Monday, December 11, 2023
SMART Grants Update
USDOT has announced that over 300 Stage 1 applications were submitted for the FY23 SMART Grant opportunity. USDOT anticipates that it will announce about 30 new Stage 1 awards in early 2024. Approximately $50 million will be available for Stage 1 awards this fiscal year, with an additional $50 million available for Stage 2 grants. USDOT anticipates that separate SMART Grants Program NOFOs will solicit applications for Stage 2 grants in calendar year 2024 as well as for additional Stage 1 grants in calendar year 2024.
DOT Releases Momentum Toolkit to Guide Governments in Supporting Private Fleet Electrification
At COP, the USDOT announced the release of a new toolkit, “Charging Ahead: How Government Agencies Can Support the Electrification of Private Fleet Vehicles.” The toolkit addresses ways that governments can facilitate fleet electrification from convening of fleets to providing funding for rebates to cover the upfront cost differential and deployment of widespread charging infrastructure. The toolkit covers both light duty and heavy duty fleet needs.
Stellantis makes a big bet on EV battery swapping in new deal with Ample
Stellantis struck a deal with California-based EV battery swapping company Ample to power a fleet of shared Fiat 500e vehicles in Spain. But the company says the deal could eventually expand to include personally owned EVs in Europe and the US as well.
By becoming one of the first Western automakers to embrace battery swapping technology, Stellantis is betting that EV charging infrastructure in Europe and the US will remain a barrier to adoption in the near future, necessitating other solutions. Battery swapping could theoretically help EV owners power up and get moving without having to wait for long stretches at a charging station.
By becoming one of the first Western automakers to embrace battery swapping technology, Stellantis is betting that EV charging infrastructure in Europe and the US will remain a barrier to adoption in the near future, necessitating other solutions. Battery swapping could theoretically help EV owners power up and get moving without having to wait for long stretches at a charging station.
Ford and Xcel Energy will build 30,000 EV charging ports for fleet businesses
Ford is partnering with Xcel Energy to install 30,000 EV charging ports for fleet customers by 2030, at little to no cost to the businesses to the businesses themselves.
The project will be run out of Ford Pro, which is the automaker’s commercial vehicle and software division. The first EV charger installations will begin in the first quarter of 2024 in two states, Wisconsin and Colorado, and later will grow to include more states, said Amanda Rome, executive vice president and chief customer officer at Xcel Energy.
Xcel said it would absorb “most of the upfront costs” of the charging installations, with Rome predicting that customers would get “up to $150,000” in savings from the program. Ford, meanwhile, will offer a “full suite” of charging products to customers, including fleet management and software tools to help commercial fleet owners manage their charging.
The project will be run out of Ford Pro, which is the automaker’s commercial vehicle and software division. The first EV charger installations will begin in the first quarter of 2024 in two states, Wisconsin and Colorado, and later will grow to include more states, said Amanda Rome, executive vice president and chief customer officer at Xcel Energy.
Xcel said it would absorb “most of the upfront costs” of the charging installations, with Rome predicting that customers would get “up to $150,000” in savings from the program. Ford, meanwhile, will offer a “full suite” of charging products to customers, including fleet management and software tools to help commercial fleet owners manage their charging.
Monday, December 4, 2023
$3.9B grid investment prompts wave of collaboration
Clean energy partnerships are surging due to the Biden administration's $3.9 billion investment in grid resiliency and growing concerns over extreme weather disruptions. Resulting innovations include new developments in microgrids running on solar power and local batteries, and software that enables utilities to manage and redistribute energy loads.
US to widen restrictions on imports of EV materials
Guidance from the Treasury and Department of Energy indicates the US is to widen restrictions on imported electric vehicle components in 2025 to include imports of critical materials used in their manufacture, particularly from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. "Thanks to the Investing in America agenda and today's important guidance from Treasury and the Department of Energy, we're helping ensure that the electric vehicle future will be made in America," says John Podesta, senior adviser to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation
The Fleet EV Charging Infrastructure Ecosystem, Explained
For fleets there are ultimately five prominent solutions: charging networks, Charging as a Service, Charging Infrastructure as a Service, Fleet as a Service, and real estate owners. Some companies offer more than one solution (for example, charging networks and Charging as a Service).
RMI Analysis: With Smart Policy, Truck Electrification Is Within Reach
An analysis of 15 states that have adopted or are in the process of adopting the Advanced Clean Trucks regulation shows that 60 percent of medium-duty trucks and 43 of heavy-duty trucks are electrifiable today.
RMI analyzed one year of trucking telematics data in 15 states that have adopted or are working to adopt the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulation to understand how trucks currently operate and to quantify electrification potential. The profiled states have all signed the Advanced Clean Trucks Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that requires 30 percent of MHD vehicle sales be zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) by 2030, with a goal of 100 percent ZEV adoption by 2050. Some states have enacted the MOU, while others are still working on adoption.
Blink Charging (BLNK) to Provide Mack Trucks' Customers with Fleet EV Infrastructure
Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ: BLNK) (“Blink” or the “Company”), a leading global manufacturer, owner, operator and provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment and services, today announced it has been selected as a full-service EV infrastructure provider for Mack Trucks through Mack’s Vendor Direct Ship and Turnkey Solutions program.
Mack Trucks selected Blink and its reliable, scalable EV equipment and extensive fleet expertise. As operators look to electrify their fleets, Blink and its advanced EV charging products provide dedicated expertise to help accurately assess particular fleet needs to optimize infrastructure services and provide end-to-end software solutions. Additionally, Blink has commenced deploying workplace chargers at multiple Volvo and Mack facilities nationwide.
Mack Trucks selected Blink and its reliable, scalable EV equipment and extensive fleet expertise. As operators look to electrify their fleets, Blink and its advanced EV charging products provide dedicated expertise to help accurately assess particular fleet needs to optimize infrastructure services and provide end-to-end software solutions. Additionally, Blink has commenced deploying workplace chargers at multiple Volvo and Mack facilities nationwide.
NY Governor Hochul Announces $100M in Enviro. Bond Act Funding for Zero-Emission School Buses
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $100 million is now available for zero-emission school buses under the historic $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022. The New York School Bus Incentive Program provides funding to make clean buses and the associated charging infrastructure more affordable for public school districts and bus operators that contract with them while reducing pollution, and improving air quality in communities across the state, particularly those that are underserved.
This announcement supports the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent by 2050 and New York State’s requirements that all school buses in New York State be zero-emission by 2035.
PepsiCo: Electrifying Two Northern California Distribution Centers
PepsiCo has quickly become one of the leaders of utilizing sustainable fleet technologies. With its massive Modesto facility, Manteca Frito-Lay site, and more sites coming online soon, PepsiCo is leading the way in fleet electrification. Learn from their journey of over a decade of electric vehicle investment to their recent selection by Tesla as the pilot operator of the Tesla Semi.
Scaling and Aggregation Supercharge Electric Vehicle Charging
This installment of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) Tell Me Something Grid series features Luke Lavin, a member of NREL’s Grid Planning and Analysis Center. Lavin discusses analysis of different approaches to electric vehicle (EV) managed charging to support the future power grid.
Note NREL's Demand-Side Grid Toolkit
Are EV sales actually tanking? NO!
Despite recent labor and manufacturing woes, EV sales remain strong, and cities will benefit as more electric trucks and buses hit the streets, Al Gore III said.
The numbers show that electric vehicle sales jumped 49% year over year in the first three quarters of 2023, according to Kelley Blue Book, a Cox Automotive brand. Nearly 8% of U.S. automotive sales in Q3 were EVs, according to Cox, which predicts full-year sales of more than one million electric vehicles. So Albert Gore doesn’t believe the narrative that consumer demand for EVs is waning.
This Albert Gore is executive director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association, a coalition advocating for full adoption of EVs by 2030. He is the son of the former vice president and well-known climate advocate. “We’re seeing continued monthly growth, but also year-over-year growth of [EV sales],” he explained. “It’s just important to keep our eye on the longer-term trend and not overreact to these individual data points that in many cases seem to be anecdotal, or maybe very specific and regional.”
This Albert Gore is executive director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association, a coalition advocating for full adoption of EVs by 2030. He is the son of the former vice president and well-known climate advocate. “We’re seeing continued monthly growth, but also year-over-year growth of [EV sales],” he explained. “It’s just important to keep our eye on the longer-term trend and not overreact to these individual data points that in many cases seem to be anecdotal, or maybe very specific and regional.”
Revolv secures $25 million in EV fleet project financing from Greenbacker Capital Management
The new Revolv facility will be the first dedicated non-recourse financing facility for commercial EVs and charging stations in North America. It will enable Revolv to finance long-term contracts with its corporate customers while significantly scaling national EV fleet adoption by funding dozens of new fleet decarbonisation projects within the coming year.
Revolv enables businesses to decarbonise their fleets by meeting customers wherever they operate, providing them with a single partner solution that encompasses electric vehicles and EV charging infrastructure owned, implemented, and maintained by Revolv – all supported by the company’s post-implementation fleet optimisation, analytics, and insights.
Revolv enables businesses to decarbonise their fleets by meeting customers wherever they operate, providing them with a single partner solution that encompasses electric vehicles and EV charging infrastructure owned, implemented, and maintained by Revolv – all supported by the company’s post-implementation fleet optimisation, analytics, and insights.
Rizon (a brand of Daimler Truck) electric trucks receive EPA and CARB certification
Rizon, a brand of Daimler Truck commercial vehicles, has received Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certification and dual CARB Executive Orders for its Class 4 and 5 medium-duty electric trucks. It is also eligible for a $60,000 baseline incentive per vehicle through the California Air Resource Board’s (CARB) Hybrid and Zero-emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP). Additionally, the truck is in full compliance with the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, Rizon said.
The first deliveries of vehicles are set to commence in Q4 of 2023 through dealer networks in California.
Rizon trucks are exclusively distributed by Velocity EV. Four model variants will be available: the e18L, e18M, e16L, and the e16M. Rizon says its are ideally suited to urban and last-mile deliveries and routes of up to 150 miles per day. They support configurations including box trucks, flatbeds, stake beds, refrigerated, and other body types.
The first deliveries of vehicles are set to commence in Q4 of 2023 through dealer networks in California.
Rizon trucks are exclusively distributed by Velocity EV. Four model variants will be available: the e18L, e18M, e16L, and the e16M. Rizon says its are ideally suited to urban and last-mile deliveries and routes of up to 150 miles per day. They support configurations including box trucks, flatbeds, stake beds, refrigerated, and other body types.
Forum Mobility plans truck charging station at Long Beach port
Freight electrification provider Forum Mobility said it plans to erect a new heavy-duty truck charging depot in the Port of Long Beach capable of providing high-speed charging infrastructure for hundreds of drayage trucks per day and supporting the transition of the state's drayage fleet to zero-emission.
Forum's Port of Long Beach charging depot will offer 19 dual-port 360 kW chargers, and six 360 kW single-dispenser chargers, able to charge 44 trucks simultaneously, with the ability to charge an electric Class-8 truck in about 90 minutes, depending on battery size. The depot will be fully staffed and is scheduled to be online fall of 2024. At full capacity, it will serve over 200 trucks a day.
Forum Mobility's first tranche of eight charging depots, with capacity to charge about 600 trucks simultaneously, is scheduled to come online over the next 10-20 months.
Forum's Port of Long Beach charging depot will offer 19 dual-port 360 kW chargers, and six 360 kW single-dispenser chargers, able to charge 44 trucks simultaneously, with the ability to charge an electric Class-8 truck in about 90 minutes, depending on battery size. The depot will be fully staffed and is scheduled to be online fall of 2024. At full capacity, it will serve over 200 trucks a day.
Forum Mobility's first tranche of eight charging depots, with capacity to charge about 600 trucks simultaneously, is scheduled to come online over the next 10-20 months.
The most important metrics for SaaS funding in 2024
The predictability of a startup’s viability and success goes deeper than total addressable market (TAM) — way deeper.
In the heyday of VC-backed growth, startups had to lock in just two key metrics to secure funding: TAM and revenue growth; the larger the better. But the downturn of early 2022 brought another priority to the forefront: sustainable growth.
It’s tricky because it’s not a single metric — it’s more of a movement.
In many ways, sustainable growth looks different across industries and products, but for the average SaaS company, it’s underpinned by one core concept: product scalability. In SaaS, scalability is measured through several metrics, including ARR (annual recurring revenue) per employee, R40 (Rule of 40), and more. We’ll get into that soon.
In the heyday of VC-backed growth, startups had to lock in just two key metrics to secure funding: TAM and revenue growth; the larger the better. But the downturn of early 2022 brought another priority to the forefront: sustainable growth.
It’s tricky because it’s not a single metric — it’s more of a movement.
In many ways, sustainable growth looks different across industries and products, but for the average SaaS company, it’s underpinned by one core concept: product scalability. In SaaS, scalability is measured through several metrics, including ARR (annual recurring revenue) per employee, R40 (Rule of 40), and more. We’ll get into that soon.
More>> (paywall)
CTE named qualified provider of zero-emission bus technical assistance
Collaboration between the Joint Office and organizations such as NREL, CTE and others will allow states, municipalities and fleet owners to access research capabilities, modeling expertise and experience in training and community outreach. As a key technical assistance provider through the Joint Office, CTE will support the preparation of transition plans for transit agencies and school districts looking to add electric buses and shuttles to their fleets. CTE will help public fleet decision-makers identify barriers, resolve challenges and better understand the technical opportunities of electric buses in their communities.
Specific tasks CTE will provide include creating resources for understanding utility engagement, outlining best practices for EV infrastructure acquisition and siting and providing assistance for station design. CTE will also facilitate meetings between localities and utilities to address common issues like grid interconnection and rate structures, fostering collaboration for innovative charging solutions.
Specific tasks CTE will provide include creating resources for understanding utility engagement, outlining best practices for EV infrastructure acquisition and siting and providing assistance for station design. CTE will also facilitate meetings between localities and utilities to address common issues like grid interconnection and rate structures, fostering collaboration for innovative charging solutions.
*New* Battery Electric Bus Charging Infrastructure: Key Performance Indicators from APTA
This document was developed by a working group of members of American Public Transit Association (APTA)’s Zero Emission Bus Committee and focuses on KPIs that can be used for battery electric bus (BEB) charging infrastructure. It is designed to act as a menu that agencies can use to consider which metrics may best meet the unique needs of their program. Published October 2023.
More>>
More>>
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)