; and the U.S., China, Germany, Japan, and France. Why are they not backing it? Some say that countries need to go further with their commitment to the charging and grid infrastructure. Germany said that there’s still an internal debate over whether fuels made from renewable energy but burned in a combustion engine could form part of the solution. The European Union has proposed a fossil-fuel vehicle ban on these vehicles by 2035, along with a commitment to a charging infrastructure that automakers have been asking for.

The U.S. still needs to get its act together on new climate change policies, along with finish up the overall federal budget. The bipartisan infrastructure bill did finally pass a few days ago, but much is yet to be done in Washington.

Youth activists want more: While constructive pledges are emerging form COP26, there continues to be a number of stalled items that many would like to see go forward. Eighteen-year old global activist Greta Thunberg has been leading a massive protest outside the meeting halls. She’s tired of just hearing, “blah blah blah,” coming out of the working group sessions. These activists are pushing hard for politicians to end inaction, calling government figures and business leader to do everything they possibly can meet the crucial goal of capping global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Tens of thousands of protesters marched through the rainy streets of Glasgow, Scotland over the weekend to demand the urgent measures necessary to tackle the crisis.

Supply chain goes for 2050 as the mark: 2050 could be a more realistic goal for other countries and stakeholders as the First Movers Coalition was formed that wants to help transform eight hard-to-abate sectors: aluminum, aviation, chemicals, cement, direct air capture, shipping, steel, and trucking. Together, these economic sectors represent more than one-third of the world’s carbon emissions. The World Economic Forum is partnering with the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and over 30 global companies to invest in innovative green technologies so they are available for massive scale-up by 2030 to enable net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. Founding members include A.P. Møller – Mærsk, Amazon, Apple, Bank of America, Mahindra Group, SSAB Swedish Steel, Trafigura Group, Vattenfall, Volvo Group, Yara International, and Western Digital.

U.S. calls for cutting methane: Last week, the Biden administration announced it will be cracking down on methane, a potent greenhouse gas that spews from oil and natural gas operations and can warm the atmosphere 80 times as fast as carbon dioxide in the short term. Methane is produced by landfills, agriculture, livestock, and oil and gas drilling. It is sometimes intentionally burned or vented into the atmosphere during gas production, which has been difficult for governments to stop.

It will apply to about one million oil and gas rigs across the U.S. The Obama administration had previously attempted to prevent methane lakes from oil and gas wells built since 2015, but these rules were cut out by the Trump administration.

President Joe Biden also said that 70 countries had joined a coalition to cut methane levels 30 percent by 2030.

In Washington, the oil and gas industry has been working together to block a separate effort in Congress to impose a fee on methane leaks from oil and gas wells as part of a broader budget bill. The methane fee is designed both to raise revenue and to lower greenhouse pollution.

Deforestation another key focus at COP26: Brazil joined more than 100 other signatories committed to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, which became the first major deal last week to come out of the global conference. Brazil holds about one-third of the world’s remaining rainforests, including a majority of the Amazon rainforest. Brazilian farmers and beef-sector ranchers have cut down much of it, while other Brazilian farmers have been working hard to protect and restore it.

The countries who have signed the pledge — including Canada, Brazil, Russia, China, Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the US, and the UK, cover around 85% of the world’s forests. Forests play a critical role in fighting climate change by absorbing vast amounts of carbon. Another bright spots has been a pledge of public and private funds to meet the pledge and coming in at about $19.2 billion.

And in other news: A major environmental report was released as COP26 moved forward last week. A new analysis study produced by investigative journalism non-profit ProPublica shows for the first time just how much cancer-causing chemicals come from thousands of sources of hazardous air pollution in the U.S. — and how much the chemicals they unleash could be elevating cancer risk in their communities. Using advanced data processing software and a modeling tool developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ProPublica mapped the spread of cancer-causing chemicals from thousands of sources of hazardous air pollution across the country between 2014 and 2018. It offers a distinct view of how toxic air blooms around industrial facilities and spreads into nearby neighborhoods. One example given in the study comes from a huge chemical plant near a high school in Port Neches, Texas, which laces the air with benzene, an aromatic gas that can cause leukemia.

DOE granting awards for emissions reductions: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) last week awarded $199 million to fund 25 projects aimed at putting cleaner cars and trucks on America’s roads, including long-haul trucks powered by batteries and fuel cells, and at improving the nation’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Projects granted funding include SuperTruck 3, the third phase of an initiative that will work to improve medium- and heavy-duty truck efficiencies and reduce emissions of freight transportation. Overall, 25 research, development, and demonstration projects were granted awards aimed at advancing electrification of freight trucks, reducing vehicle emissions, and improving the electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Volvo Group, PACCAR, Daimler Trucks, Ford, and General Motors, were among the winners.

Rivian going public: Electric truck startup Rivian is expected to do very well during its initial public offering today — with valuation estimates that came in at about $70 billion shooting up to nearly $107 billion. The company has been at it a long time — first raising debt financing about a decade ago. The past two years have been much better, driven by an Amazon-led round bringing in around $700 million in corporate backing. As a private company, Rivian has raised about $10.5 billion in funding.

Based in Irvine, Calif., the truckmaker has a manufacturing plant in Normal, Ill., and other facilities in Palo Alto, Calif., Carson, Calif., Plymouth, Mich., Vancouver, British Columbia, and Woking, England.

Study on power sources for U.S. energy: Interested in finding out how clean energy is becoming in the U.S. — and which states are the farthest behind? Check out a new study from Michael Sivak, the managing director of Sivak Applied Research and the former director of Sustainable Worldwide Transportation at the University of Michigan; and calculations based on the data developed by the Union of Concerned Scientists; plus raw data (the percentages of electricity generated from different energy sources in the individual states) coming from the Nuclear Energy Institute. A well-to-wheels report on electric vehicle emissions of greenhouse gas took into account eight different energy sources. Coal and oil continue to be the source leading to most emissions from electricity generation, and hydro, wind, and nuclear are the energy sources leading to least emissions. West Virginia continues to be the leading source of power generated by coal, in 2020 knocking out Wyoming as the 2018 leader. Missouri, Kentucky, and Utah were the remaining states in the top five worst coal-power polluters.

Global carbon data analysis updated: Our World in Data, a source of data and analysis on critical issues, just updated its data on global CO2 emissions. The annual update is based on the latest release form the Global Carbon Project. Check out the overall website for amazing, and sometimes disturbing, charts on numerous categories shaping the world’s future.

If bizarre and tragic weather reports aren’t enough for you, how about another one? Check out this detailed look at the state of plastics accumulating in the ocean and what that means for various forms of life.

Yes, it’s a dark time to hear about climate change, which would be more accurately called climate crises these days. And there’s more bad news. When will COVID-19 be over and economic disruption continuing with more inflation and the global supply chain being clogged up (make sure you add extra days/weeks to any of your Amazon, UPS, and FedEx orders)? There are no easy, clear solutions for all of it in Washington, D.C., and Glasgow, Scotland.

But there may be a glimmer of hope out there. Here’s a look at the state of things………….

What’s coming at COP26: The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is the 26th conference of its type and got underway yesterday. Today was filled with ominous warnings about where it all stands. It will be running through Nov. 12 in Glasgow, Scotland at the Scottish Event Campus. There’s a good deal of concern over global temperatures rising and that it could be a fighting ground between the US and China over accountability ands realistic solutions; but there’s also a good deal of gratitude that it can even take place. It had been postponed from November 2020 due to COVID-19.

President Joe Biden wants to make the case to the world at COP26 that the U.S. is clearly back in the fight against climate change. His $1.85 trillion social spending and climate bill initially had managed to apparently get through the senate, and it does include the most ambitious climate change goals adopted by the U.S. Biden hopes it will help America’s position at COP26. The challenge looked like it would be getting it through the House. There are still key congressional holdouts. The scaled-back bill still needs more support from Democrats in Congress. But then Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) shook things up today by criticizing Democrats’ $1.85 trillion bill supporting healthcare, education and climate-change; and withheld his support for a legislative framework that the White House had cast as a consensus acceptable to all members of the Senate Democratic caucus. The struggle continues.

China vs. the U.S.: While there may be great debate at COP26 over which country will be taking the best approach to reversing climate change, the numbers need a good look. These two countries lead the way as largest greenhouse gas emitters, but China is the clear winner. Rhodium Group, a research and analytics firm, studied pre-COVID 2019 data to determine that China’s greenhouse gas emissions were nearly 2.5 times that of the US’, and more than all the world’s developed countries combined. China emitted 14.1 billion metric tons in 2019, more than a quarter of the world’s total emissions. America had emitted 5.7 billion tons, 11% of total emissions, followed by India (6.6%) and the European Union (6.4%). But the U.S. is the clear global winner historically. Cumulatively, the US has emitted almost twice as much CO2 as China since 1850, and no other country has come close to beating the U.S.

Infrastructure support in CA with feds: California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) just announced a strategic partnership to help facilitate innovative projects and financing opportunities for multi-billion infrastructure improvements in the state. It follows on the heels of Newsom’s executive order to help tackle supply chain issues, and as part of the ongoing efforts of the Biden-Harris Task Force on Supply Chain Disruptions. This partnership can help kick-start construction to deliver benefits to the transportation supply chain and U.S. consumers in the future. Projects that could receive support through this agreement include: expanding capacity for freight rail; railyard and truck electrification; and highway upgrades to improve truck travel times.

The State of Sustainable Fleets report, produced by Gladstein Neandross & Associates, gathers real-world data directly from early-adopter fleets across the U.S. to provide deep insights into the adoption of clean fuel fleet vehicles and practices. The analysis includes public, private, and for-hire fleets, including school, municipal/shuttle, urban delivery, refuse, utility, transit, short-haul, and long-haul sectors. Along with insights into vehicle sale trends, real-world infrastructure and fuel costs, and the growing adoption of renewable fuels, here are a few more of the gems you can find………..

Fleet Technology Miniguides
Propane, natural gas, battery electric, and fuel cell electric vehicle miniguides

Market and Trends Brief
The 2021 State of Sustainable Fleets Market and Trends Brief is a technology-neutral analysis of key insights and critical trends for today’s leading on-road clean vehicle technologies. It studies the adoption of these four leading clean vehicle technologies against a baseline of diesel and gasoline technology. The assessment’s comprehensive findings represent government, private, and for-hire fleets and are gathered across nine sectors including school, municipal, shuttle, urban delivery, refuse, public utility, transit, regional-haul, and long-haul.

What to know about NGVs and RNG
Who is adopting natural gas vehicles and why.

Just Announced: A Potentially Industry-Changing Natural Gas Engine
More on Cummins announcing its plans to bring a 15-liter natural gas engine to the North American heavy-duty market, now bringing full range of natural gas powertrains to the market.

Fact Finder: What’s behind the numbers on violence during COVID, Quitting Vs. Fired, and even some good news Here’s Fact Finder, a new column I’m starting in Time Capsule 21st Century that’s tied into my upcoming online course, Real Research Methods, on Teachable.com. Along with looking at the crisis of the pandemic, news items and analysis look into the dark side of social media, and some very positive and constructive education and training opportunities for students wanting to strengthen their research skills and overcome an unofficial diagnosis I’m calling “information trauma.”

Industry Leaders Rally around Pathways for Decarbonization
The Mission Possible Partnership (MPP) is an alliance that aims to unite industrial leaders, customers, financiers, and more behind aggressive decarbonization strategies. Its leaders will be attending COP26 to speak the organization’s voice. Aviation, steel, and shipping are three of the seven “hardest to abate” industries that together account for some 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. And MPP, which developed the decarbonization strategies, is now working on the other four high-emitting, hard-to-abate industries: cement, aluminum, trucking, and chemicals. All these industries tend to rely on high-heat processes or energy-dense fuels for which fossil-free alternatives are either immature or expensive.

And, finally, read all about the latest from the inspirational XPRIZE — on the ground at the ANA Avatar XPRIZE finals.

Sobering news has been given to me by fellow Californians. Gov. Gavin Newsom may be ruining what was once great about California.

A co-worker told me about how he’s leaving the state, maybe to Florida. A few hours later at lunch, an old friend told me about leaving the state and moving to Japan to take a job. He’s concerned that Newsom is turning the state into “Commifornia” that’s going to drive up taxes and the cost of living even further. He’s especially concerned about Newsom recently signing bills to create more affordable housing in California; the new laws allow more duplexes and small apartment buildings in certain neighborhoods. He’s afraid that will bring him a few undesirable neighbors.

My co-worker would agree, and had a long list of problems with what’s going on in Washington, DC, as well. Newsom’s California is not for him, and he may need to leave the country. I didn’t ask whether they’d voted to recall Newsom last month, but I assume they did.

Maybe they’re pragmatic libertarians. I haven’t heard Trump’s name come up lately, or a Republicans vs. Democrats political battle. That was resolved on inauguration regardless of the January 6 chaos and Trump’s continued claim that the election was rigged. I think the two men I spoke to the other day wouldn’t be Trump true believers; but they don’t like what the state stands for and that it does cost more to live here than in a few neighboring states, several other states, and plenty of other countries. Panama was one I heard about that might be the destination of a move.

I have heard that voice coming from others, too. When I go to work in Costa Mesa, it’s an interesting mix of ex-hippies, surfers, creative workers, rich people from Newport Beach, Trump backers, visitors from other countries, vegans, environmentalists, and working people who worry about the cost of living going up. They might bring up the COVID-19 economy and how things are going up in prices and are taking long to receive — a new car, parts for their house remodel, electronics, and more.

For those wanting to leave the state, there’s a good long list of complaints: high cost of living, high taxes, job loss, and crowdedness make the list. There’s also the large homeless population, air that could be cleaner, road construction and traffic jams, and prices that keep going up.

What about diversity? I don’t see that one mentioned or hear it in conversations, but my gut instinct is that many white people are leaving because the Latinx (Latino/a) population has been growing along with other people of color. Public Policy Institute of California reported that no one group has 51%. As of 2019, it broke out to 39% of state residents are Latinx, 36% are white, 15% are Asian or Pacific Islander, 6% are African American, fewer than 1% are Native American or Alaska Natives, and 3% are multiracial or other, according to the 2019 American Community Survey.

There’s also a lot of young people moving here for school and work. That ties in with an overall population trend toward Millenials and Generation Z — meaning that teenagers through people in their early 40s fit into these two large demographic groups.

Along with those planning to leave California, recent conversations have been about whether you stay in California as you age and head to retirement years. Can you afford it?

As part of my master’s degree program in strategic communication, I’ve been working on a paper on Gen Z (teenager through late 20s) going to college and surging out into the workforce. They are a bit different, even when compared to Millennials. They’ve been “digital natives,” the first generation to be able to teach grandparents how to use their smartphones and play video games at four years old.

They’re also very open and straightforward in conversation, the workplace, and on social media — about race issues, gender identity, sexual orientation, and climate change. They may have a friend who’s been through transgender surgery, and they get very annoyed if one of their parents express concerns over one of their friends being in the LBGTQ community — or that their son or daughter is one of them. Or they may be white and just got married to a black person and they’re going to have kids.

I took that subject matter in my paper for a couple of reasons: one is that I’ll be working with Gen Xers in the next two years when I finish grad school and start teaching journalism and communication college courses. The other is that I have Gen X family members, who openly share with me about any of these questions. Their friends, and some of my co-workers, have also added to the conversations, and have made the research very insightful and never dull.

They love California, and I would tend to agree. Besides the weather, a long list of places I love to go to, and the kind of people who live here, there are other reasons.

Let’s look at a few interesting facts about the state:

U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales First Half 2021
National: 310,272
California: 121,006
_{Source: California Energy Commission}

• EVs made up 10.66% of the vehicles sold in California during the second quarter of 2021, according to Detroit Bureau. The top two selling EVs in California were Teslas: the Model Y and Model 3.
• Non-C02 emitting electric generation accounted for 51% of in-state generation in 2020, down from 57% in 2019. That came from nuclear, large hydroelectric, and renewables. Total renewables reached 33%, up 2.5% from 2019 levels.
• Residential rooftop solar photovoltaic systems directly reduce the measured delivery of power from the state’s fleet of utility-scale power plants. As a homeowner with solar power panels on the roof, I’m proud to hear that.
• While Tesla has a lot going on out-of-state, the company just broke ground in Lathrop, in San Joaquin County, Calif., to build a new “Megafactory” planned facility. The company will be making Megapacks, the energy-storage product Tesla sells to utilities. That will create more jobs for the company and for the state. It had been souring lately, when CEO Elon Musk moved to Texas in December and talked dow California polities. There’s also a new factory for production of the Model Y and Cybertruck in Austin. But like other companies, Tesla won’t be leaving the state behind entirely.
• California plans to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars statewide by 2035, Newsom announced a little over a year ago.

California, the rest of the US, and probably most of the world, will be continuing through a very stressful and strange time in our history. Murders increased 30 percent in the U.S. last year according to FBI statistics, and this year is up, too, though at a slower rate.

Clearing through COVID-19 would help quite a bit, but the polarity and struggle over political, social, economic, environmental, cultural, and other issues, won’t be getting any easier anytime soon.

And in other news…………
More than 100 U.S. House lawmakers urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi today to keep a $4,500 tax credit incentive for union-built electric vehicles (EV) in a massive spending bill. In the letter, 107 Democrats asked the speaker to retain the credit supported by the United Auto Workers and US automakers.

Volvo Trucks has received an order for 100 FM Electric trucks from DFDS, Northern Europe’s largest shipping and logistics company. It’s the biggest electric truck deal that Volvo has made, and one of the largest ever for electric heavy duty trucks worldwide. “I believe this will encourage many more customers to confidently take the first step in their own electrification journey,” said Roger Alm, President Volvo Trucks.

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is partnering with fleet operations to pilot 12 new heavy- and medium-duty natural gas vehicles. This pilot is the first step to what is an expected compressed natural gas (CNG) fleet numbering 160 or more vehicles. Janisse Quinones, PG&E Senior Vice President of Gas Engineering, said that the environmental and cost-saving benefits are the primary reasons for this program, which is why it aligns with PG&E’s sustainability goals.

 

Copper more important than lithium: I had an electrician in my house not long ago, evaluating what changeovers will be needed to plug in new appliances and get them working at the voltage and safety level they need. Somehow that kitchen evaluation meeting led to comments about a major problem for electricians, and electric vehicle makers and buyers, being caused by Elon Musk — too much copper is being put into Teslas and their charging network. That’s creating scarcity and driving up costs, he said.

Copper is used throughout electric vehicles, charging stations, and supporting infrastructure because of its durability, high conductivity, and efficiency — according to Copper Development Association Inc., a key trade group in the copper sector. For EVs, copper is a major component used in electric motors, batteries, inverters, and wiring. A battery electric vehicle can contain more than a mile of copper wiring in its stator windings used in electric motors.

Yes, Teslas and other EVs do use a lot of copper. They have four times the copper content than do gasoline-powered vehicles, says Greenlight Capital hedge-fund manager David Einhorn — and the cost is going up.

Copper Development Association reports that conventional cars use 18 to 49 pounds of copper; hybrid electric vehicles use an average of about 85 lbs.; plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) use about 132 lbs.; battery electric vehicles (BEVs) use about 183 lbs.; a hybrid electric bus uses about 196 lbs. and a battery electric bus uses about 814 lbs. of copper.

The copper trade group also estimated that BYD used 26 million pounds of copper in all its vehicles manufactured during 2016. The Chinese company that year also used more than 295,419 pounds of copper for all the chargers it sold.

Einhorn said demand for the metal has been growing significantly — 4 percent on average over the past 10 years. Beyond EVs, some of that growth will also continue to come form chargers, solar panels, and wind power. That should equate to about five million tons of demand growth per year by 2029, predicts Goldman.

Einhorn advises investing in copper due to increasing commodity prices and elevated profits for copper producers compared to past years. Prices have been going up — about 33 percent this year.

It ain’t all about the copper: Prices have been going up for EVs, such as the Tesla Model 3 recently being raised about $2,000 in sticker prices to a $39,990 starting price. The Model Y went up about $5,000 to $51,990. Asked about this on Twitter, CEO Elon Musk replied, “Prices increasing due to major supply chain price pressure industrywide. Raw materials especially.”

One of those materials has been computer chips. During the quarterly conference call in April, Musk told investors that the company set aside building luxury models — the Model S and the Model X — to send more chips over the Model 3 and Model Y. The shortage of computer chips has been a “huge problem,” Musk said.

It’s not all about Tesla, or EVs, overall. In July, the average price for a used vehicle jumped more than 21 percent to about $25,400 from $20,900 a year ago. For new cars, buyers that month started paying roughly $40,800, up about 4.9 percent year over year. Other similar price spikes were seen during that time, such as rate prices for rental cars at airports and in local markets. New and used vehicle supply has been tight, with much of that coming from the global supply chain being thrown off by COVID-19. Transporting vehicles from one city to another is also taking longer and costs have gone up.

GM facing EV battery fires: For months, General Motors faced mounting pressure this year connected to fire risk associated with LG battery packs used in the Chevrolet Bolt; a few of them caught fire during charging. The company has been able to resume production after fixing the problem, according to an August announcement. The automaker will replace batteries in all 2017 to 2022 Bolt EVs — which the company said will cost it about $800 million.

LG’s battery plants in Holland and Hazel Park, Mich., have resumed production. LG is also adding capacity to provide more cells to GM. Replacement battery modules are expected to begin shipping to dealers as soon as mid-October.

The cause of these fires will be addressed by new manufacturing processes by LG, and reviews of quality assurance programs with its partner, GM. The root cause has been identified as two manufacturing defects known as a torn anode and a folded separator, both of which need to be present in the same battery cell.

Heavy trucks helping AVs: Commercial trucks are likely to break through the barriers faced by autonomous vehicles in safety regulations and widespread adoption. That was highlighted recently during an ACT Expo speaker panel when Charlie Jatt, head of commercialization for trucking at Waymo, explained how the Alphabet subsidiary’s business plan has been morphing.

The Waymo One autonomous ride-hailing service is still going strong in the Phoenix area. Waymo Via, an autonomous trucking and local delivery solution, is a more recent addition to the Waymo family. Lessons have been learned from Google, and later Waymo, testing self-driving cars, and then transitioning over to Waymo One delivering passengers to destinations in converted, autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivans. Lessons learned are being taken over to the heavy-duty side.

“We’ve taken that playbook, in knowing how to develop and deploy a fully driverless, fully autonomous, all-the-way solution, and apply it to the trucking market,” Jatt said.

Total cost of truck ownership study: Electric and fuel cell trucks gained attention as well lately from a new study launched by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The federal agency seeks to pinpoint the conditions for when battery electric or fuel cell electric commercial trucks offer economic advantages over traditional diesel-fueled trucks by examining a key metric—the total cost of ownership (TCO). 

Commercial trucks have quite different challenges than do passenger vehicles for complying with greenhouse gas emission rules. For one, the miles driven is much more for commercial trucks — about 120,000 miles per year versus about 15,000 for personal vehicles. The weight is much heavier, too, with Class 4 trucks starting around 14,000 pounds to Class 8 tractors hauling heavy loads and bringing the GVW up to 80,000 pounds. Medium- and heavy-duty trucks use about 26 percent of transportation fuel nationwide, while only making up about 4 percent of the total vehicle fleet.

The study compares six trucks powertrain technologies and operating scenarios for Class 8 tractors and Class 4 parcel delivery trucks. These technologies are conventional diesel, diesel hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric, compressed natural gas, fuel cell electric, and battery electric.

“Our objective was to provide a quantitative comparison of various powertrains to highlight the potential lifetime implications of each technology,” said Chad Hunter, lead author of the report and former NREL researcher. “This analysis found that battery-electric and hydrogen-electric powertrains could have a competitive TCO as early as 2025, even for Class 8 vehicles, which are notoriously difficult to decarbonize.”

Dead batteries galore: While electric vehicle sales haven’t hit the 10 percent mark yet, quite a few of them have been sold since 2010 — and the question of what happens to their battery packs once they end their shelf life becomes a tough one to answer. Millions of EV batteries will be showing up in the next few years. Once placed in landfills, the cells can release problematic toxins, including heavy metals. And recycling the battery can have hazardous effects, says materials scientist Dana Thompson of the University of Leicester in England. If you cut too deep into a battery cell, or in the wrong place, it can short-circuit, combust, and release toxic fumes, she says.

Thompson advocates for constructive actions to be taken to recycle some of the battery elements and take away valuable metals that can be used elsewhere. She’s worked on developing solvents for extracting valuable metals from spent car batteries. Another practice she and colleagues have advocated for has been testing and adopting better recycling methods for the used batteries that would not only prevent pollution, but also
Helping governments boost their economic and national security by increasing supplies of key battery metals that are controlled by one or a few nations. The U.S. Department of Energy has invested about $15 million into a ReCell Center to coordinate studies by scientists in academia, industry, and at government laboratories.

Big players in energy storage and backup: You might be familiar with the larger energy storage companies that are using battery storage systems to store and distribute electric power usually generated by renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal. The top five energy storage companies in the U.S. this year are: #1. NextEra Energy, #2. Toshiba, #3. Tesla, #4. sonnen GmbH, and #5. General Electric.

What about companies that are manufacturing home generator systems that can restore power to a home or commercial building during a blackout power outage? The unsuspected market leader here has been Generac, a 62-year-old Waukesha, Wis., manufacturer that has about 75 percent of standby home generator sales in the U.S. Climate change-driven weather crises have turned it into a hot commodity on Wall Street.

Homeowners are willing to pay about $12,400 for the Generic backup generator. Hurricane Ida left over a million people in Louisiana and Mississippi without power recently in the days of turbulent weather. Last year, the Energy Department reported 383 electricity disturbances. As of the end of June, there had been 210 so far this year with a larger surge typical to the second half of the year.

Engine-maker Cummins and heavy equipment company Caterpillar — two major players in the commercial truck manufacturing market — have entered the energy backup market. They have small shares compared to the market leader, but they could be tough competitors if they apply their experience and expertise in production and distribution to this new market.

And in other news………..
Beyond COVID-19: The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued new Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) that can inform the public and help reduce levels of key air pollutants, some of which also contribute to climate change. The new report shows a systematic review of accumulated evidence since 2005, with a marked increase of how air pollution affects different aspects of health. Exposure to air pollution is estimated to cause 7 million premature deaths worldwide each year, and results in the loss of millions more healthy years of life. In children, this could include reduced lung growth and function, respiratory infections and aggravated asthma. In adults, ischaemic heart disease and stroke are the most common causes of premature death attributable to outdoor air pollution, and evidence is also emerging of other effects such as diabetes and neurodegenerative conditions. The report states that mortality is due to exposure to fine particulate matter of 2.5 microns or less in diameter (PM2.5), which cause cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and cancers. Air pollution is now on a par with unhealthy diets and tobacco smoking for causing global health risks, WHO says.

Yet another EV SPAC coming up: Polestar, the Swedish electric car company that is a joint venture between Volvo and Geely, is going public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. Funds will be coming from billionaire and “serial SPAC backer” Alec Gores and investment bank Guggenheim Partners. Polestar is expected to have a $20 billion valuation and should bring in about $800 million for the company in cash.

The company’s headquarters is in Gothenburg, Sweden, and an assembly line in Chengdu, China. The startup has only released two vehicles so far: the $155,000 hybrid coupe Polestar 1 and the all-electric fastback sedan Polestar 2. The Polestar 3, an electric crossover SUV, is expected to be launched in late 2021.

More driver assist safety concerns: A regional California agency called out Tesla on Thursday over safety concerns for the automaker’s advanced driver assist system. This comes right before the company wants to launch a wide release of a test version of the software. The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) is also disputing the name of the system, “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) saying it is an advanced driver assistance program, not an autonomous vehicle system.

Tilly Chang, Executive Director of the SFCTA, said in a statement to Reuters that a human driver should “continuously monitor” Tesla’s FSD system. “We are concerned about the safety record of this service and the name of the service as it could be confusing for consumers, and hope DMV, FTC and NHTSA continue to monitor and analyze this issue to protect consumers and the traveling public,” she said.

Charger landscape by 2030: Market research firm Guidehouse Insights expects that the world will have a fleet of 185 million plug-in electric vehicles by 2030. To keep these vehicles running, the charging infrastructure will obviously have to expand. That will come from a multi-tiered strategy. Light-duty vehicles capable of charging up to 500 kW will be common then, and heavy commercial vehicles capable of charging at more than 1 MW; some PEVs will be battery swapping capable, some will be vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capable, and some will be charged by wireless systems. Most will be AC- and DC -based charging systems. But more innovation is expected to show up with fast charging being part of it. Momentum is coming from programs and strategic moves adopted by governments, corporations, and automakers.

Editor’s note: Apologies to all of you who contacted me to get together at ACT Expo. I missed the conference for two reasons: my spouse just had knee replacement surgery and I’m the caregiver; and I just started grad school. See you next time. — Jon LeSage

If you face a power outage during the bad weather going on around the country, just look to borrow a neighbor’s F-150 PowerBoost hybrid with Pro Power Onboard. Maybe your neighbor has a job where they need to run power tools off the grid — so their fleet manager ordered a few hundred of them and had them all delivered with instructions during blackouts.

And maybe that fleet manager told colleagues all about it at ACT Expo, Aug. 31 to Sept. 2; or will be doing so at AltWheels Fleet Day on Oct. 4; or at Work Truck Week next year. Here’s the second half of a guide to resources already in place and dedicated to driving clean transportation, fuels, and energy forward.

Conferences:

ACT Expo — a few highlights
With masks everywhere and safety protocols in place, ACT Expo returned to Long Beach once again to highlight the enthusiasm and interest surrounding clean transportation and clean vehicle technology. The ACT Expo is already looking to expand next year’s show, and you can schedule to attend ACT Expo 2022, May 9-12, 2022, and once again at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Organizers of the ACT Fleet Forum talked about programming on cutting-edge technology and opened membership to new participating fleets. Public sector and small fleets that have begun adopting clean technologies including propane, compressed natural gas (CNG), battery-electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and renewable fuels are now eligible to join large national fleets including Penske Transportation Solutions, Amazon, Walmart, J.B. Hunt, and Schneider. An industry-leading educational initiative for early adopters to share best practices in clean transportation technologies, the ACT Fleet Forum provides member fleets education via webinars, workshops, and in-person site visits year-round. Facilitated by clean transportation consulting firm Gladstein, Neandross & Associates (GNA), the ACT Fleet Forum is an extension of the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, North America’s largest advanced transportation technology and clean fleet event. ACT Expo that took place Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Southern California.

BYD unveiled two battery-electric heavy-duty trucks, the Gen3 8TT and 6F, vehicles that combine performance, reliability, and driver comfort into stylish designs. They feature cabs styled by Wolfgang Josef Egger, the renowned former Audi chief designer. The stylish cabs offer improved aerodynamics and energy efficiency. The truck come standard with Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), making driving easier and safer. The trucks are equipped with an Electronic Parking Brake system, offer keyless entry and push to start functions, and have up to 185kW CCS1 charging capability. The extended range version of the 8TT and 6F offer a range of up to 200 miles on a charge, BYD said.

Day two of the conference started with an announcement of the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative, or JETSI, a landmark initiative to deploy 100 battery-electric regional haul and drayage trucks across California. The trucks, manufactured by Daimler Trucks North America and Volvo Trucks North America, will be deployed by logistics companies NFI Industries and Schneider on freight corridors serving the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, as well as distribution centers across Southern California. Attendees heard a presentation by Volvo Trucks North America’s President Peter Voorhoeve. GNA CEO Erik Neandross queried Voorhoeve on the Volvo Trucks’ involvement with the JESTSI project, the VNR Electric, the OEM’s partnership with Daimler on fuel cell truck development, and how the global consensus on climate change is evolving.

Penske Truck Leasing announced a collaboration with Stem Inc. to pilot its Athena smart energy storage software to optimize the electricity requirements associated with charging commercial electric trucks. The pilot project included a 350 kilowatt (kW)/800 kilowatt hour (kWh) battery system powered by Stem’s Athena at Penske’s heavy-duty truck charging positions in Ontario, Calif. Through this, Penske is continuing to expand its fleet electrification efforts including the evaluation of important related technologies to support the emerging charging needs of battery electric trucks. Since starting the pilot in April 2021, smart energy storage has driven a 40% decrease in Penske’s site peak energy consumption.

Navistar’s fully electric, medium-duty International eMV Series trucks is now in production and available to order. The eMV is available in four different wheelbase options – 217″, 236″, 254″ and 272″ – and features the Diamond Logic electrical system as standard equipment. The battery provides a 135-mile range when fully charged. “Our team has worked tirelessly to build an all-electric medium-duty vehicle solution that offers our customers all the environmental benefits of a zero-emissions vehicle, while delivering the capabilities of a traditional medium-duty truck to help you take care of business,” said Debbie Shust, vice president of medium-duty trucks at Navistar.

Quantum Fuel Systems has been selected by Certarus Ltd. to deliver industry-leading virtual pipeline trailers for hydrogen in December 2021. Certarus will receive Quantum’s VPLite-H45/40’ trailers, which have a gas mass of 803kg at 3,600 psi (248 bar). The trailers will be approved for use in both the United States and Canada. “Certarus is uniquely positioned to accelerate the energy transition by making hydrogen a convenient fuel solution for our customers. We chose to expand our partnership with Quantum because of their extensive experience working with hydrogen, and the proven quality of their virtual pipeline trailers that enable us to safely deliver zero emission energy anywhere our customers need it,” noted Curtis Philippon, CEO of Certarus.

Karma Automotive announced a new designation for their suite of engineering services and contract manufacturing operations called “Powered by Karma.” The team revealed two new modular electrification vehicle projects at ACT Expo. Powered by Karma provides business to business (B2B) modular vehicle electrification solutions and services to outside customers. Using the company’s experience in vehicle engineering and manufacturing operations, the team creates and integrates new technologies and provides world-class flexible contract production services for customers in the mobility space. Powered by Karma also creates modular, commercial-grade electrification systems that can be used for Class 3-6 vehicles in various configurations including busses, RVs, step vans, box trucks, and more.

XL Fleet announced a new engagement with Stellantis N.V. to produce hybrid electric Ram 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty pickup trucks. This partnership marks the first time that Ram vehicles can be ordered with hybrid-electric drive technology, allowing fleet managers to reduce emissions and maintain sustainability targets. XL Fleet’s XLH hybrid electric drive systems are also currently available on a wide variety of Class 2-6 vehicles from Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, and recently announced Isuzu.

And there are a few other events to know about………

Sustainable Fleet Technology Conference & Expo 2021: NC Clean Energy Technology Center, The 100 Best Fleets, and NAFA Fleet Management Association, are offering a Virtual Sustainable Fleet Technologies Conference on Sept. 9 to Oct., 19, 2021. It will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 to 3:30 pm ET. The Sustainable Fleet Technology Conference 2021 will highlight current technologies, topics and issues in the fleet industry as we navigate the rapidly evolving transportation industry.  Sessions will focus on the latest and greatest opportunities for biofuel, electric, natural gas, and propane fuels and fueling – with a strong focus on data-driven decisions, tools, and technologies. Join them online for valuable presentations and conversations.

Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo and The Battery Show: Each year, engineers, innovators, and thought leaders converge in Novi, Mich., for a conference and expo focused on keeping up with the fast-moving advanced battery and automotive industries. This year, two of these events are being brought together Sept. 14-16, 2021 at Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Mich. The national’s biggest advanced battery and electric vehicle event will show battery applications in automobiles, consumer electronics, medical devices, and stationary storage. The event organizers expect over 10,000 attendees, more than 550 suppliers, over 150 speakers, and more than 72 hours of education. 

AltWheels Fleet Day: AltWheels Fleet Day is coming up on Monday, Oct. 4, and registration is now open. For the second year, the event will virtually offer speakers, panels, and presentations on critical issues facing fleets and other stakeholders in alternative fuels and vehicles. Fleet managers will learn more about funding programs and emerging trends at the 16th annual AltWheels Fleet Day. More details will be coming out soon on speakers and subject matter. Last year, the conference went virtual for the first time and featured an impressive line-up of 19 expert speakers along with several sponsor videos.  The event drew 378 registrants to hear keynote talks from Anirban Basu, Chairman & CEO, Sage Policy Group, and Bill Van Amburg, Executive Vice President, CALSTART; as well as a series of panels and interviews of industry leaders from organizations such as Ford, Toyota, UPS, National Grid, US Environmental Protection Agency, Verizon Connect, and Blackburn Energy to name a few. All sponsors, co-hosts, speakers, and moderators must register online to attend this year’s virtual event. By registering, attendees will receive the zoom link.

CALSTART Event: CALSTART has been been part of a big one — reduce emissions significantly with trucks emitting 27 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and make up less than 4 percent of the global on-road fleet; and 60 percent of nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions worldwide. ZET Global Expo at COP26, which runs from Nov. 1-12 at Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, will work with global leaders on reaching the net zero by 2050 target. Organizers are happy to see a variety of zero emission trucks (ZETs) available for fleets and truck operators to purchase these days. Speakers will focus on getting nations and subnational governments that are setting climate commitments to take a closer look at ZETs and align their climate goals with policies and programs that accelerate ZETs.

NGV21
Oct. 19-21, 2021
Phoenix
https://ngvshow.com/

Washington, DC – Online registration for NGV21 – NGVAmerica’s in-person 2021 Annual Meeting and Industry Summit – scheduled for October 19-21, 2021 at The Wigwam Arizona Resort in Greater Phoenix, Arizona is now open at ngvshow.com. This year’s show – presented by Clean Energy Fuels – will focus on NGV’s achievement of a carbon negative now transportation solution for medium- and heavy-duty fleets. For the first time ever, California fleets fueled with bio-CNG achieved carbon-negativity in their 2020 transportation operations. Ninety-two (92) percent of all on-road fuel used in natural gas vehicles in California last year was renewable natural gas (RNG), and CARB data from Q4 2020 puts the current carbon intensity average of bio-CNG in the state system at -26.11 gCO2e/MJ. NGVAmerica’s Annual Meeting and Industry Summit is the only dedicated natural gas in transportation alternative fuels conference and show focused on the North American market and hosted and attended by the biggest players in this space.

Meeting of the Minds: Cities are innovating, companies are pivoting, and start-ups are growing. Every urban practitioner has a remarkable story of insight and challenge from the past year. Meet these peers and discuss the future of cities in the new Meeting of the Minds Executive Cohort Program. Replace boring virtual summits with facilitated, online, small-group discussions where you can make real connections with extraordinary, like-minded people. Meeting of the Minds events convene thousands of VIPs each year. Those interested can fill out a form to download the sponsorship prospectus and get involved with Meeting of the Minds. The dates and location have yet to be announced, but stay tuned for more news.

Work Truck Week 2022: Produced annually by NTEA – The Association for the Work Truck Industry, Work Truck Week is your once-a-year chance to see all of the newest industry products, choose from dozens of industry-focused training courses, and gain access to technical engineering representatives from hundreds of exhibiting companies. More event information will be coming out soon, which will be held March 8-11, 2022 at Indiana Convention Center (Indianapolis).

Government Agency Fleet Programs:

Argonne National Laboratory: At the US Dept. of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, the agency offers cumulative figures, and some details on the latest market developments, on hybrid electric vehicle sales, plug-in vehicle sales, and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. You can also view charts on US plug-in vehicle sales since 2010, and mostly sales data for electric vehicles. The problem here is that you have to magnify the chart and gaze at lines of color to estimate those volumes. One study by Argonne National Laboratory provided a comprehensive lifecycle analysis, or cradle-to-grave analysis, of the cost and greenhouse gas emissions of a variety of vehicle-fuel pathways, as well as the levelized cost of driving and cost of avoided GHG emissions.

Clean Vehicles: Clean Fleets Related Links for State and Local Transportation Resources: This page provides links to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and non-EPA Web-based resources that provide additional information on clean vehicles. Links go directly to specific Web sites or documents that address fleet-related trends and issues. Clean Fuel Fleet Implementation Guidance provides guidance to states and regulated entities in the implementation or start-up phase of the Clean Fuel Fleet program. Clean School Bus USA is a voluntary EPA program designed to reduce children’s exposure to diesel exhaust and the amount of air pollution created by diesel school buses. SmartWay Transport Partnership is a voluntary partnership between various freight industry sectors and EPA that establishes incentives for fuel efficiency improvements and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. U.S. “Green Fleets” Initiative is a program managed by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives that provides “green fleet” information for local governments.

Clean Cities: Clean Cities Coalition Network is a resource of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office. At the national level, the Vehicle Technologies Office provides unbiased and objective resources and information to help transportation stakeholders evaluate options and achieve goals around alternative fuels, advanced vehicles, mobility solutions, and other fuel-saving strategies. At the local level, more than 75 coalitions leverage these resources to create networks of local stakeholders that advance transportation projects. Since 1993, Clean Cities coalitions have steadily increased their energy use impact each year through diverse transportation projects for a cumulative impact equal to nearly 11 billion gasoline gallon equivalents (GGEs).

Advanced Clean Fleets — California Air Resources Board: California Air Resources Board (CARB) is developing a medium and heavy-duty zero-emission fleet regulation with the goal of achieving a zero-emission truck and bus California fleet by 2045 everywhere feasible and significantly earlier for certain market segments such as last mile delivery and drayage applications. The initial focus would be on high-priority fleets with vehicles that are suitable for early electrification, their subhaulers, and entities that hire them. The goal of this effort is to accelerate the number of medium and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicle purchases to achieve a full transition to zero-emission vehicles in California as soon as possible.

South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD): This agency acts as a clearinghouse for California AQMD projects, programs, and grants aimed at fleets seeking to reduce air pollution. Fleet Rule Information: To reduce both toxic and smog-forming air pollutants, the South Coast AQMD adopted seven rules that will gradually shift public agencies and certain private entities to lower emissions and alternative fuel vehicles whenever a fleet operator with 15 or more vehicles replaces or purchases new vehicles. All seven fleet rules are now in effect. Readers should review each rule that would affect their purchasing or contracting procedures involving fleet vehicles. For some entities, more than one rule may apply. Fleet rules on heavy-duty public fleets: To reduce air toxic and criteria pollutant emissions, this rule requires public fleets in the South Coast AQMD’s jurisdiction operating heavy-duty vehicle fleets to acquire alternative-fuel, dual-fuel, or dedicated gasoline heavy-duty vehicles when procuring or leasing these vehicles for use within the South Coast AQMD’s jurisdiction.  If the fleet operator obtains an approved Technical Infeasibility Certification for this purchase, a diesel-powered heavy-duty engine or vehicle with an approved control device may be purchased. VIP overview: The VIP is a streamlined approach to reduce emissions by replacing old, high-polluting vehicles with newer, lower-emission vehicles. This program is limited to owners/operators with fleets of 10 or fewer vehicles that have been operating at least 75% (mileage-based) in California during the previous twenty four (24) months. The goal of this program is to reduce emissions from in-use heavy-duty trucks in small fleets by replacing Engine Model Years 2009 and older with Engine Model Years 2013 (or newer) emissions compliant models. The VIP is implemented by South Coast AQMD through contractual agreements with Dealers and Dismantlers. The Dealers will apply to South Coast AQMD for the vouchers on behalf of the applicant. If approved, the voucher amount will be deducted from the total purchase price of the truck by the Dealer. Applicants interested in replacing their truck must purchase their replacement truck through an South Coast AQMD-approved VIP Participating Dealership that has completed the required training for the VIP.  A current list of South Coast AQMD approved Dealerships and Dismantlers is included below. Additional updates to these lists will be posted on our webpage as they become available.

California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program: Also known as the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, the Clean Transportation Program provides funding to support innovation and accelerate the development and deployment of advanced transportation and fuel technologies. The program invests up to $100 million annually in a broad portfolio of transportation and fuel transportation projects throughout the state. The Energy Commission leverages public and private investments to support adoption of cleaner transportation powered by alternative and renewable fuels. The program plays an important role in achieving California’s ambitious goals on climate change, petroleum reduction, and adoption of zero-emission vehicles, as well as efforts to reach air quality standards. The program also supports the state’s sustainable, long-term economic development.

Clean Fleets — New York State: Local governments can either install an EV charging station and/or other alternative fuel infrastructure or deploy alternative fuel vehicles in the municipal fleet. Resources include……..
A Fact Sheet that provides a brief description of the Clean Fleets action along with the benefits communities can expect to achieve. 
The Step-by-Step Guidance slide presentation provides an overview of the Clean Energy Communities Program as well as a detailed description and step-by-step guidance for implementing the Clean Fleets action.
New York State Office of General Services Vehicle Marketplace is where local governments can purchase competitively priced cars and trucks including alternative fuel vehicles from a variety of vehicle dealers.
Creating EV-Ready Towns and Cities: A Guide to Planning and Policy Tools is a guide that highlights best practices and introduces policy options for public officials and private-sector leaders seeking to prepare their communities, jurisdictions, states or organizations for electric vehicles.
Clean Vehicles and Infrastructure Rebates: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is offering rebates of up to $5,000 per clean vehicle and up to $8,000 per port for electric vehicle charging stations. A document provides information on how to apply.
The Clean Fleets Certification Form, Version 2: This certification form may be completed and submitted to earn credit for this action.
NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities: Local governments in New York State can use the Clean Energy Communities program to implement clean energy actions, save energy costs, create jobs, and improve the environment. In addition to providing tools, resources, and technical assistance, the program recognizes and rewards leadership for the completion of clean energy projects.

And in other news…………
Big developments in hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles: Ballard Power Systems Inc. has formed a partnership with Germany-based Quantron AG to bring several fuel-cell electric truck platforms to market.The Canadian developer and manufacturer of proton exchange membrane fuel cell products said the initial focus of the collaboration would revolve around the integration of Ballard’s heavy-duty fuel cell power modules into Quantron’s electric drivetrain and vehicles. Ballard expects initial deployment of fuel cell electric trucks to be in the second half of 2022…………. Hyundai Motor Group has set out its vision for hydrogen energy and a global hydrogen society. At the Hydrogen Wave global online forum in Seoul, the Group presented its plans to popularize hydrogen by 2040 through the introduction of new technologies and mobility solutions in transportation and other industrial sectors. That lineup includes trucks, a sports car, and drones. “Hyundai Motor Group’s vision is to apply hydrogen energy in all areas of life and industry such as our homes, work-places and factories. The goal is to make hydrogen readily used for everyone, everything, and everywhere,” said Chairman Chung at the Hydrogen Wave online global forum.

MB making big moves in EVs: Mercedes-Benz ^{launched a few electric vehicles} ahead of the IAA Mobility show in Germany, including its first AMG-branded high-performance EV, a sedan and a G-Class SUV concept — all part of the company’s big strategy to become an electric-only automaker by the end of the decade. The automaker has already started producing the all-electric EQS, a high-forward and sleek flagship that’s meant to be an electric counterpart to the S-Class.

Gigafactory Berlin: The German government is finalizing a subsidy package that could give Tesla over $1 billion in government funding for its new battery factory at Gigafactory Berlin. Tesla says that the project will also include a large battery cell factory, making it the automaker’s first in-house volume production of battery cells. The factory has been conducting the initial tests of its Model Y production equipment.

The executive order signed Thursday by President Joe Biden sets admirable targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fighting climate change. Half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 are to be zero-emissions vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles (see news section below for more details).

But I have some questions for Biden:
—Will automakers actually fulfill this order, and what happens if they don’t? (The answer seems to be no, since it’s been described as a nonbinding goal.)
—Can we expect the saying from the 1989 movie, Field of Dreams, to be fulfilled? “If you build it they will come,” being that saying. If automakers do roll out half their available new vehicles as ZEVs, will there be enough purchases to make it profitable and long lasting? Will the charging and fueling infrastructure be enough?
—Could there be other ways to reach these big picture targets?

As I’ve written about before, it’s likely going to take much longer to hit that admirable target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fighting climate change. The good news is that the needed elements are already here, and key players in the clean transportation arena will continue to lead the way.

There is a period of transition before those wonderful targets can be met — with fleets, individuals who own zero emission vehicles, charging/fueling infrastructure builders and suppliers, vehicle makers/OEMs, technology partners and suppliers, clean fuel and energy suppliers, government agencies, and associations and research centers, already playing a key role in the development of clean transportation as, eventually, the new normal.

Here’s hoping that vaccinations continue and the latest surge in Covid-19 delta and other variants begin a rapid decline, with vehicle emissions reductions following right behind. In the meantime, getting familiar with and connected to the vast resources in clean vehicles and fuels might be a good way to spend some of our downtime.

WARNING: Some of the publications I list below will be cutting off your free access to viewing articles and websites. They’re looking for paid subscribers, or free access to members of their group. Of course, you can always search for other sources of the news they’re reporting.

Nonprofit Organizations (NPOs) & Consulting Firms:

CALSTART
Most all stakeholders in clean transportation are very familiar with CALSTART, but here are a few interesting facts. The founders say two forces created the organization in 1992 — defense and aerospace spending was being cut, leaving quite a few talented people without their jobs; and increasing interest in cutting back air pollution in the US, which was the force behind the California Air Resources Board setting targets for the sale of zero-emission vehicles. Now the nonprofit consortium has offices in New York, Michigan, Colorado and California. The NPO is dedicated to the modernization and adoption of clean vehicles. The group’s focus has expanded to global through its Drive to Zero program, with the vision of supporting the role zero-emission trucks will play in reaching collective Paris Agreement goals; more than 270 member companies and partners worldwide are participating. You can get on that project’s newsletter list, and sign up for the CALSTART Compass newsletter that covers newsworthy projects, studies and reports, and events.

Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA)
Established in 1989, EDTA is a cross-industry trade association promoting the advancement of electric drive technology and electrified transportation. Members cover the gamut in the electric drive value chain: OEMs, battery and component manufacturers, utilities, charging infrastructure developers, and others. They follow a three-prong strategy by emphasizing the economic, national security, and environmental benefits of displacing oil with electricity in battery and fuel cell-powered vehicles. They would like to see the U.S. to adopt an aggressive five-year plan that catalyzes growth with significant, long-term investments in market expansion and accelerates technology development and deployment. You can join a list for weekly updates and analysis of news developments. There’s also official statements such as what EDTA leaders think of President Biden’s executive order on zero-emission vehicles.

International Council on Clean Transportation
The ICCT started up in 2001 and now has offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Berlin, and Beijing. Its mission is to improve the environmental performance and energy efficiency of road, marine, and air transportation, to benefit public health and mitigate climate change. The organization has provided research, analysis, and data for environmental policymakers. One of its studies has provided a global comparison of the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of combustion engine and electric passenger cars.
One of the more interesting parts of its history is the role ICCT played in “dieselgate.” The ICCT had commissioned researchers at West Virginia University to test Volkswagen diesel car emissions in 2013. The following year, the NPO alerted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board that the models displayed much higher levels of nitrogen oxide emissions than permitted by law. In September 2015, the EPA announced that the German automaker could be liable for up to $18 billion in penalties. That came from charges that VW had been using software on almost 500,000 VW and Audi 2.0 liter diesel cars sold through the 2009 and 2015 model years that circumvented EPA emissions standards.

Gladstein Neandross & Associates (GNA)
Since its founding in 1993, GNA has been offering a blend of technical, funding, creative, and strategy development services to public- and private-sector clients spanning the clean energy and advanced transportation sectors. Its projects have earned national awards and recognition from agencies and associations, including the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Coalition for Clean Air, and the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition. Organizing events like Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo over the past decade have made GNA more visible and significant in the clean transportation sector. Other events put on by GNA have included California Dairy Sustainability Summit, Renewable Gas 360, Rethink Methane Symposium, High Horsepower (HHP) Summit, and NGV Industry Summit.

Propane Education & Research Council
PERC provides leading propane safety and training programs and invests in research and development of new propane-powered technologies. Its programs benefit a variety of markets including transportation, agriculture, commercial landscaping, residential, and commercial building. PERC came to be when the U.S. Congress passed the Propane Education and Research Act (PERA), which was signed into law in 1996. PERC’s operations and activities are funded by an assessment levied on each gallon of propane gas at the point it is odorized or imported into the U.S. PERC has been committed for several years to promote propane autogas through research projects, government and industry liaisons, and public education. Take a look at the Comprehensive Compliance Handbook, which offers a variety of regulations, codes, and standards that apply to the propane industry systems that you install and service to effectively comply with requirements that can apply to your business in your jurisdiction. You can subscribe the the e-newsletter to stay current with the latest propane news, stories, videos, and more.

NGV America
Natural Gas Vehicles for America is a national organization dedicated to the development of a growing, profitable, and sustainable market for vehicles powered by natural gas or biomethane. It represents more than 200 companies, environmental groups, and government organizations interested in the promotion and use of natural gas and biomethane as transportation fuels. Member companies produce, distribute, and market natural gas and renewable natural gas across the country; manufacture and service natural gas vehicles, engines, and equipment; and operate fleets powered by clean-burning gaseous fuels. Resources offered to those interested in natural gas vehicles include information on numerous federal and state grant opportunities that assist fleets in transitioning to the clean fuel. The VW Trust Action Center provides information the Environmental Mitigation Trust, which states and territories may use to invest in transportation projects that will reduce NOx emissions. It’s annual conference and trade show will be taking place Oct. 19-21 in Phoenix. You can also check out NGV news and insights.

RNG Coalition
RNG Coalition is a non-profit organization dedicated to the sustainable advancement of renewable natural gas (RNG) as a clean, green, alternative and domestic energy resource — and as a key component and partial solution to addressing global climate change. The coalition has seen its efforts pay off, with hundreds of RNG projects either operational, under construction, or in development in North America. Job creation has been very good with RNG production facilities creating five-to-seven times more jobs than an equivalently sized petroleum refinery. More recently, stakeholders have found that hydrogen generators can use RNG or biomethane to create renewable hydrogen (RH2), providing similar opportunities for farmers and local communities to create clean, storable energy, while reducing waste, decarbonizing, and making use of existing infrastructure. The NPOs annual conference, RNG Summit, also known as the U.S. Federal Fly-In & Policy Forum, took place May 11, 2021, in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Plug In America
Plug In America is a non-profit, supporter-driven advocacy group that has a long list of accomplishments contributing to making electric vehicles a viable, appealing choice for US car owners. The organization helps consumers, policy-makers, auto manufacturers and others to understand the powerful benefits of driving electric. That comes through practical, objective information for making their best choices when buying a plug-in electric vehicle that fits their lifestyle. Plug In America founded National Drive Electric Week, the world’s largest celebration of the plug-in vehicle, which brought together over 180,000 attendees across 324 events in 2019, across all 50 states. As reported recently, the organization’s PlugStar Program is nationally recognized for educating consumers and dealers. Last year, the NPO conducted its first annual survey of EV consumers—both drivers and those considering an electric vehicle. A more recent effort has been encouraging members to tell Congress to support President Biden’s full $174 billion EV investment.

American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
ACORE is a national NPO that unites finance, policy and technology to accelerate the transition to a renewable energy economy. Founded in 2001, ACORE works to unite finance, policy and technology to accelerate the transition to a renewable energy economy. Members are active in renewable energy technologies and constituencies, including developers, manufacturers, top financial institutions, major corporate renewable energy buyers, grid technology providers, utilities, professional service firms, academic institutions, and allied nonprofit groups. Serving these communities includes convening key stakeholders, facilitating partnerships, educating senior officials on important policies, publishing research and analysis on pressing issues, and undertaking strategic outreach on the policies and financial structures essential to renewable energy growth. For more on upcoming events, click here; and go here for a newsletter sign up.

ICF
The global consulting firm offers the ICF Climate Center which provides in-depth research and insights that help organizations establish clear, practical pathways forward through the combination of climate science and predictive analytics. For clean vehicles and fuels, the firm offers technical expertise and creative solutions to promote advanced technologies and alternative fuels across the transportation sector. For transportation electrification the company is fluent in the technology, infrastructure, and market forces to make the switch. With low carbon fuel standards, the consulting firm works with regulatory agencies in program design and implementation, and to assist fuel providers with understanding compliance options and market trends.

Publications:

E&E News
E&E News publishes five daily newsletters tracking energy and environmental policies and rules, research study findings, the effects of climate change, and the political and legal battles being fought in these sectors. It is a paid subscription service, but you can get placed on a short-term reader list to see if it’s worth the time and money spent. It does offer in-depth research and analysis, and can be the only source available on some very important topics.

Green Car Congress
This publication is truly unique, and it does require that you stay open to learning about new, cutting-edge technology (with a few fundamentals from physics and engineering included). Mike Millikin started it up in 2004, and it’s been the only publication like it; except for occasional features and think-pieces in automotive, business, and science publications. Its subject matter has expanded in recent years — as have the automotive, transportation, and energy industries — to include connected and autonomous technologies, advanced batteries and energy storage, and a wide range of alternative, clean fuels and energy sources.

NGT News
NGT News (Next-Gen Transportation) has become the only publication like it, while a few years ago there was at least one direct competitor and a few weekly editions. This publication provides daily news updates read by fleets, OEMs, fuel suppliers, technology providers, and infrastructure developers staying informed on clean transportation. Staying current in this field requires a few topics — technology innovations, government policies, the regulatory structure, corporate developments, new vehicle/product launches, and r&d developments. A good publication for those wanting to stay informed on the wide spectrum of information.

Green Car Reports
Go to that site to see Green Car Reports’ Best Car to Buy 2021, first drive reviews of electric and hybrid vehicles, and coverage of how current green cars are holding up over time in sales, performance, and value. It’s a good consumer pub to read, with a few big picture/business items such as what’s happening in Washington, DC. The publication is owned by Internet Brands, which owns and operates other automotive publications such as CarsDirect, The Car Connection, Motor Authority, and Auto Credit Express. Green Car Reports gets to tap into that database of resources for covering new vehicles and technologies.

InsideEVs
InsideEVs has its share of rivals for being the lead publication in the electric vehicle space. While I do check out Electrek and news features from Bloomberg, Reuters, Automotive News, and major media sources, InsideEVs is an excellent one-stop shopping site for me — the latest offerings, the competitive climate, what Tesla and its chief are up to, the charging infrastructure, government incentives and other developments in global markets, and the latest data and analytics on EV sales and other fascinating trends. Plus, all the details you probably want to know when shopping for EVs.

CleanTechnica
It’s a popular site in the US for cleantech news and commentary, with a focus on solar energy, wind energy, electric cars, and other clean technologies. It does offers some insightful data and analysis articles on electric vehicle sales, popularity of certain models and why that’s the case, and the demands that cleantech industries face overcoming regulatory hurdles, incentives that may be dwindling, power players in the war over climate change, and a few other relevant topics. You might learn how long it takes for solar panels to pay for themselves, and overcoming hurdles on the public’s perceptions of electric vehicles.

Transport Topics
What will come out of efforts to gain major funding and development projects from Washington, DC, on the nation’s highway and transportation infrastructure? Well, then go to this publications for in-depth coverage of the political and legal issues involved, and how it would be carried out across the country. Those reading this industry publication can read about the top for-more carriers and logistics companies, the world of intermodal transport, and what fleet operators are doing to comply with government environmental and energy requirements and corporate sustainability policies.

Trucks.com
This is a fairly new publication that’s doing a very good job of covering the gamut on all things you might be wondering about trucks. That would cover autonomous trucks; commercial vehicles powered by electricity and other clean fuels; the state of retail sales for pickups, SUVS/crossovers, and vans; the business and fleet market; freight and logistics and some of the regulatory structure shaping it; new trucks product launches; trucking shows; and taking adventures in your truck or SUV and where you can find the necessary gear. Los Angeles Times veteran Jerry Hirsch became the editor in chief, and works with a team of other recognized journalistic names in the field. They do offer an effective mix of what the B2B and consumer reader communities would like to know more about.

GreenBiz
GreenBiz is a must read, along with CleanTechnica and Environment + Energy Leader, for professionals working in the sphere of sustainability. Read all about net zero policies, resilient supply chains, enforcing ESG standards, carbon credit trading, how industries are decarbonizing, the critical role cities are playing, and the best in corporate sustainability practices. Green vehicles will also get a bit of coverage here, such as one of the field reporters attending a specialized conference and trade show. Its conference has been well attended with a lot of name speakers, such as Bill Gates at the February online conference.

Environment + Energy Leader
Formerly known as Environmental Leader, this publication changed its name to address what other professionals in the field (including clean transportation) understand — reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, power stations, production plants, waste management, and more, is essential. Then there’s all the energy needed to keep it running — and the total lifecycle of how the energy is generated and what it all means. It’s more of a B2B publication than its direct competitors, offering details on how global governments are regulating and working with corporations and NPOs to carry out emissions and energy mandates; and deals being made between companies to advance the business model and profitability of sustainability in all the forms it takes.

Fleet Forward
Bobit Business Media launched this publication about three years ago to address the growing interest fleet professionals have in the future of transport — autonomous, electric, connected, and shared rides. Other topics being covered in this publication include smart cities, new technology breakthroughs, connected fleets, fleet management as a service, and the latest in green trucks that fleets are deploying. The fleet manager’s business model is always being addressed, such as saving in energy and operating costs; safety issues with self-driving vehicles; predictive maintenance practices; and what automakers have to say about the future of their product offerings and incentives being offered to fleets. One of its sister publications is Charged Fleet, which tracks the latest in electric vehicles and hybrids that fleets can consider.

Biofuels Digest
This is the Bible for all things biofuels, and its founder, Jim Lane, is a known figure for anyone tracking the subject matter. It’s being run by Nuu Media that includes Biofuels Digest, The Daily Digest, and the Weekly Circular. These publications track the bioeconomy and all its implications — from the corn growers versus oil companies though the federal Renewable Fuel Standard and state regulations for ethanol in gasoline; advanced biofuels that may be sidetracked and others that are succeeding; investments in decarbonizing projects for meeting climate change mandates; biogas pipelines that are being built, and many other highly technical articles to read. Parent company Nuu Media also produces online media, conferences, webinars, data services and original streamed content, focused on the advanced bioeconomy.

Charged Electric Vehicles Magazine
Charged continues to be a glossy magazine and internet publication that covers all things electric. It’s designed like a Car and Driver for electric vehicle buyers. It also digs into the business of EVs, with profiles of startup carmakers and technology supplier partners they’re working with. It’s a good one for how-to guides and technical descriptions of all that goes into electric drivetrains, electrical systems, battery packs, and chargers. It’s more consumer and car focused, but you will find profiles of electric truck makers as well that are providing delivery trucks, heavy-duty freight haulers, and utility applications. You’ll also be viewing advertisements from OEMs and suppliers to the business; it is a marketplace for those doing business in the EV space.

Waste Dive
Waste Dive provides in-depth coverage and analysis on subject matter that spreads its reach over a wide range these days. It’s not all about picking up and hauling trash in a clean vehicle. This publication digs into refuse collection and transfer, recycling, organics, zero waste, landfills, policy, and more. It’s owned and operated by Industry Dive, a media company that says it reaches more than 11 million decision makers in more than 20 of the world’s most competitive industries. Other publications in the group cover smart cities, supply chain, transport, and utility.

Seeking Alpha

Want to follow companies that have stock tickers? Just enter them on Seeking Alpha and you can get email announcements that something new was just posted by an investor or market analyst explaining why Elon Musk pushed back Tesla’s Cybertruck deliveries to 2022; and similar analysis of other companies. Some of these companies get very little attention; perhaps you’ll just be receiving a brief summary of their quarterly earnings meeting. But there are millions of passionate investors out there who post commentaries, or at least read them and post comments. The best part is hearing about something first on Seeking Alpha and digging into it. That could provide more information on what’s happening in the Chinese and European electric vehicle markets.

Market Data on Energy and Fuel:

Global Energy Statistical Yearbook 2020

See how energy consumption has been utilized, and how it’s changed in recent years, by country. The measure in the first graph is millions of tons of oil equivalent (Mtoe), which is used to describe the energy content of all fuels. China, of course, was the world leader last year, with the US ahead of India by more than double the amount. You can also see how it measured over the past 20 years; and much more from the Enerdata Yearbook — including share of renewables in electricity production.

World Energy Outlook

The International Energy Agency seems to be the leading source on global oil production and alliances between countries on energy supplies; and a major player in getting those alliances worked out. Published annually, its World Energy Outlook is a highly cited source on global energy developments. Its World Energy Model, a large-scale simulation tool, was developed by the IEA over a period of more than 20 years. It’s been designed to replicate how energy markets function. It’s a valuable tool for analyzing energy types and forecasts for demand, production, and pricing.

Alternative Fuels Data Center

Interested in seeing how retail fuel prices have fluctuated in the US since 2000 — including gasoline, E85, CNG, LNG, propane, diesel, and B20 and other biodiesel combinations? If you go see the US Dept. of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, you can adjust the parameters such as the timeframe and the fuels included in the graph. You can also see recent data on how these fuels have been in average prices over a quarterly period. Viewers can then go into sections on specific alternative fuels to learn much more about them and they’re utilized, and data on how they’re performing. Clean Cities Coalitions have tapped into this data collection for reports and public information campaigns over the years; and its a very good source for staying current on fluctuating trends.

Short-Term Energy Outlook

Here’s a good place to look at how the major energy types are performing, and some predictions on where they may go if certain economic factors go as expected. It’s provided by the US Energy Information Administration. WTI crude oil and Brent crude oil dollars per barrel data is shown, along with gasoline, diesel, heating oil, natural gas, and electricity. You can look at how these indices have fluctuated in the US in recent years. There’s always new energy reports and charts being placed on this site. One of the recent ones has been Forecast Sensitivity of Carbon Dioxide Emissions to Temperatures.

Alternative Fueling Station Locator

Here’s another valuable, useful data tool from the US Dept. of Energy. This site now allows you to slice and dice the data to find out a whole lot. You can break out stations by biodiesel (B20 and above), compressed natural gas (CNG), electric, ethanol (E85), hydrogen, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and propane autogas (LPG). It does cover both the US and Canada. Did you know there are 881 public CNG stations, 53 hydrogen stations, and 1,863 propane stations available? Also there are 49,448 electric vehicle pubic charging stations (Level 2 and DC/fast charger) that offer about 119,000 charging outlets. While studying the map it looks like Canada has about 10 percent the size that the the US offers in charging stations, which is roughly the same population ratio between the two countries.

S&P Global Market Intelligence

S&P offers one of the most respected consulting firms in energy and fuel consumption and forecasts. When you visit this site, you’ll see renewable energy forecasts, U.S. solar and wind projects, and the most recent power forecast. That study includes data and analysis of battery storage costs, growth of renewable power and battery storage, a forecast of natural gas prices, projected generation and capacity balances by energy type, and a forecast analyzing reserve margins of major power markets.

Conferences:
Stay tuned for more coverage of upcoming signifiant clean transportation events in the next edition. As for what’s coming up soon…………

CALSTART Events
CALSTART Policy Update — a members-only webinar will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 9:00 am Pacific time. The organization will provide an interactive update on federal and state clean transportation policy. Hear about the recent and exciting progress on funding for clean vehicle and infrastructure incentives in California and Washington, D.C., CALSTART’s policy priorities, and new federal proposals for US Battery Leadership.

The 10th annual Green Transportation Summit & Expo (GTSE), which will take place Aug. 16-18 in Tacoma, Wash., is the region’s premier clean transportation convening event. With this year’s theme of Reflecting + Refocusing on a Resilient Future, particular attention will be given to recent events affecting our communities and livelihood. GTSE’s partnership with the U.S. EPA’s West Coast Collaborative and Mobilize California Summit brings stakeholders key to reducing heavy-duty diesel reductions in significant fleets across the continent. For the safety of all attendees GTSE currently plans to require masks at all times during the event, regardless of vaccination status, with the exception of meals. As the situation with COVID-19 is changing daily, the event organizers are closely monitoring the response by healthcare and government officials to ensure the protection of stakeholders.

ACT Expo
ACT Expo is taking place Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Southern California. Revival of investments in advanced clean commercial vehicle technologies and fuels are making a comeback, with special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, investments in the industry grabbing headlines throughout this past year.. ACT Expo’s opening panel will offer attendees a good look at funding opportunities and significant projects taking shape. More on ACT Expo in the next edition of Green Auto Market.

NGVAmerica’s Annual Meeting and Industry Summit
Registration is now open for NGV21, which will take place Oct. 19-21 at the Wigwam Arizona Resort in Phoenix. NGV21 is the only dedicated natural gas in transportation alternative fuels conference and show focused on the North American market.  On-road, off-road and everything in between will be featured, from traditional freight, refuse, and transit applications to growing marine, rail, and construction use. Stay tuned for more.

And in other news…………

Fuel economy and emissions executive order: Thursday’s announcement by President Joe Biden formalized what his administration has been promising all along, to reverse the Trump administration’s course and return to what had been implemented by then-President Obama. The nonbonding deal with most automakers also directs them to make up half their sales with zero-emission vehicles by 2030. That would come from battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel cell electric vehicles.

Biden’s plan requires 10 percent emissions reductions in 2023 and 5 percent every year after that through 2026. Trump’s standards ended with the fleet averaging about 29 mpg through a real-world fuel economy guideline. The Biden rule should be close to reaching the target set up in the Obama administration’s mileage requirement, about 37 mpg.

It’s part of the Biden administration’s plan to fight climate change to get Americans to switch over from fossil fuels to advanced, clean, renewable energy and fuel. The ZEV plan would be reliant on major investments by the federal government in charging stations and other infrastructure. Biden said that it’s also part of the country’s objective to compete with China, a leader in the electric vehicle market. 

The president made the announcement on the White House South Lawn, with a few zero-emission vehicles behind him. He was joined by executives from Ford, GM, and Stellantis, as well as leaders from the United Auto Workers union and members of Congress. 

It’s not yet clear on how the infrastructure bill will affect emissions and new passenger vehicles sold, with more changes expected to come as Democrats prepare comprehensive budget proposals. However, the infrastructure bill that was passed today in the senate does offer a few positive outcomes, according to U.S. PIRG. That includes “the largest-ever federal investment in public transportation. It invests in electric school buses. It reinstates the ‘polluter pays’ taxes for hazardous waste Superfund site cleanups,” said U.S. PIRG’s Chairman Doug Phelps in a statement.

In-depth study on the equity of EV charging: Mobilyze.ai, the first location analytics and micro-targeting platform for the EV market and the Toyota Mobility Foundation, have some fascinating data to share on electric vehicle charging. Only 9.7 percent of households in US cities have access to a public EV charging station within a convenient quarter mile (or 5 minute) walk from home. Higher-income households live closer to charging in some large cities such as NYC and Chicago. However, in many US cities it is lower-income households who live closer to charging, in downtown areas and other public locations with significant t racial disparities to access EV charging.

That statement comes from a new report that provides a comprehensive analysis on access to EV charging in US cities, addressing dimensions including population coverage, wealth and racial disparities, and patterns of EV adoption. Mobiliyze.ai and Toyota Mobility Foundation are hoping that the Biden Administration and electric utilities that are planning to deploy public EV chargers prioritize an equitable rollout as well. 
 
You can download the report here.

More on Tesla truck: Delivery dates for Tesla’s EV pickup, the Cybertruck, have unsurprisingly been pushed back to 2022. The delay, first spotted by Inside EVs, was confirmed on the vehicle’s website, which now states production will begin next year. Late 2021 had been the initial target timeframe. Inside EVs thinks the delays have something to do with Tesla’s factory in Texas, where the Cybertruck is going to be manufactured.

New paper explores California transit agencies and ZEVs: CALSTART’s new white paper, California Transit Agencies Chart a Course to Zero Emissions: A Review of Proposed ZEB Pathways Under the Innovative Clean Transit Regulation, looks at key data found in the plans that outline a gradual shift to zero-emissions buses by 2040 as required by the California Air Resources Board’s Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) regulation. More than half of responding agencies (10 out of 19) plan to purchase FCEBs, and two additional agencies will consider both FCEBs and BEBs in their undeclared acquisitions. These and other observations of these plan can be found in the new paper.

Another sign that Covid-19 has taken a turn — at least on the economic level — is that electric vehicle startups are gaining traction again. Companies that have been flying under the radar for long periods have suddenly found generous deals from investors.

But not all the news is good, and we won’t see any of these new EVs come to market this year. Here are a few interesting developments………

It’s all about SPACs
Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) have been growing at an unprecedented pace this year, with investors and private company owners seeing the business model as a win-win. EV startups are among a growing number of automotive sectors gaining SPAC backers.

Crunchbase News, which tracks Silicon Valley and tech startups, just documented these 2021 deals and found that big-name investment and venture capital firms have gotten into it this year for the first time. SPAC may not get as much respect as initial public offerings, but it has gained quite a bit of credibility and support. The publication’s list includes electric busmaker Proterra; charger netwtwork EVGo; fuel-cell powered commercial truck maker Hyzon Motors; EV startup Lucid Motors; online used car marketplace Cazoo; electric scooter maker Bird; and DC faster charger company Tritium.

Autonomous vehicle companies and automotive suppliers are also reaping the rewards of going public by merging with SPACs, which are publicly listed investment companies. The latest one was Lucid Group, the company formed after Lucid Motors’ merger with Churchill Capital Corp IV (CCIV) and which is now a publicly listed company. Lucid has been best known for its all-electric Air sedan.

Lucid Group launched on Nasdaq on July 26, which the company said brought in $4.5 billion in capital. Class A common stock and public warrants are now listed under the new ticker symbols “LCID” and “LCIDW.” The capital will allow it to add 2.7 million square feet of additional space at the company’s greenfield factory in Arizona; some of that will go to adding a separate line for the Project Gravity electric SUV. Shares of Lucid Group climbed nearly 10 percent in their first day of trading on Monday, hovering around $26.50, while ending the week at $24.25.

The SPAC deal had been announced in February as the fog started lifting from the pandemic. Investors have been enthusiastic about these types of deals, allowing businesses to go through public combinations with shell companies and avoid traditional IPOs. Lucid had already invested $700 million in the greenfield plant, and had looked forward to bringing in more outside investments funds. In 2019, the California startup gave up majority ownership to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in exchange for a $1.3 billion investment.

Canoo, a startup with a plan to roll out an electric minivan in 2022, went public last December through a reverse merger with an SPAC. In June the company said it planned to build an assembly plant in Oklahoma that would open in 2023. Canoo is known for its “skateboard”, or a low-rise platform that bundles batteries and electric motors with chassis components such as as steering, brakes and wheels, on which a variety of vehicle body types can be built.

Last October, Fisker went public in an SPAC reverse merger with Spartan Energy Acquisition to net the company more than $1 billion. Outsourcing to other companies like Magna and Foxconn to do the engineering, and being less invested in assets, could help the company reach growth and profits. The Fisker Ocean electric SUV will start rolling off the assembly line at Magna’s Graz facility in Austria in November of next year.

Faraday Future had a revival from what looked like a near-death experience not that long ago. That was thanks to a SPAC deal with Property Solutions Acquisition Corp. that is providing the automaker with $1 billion. The company had gone through upheaval — abandoning a plan for a $1 billion factory in Nevada; but it has yet to build its first vehicle. Another difficulty: Its founder and CEO, Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting, filed for bankruptcy in 2019.

The company received much attention for showing off its alluring electric car, the FF91, with voluminous interior room, gigantic display screens and Tesla-competitive acceleration. But the audience will be very limited once the vehicle roll out, with pricing going from $120,000 to $200,000.

UK-based Arrival makes electric buses and vans using micro-manufacturing – an asset-light strategy. It recently went public via a SPAC merger, and partnerships have helped the startup move forward, Last year, it made an agreement with UPS to roll out an initial order of 10,000 electric delivery vehicles through 2024. This year, Arrival partnered with Uber to create a purpose-built EV for ridesharing, and more recently took an order of 3,000 EVs from LeasePlan, a major fleet management company.

It didn’t go well for Nikola
Nikola Corp. has tried out SPACs as an alternative method to finding the backing that it needed, but that took an ugly turn for the worst. Its former chief was indicted last week on three counts of criminal fraud over false claims he made about the company.

Nikola was able build support and interest by rolling out a number of zero-emission fuel cell electric concept trucks from 2016 to 2020. Trevor Milton, the founder and former CEO of Nikola, had been an articulate champion of the product. Milton had also become a billionaire after taking the vehicle maker public through an SPAC deal. The stock price had skyrocketed as the CEO made several claims about the company’s progress toward bringing its electric and fuel cell trucks to market.

Trouble began brewing last year when a report from Hindenburg Research made several allegations exposing deception by Nikola and Milton. The report had included several claims corroborated in previous reports from Electrek and Bloomberg. The company did respond to those claims, but its response failed to address and rebut these allegations.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan charged him on July 29 with two counts of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud. The former CEO pled not guilty to the charges later that day and was freed on $100 million bail. The US Securities and Exchange Commission also filed a civil suit against him for securities fraud.

In a statement, Nikola said that the indictment was against Milton and not the fuel cell electric truck manufacturing company. The company also noted that he had not been involved in the business since last year. The company had hoped to restore confidence and enthusiasm in its business model well beyond Milton, living up to its ambitious claims. One of those had been its goal to build 700 hydrogen fueling stations across North America by 2028. The hydrogen would be produced on site at each location. But now the very existence and future of Nikola Motors is in question.

What does chip shortage mean for electric vehicles?
The global auto industry has been particularly vulnerable to a shortage in chips, or semiconductor devices, that are behind the increasingly complex electrical and digital devices used in new vehicles. That comes primarily from entertainment systems, navigation systems, and sensors.

The pandemic increased demand for personal electronics, especially cell phones and laptops, that also require chips — throwing off the supply chain where production couldn’t keep pace with demand. Experts say that the chip shortage will greatly affect EV production, which puts startups in another sensitive situation.

This issue came up during Tesla’s second quarter earnings call. CEO Elon Musk said that the company has been able to switch to types of chips that are readily available, but that the chip shortage was limiting the company’s output.

Market analysts expect that the chip shortage will begin to ease in the third or fourth quarter of this year. However, it could take much of next year for these new chips to make their way through the supply chains to new vehicles being produced.

Three other EV startups to watch
Rivian: The electric truck maker startup has been been doing very in finding financial backers and corporate contracts, with Amazon being the most noticed. Ford’s support has been helping, too. There may be some type of IPO coming up soon. Rivian has been in talks with government officials about building a factory in the UK, near Bristol. That may involve a large state-support package. A delivery van version of its R1T electric truck has been delayed from June to the second half of this year to arrive with customers.
Lordstown Motors: This Ohio-based startup has been capturing interest in its Endurance L-1500 with in-wheel motors that can delver 250 miles of range and 600 horsepower. That interest is more tied to commercial customers than consumers. It will have a starting price of $52,500. Production is expected to start in September for initially reach 1,000 units. The company launched its own SPAC in October 2020 on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol RIDE. The company has been hurt by negative reports, and by conerns that having bought General Motor’s former massive (6 million square foot) Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plant was not a good idea.
Workhorse, as reported here recently, has been spending a lot of time in the delivery drone business. Its electric truck story fell out of grace recently by losing the U.S. Postal Service deal on the agency acquiring its battery electric vehicle delivery trucks. That’s meant a 70 percent drop in share prices from its all-time highs. Its product is still an unknown risk — electric trucks designed with hub motors, which offers potential benefits to fleets but has gone largely unproven so far.

And in other news…………..

Speaking of SPACs, they’re not always going to succeed: “Investors are perceiving EV charging businesses as highly promising investment_targets based on their long-term revenue projections, however the relevance of strategic investments in this area cannot be underestimated as has been displayed by the performance of recent SPACs.”

That comes from Charles River Associates new report, Investment in EV Charging Business. Eager buyers coming into the charging and e-mobility are making it tougher for startups and established suppliers to stay focused on the tasks at hand in the competitive landscape. But the opportunities are there.

Lyft’s role in autonomous vehicles: This Automotive News podcast features Jody Kelman, head of Lyft’s autonomous ride division, explores the suprisiding moves made by the ride-sharing giant that looked like it would be completely stepping out of the autonomous shared ride business. As podcast interviews tend to go, it offers a more interesting and personalized look at the issues. Kelman talks about the company’s new deal with Ford and Argo AI, offers insights gathered from driving data, and tells the story of her first ride in an autonomous vehicle.

Hydrogen coming to India? The use of hydrogen power for vehicle transport is an “interesting alternative” for India, especially as it would reduce dependence on lithium imports, the chairman of India’s top-selling automaker Maruti Suzuki said on Monday. R.C. Bhargava discussed the challenges with shareholders in the company’s annual report meeting as the company looks to meet stringent emissions targets; and as demand for lithium used in batteries soars worldwide. India would be following behind three other neighbors in the Asia Pacific region — Japan, South Korea, and China — which for years have been committed to bringing in more fuel cell vehicles and charging stations.