SJV Clean Transportation Center: Oct./Nov. Newsletter


Welcome to the October/November 2016 San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Center Newsletter. With funding from the California Energy Commission, CALSTART opened the Center with the goal to accelerate the use of clean vehicles and fuels and help the region more quickly meet its air quality targets.
Nearly 150 Attend Inaugural SJV Clean Transportation Summit Oct. 19 in Clovis 

The inaugural San San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Summit was attended by close to 150 people. Conducted Oct. 19 at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District in Clovis, the Summit provided an opportunity to learn about the latest in advanced, clean transportation technology options right here in the Valley through an up close and personal experience. Attendees were able to interact with owners and operators of clean emission vehicles, meet with manufacturers and dealers, hear from state and local agencies, and learn about rebate and incentive programs.

In addition to speakers and breakout sessions on topics including electric vehicles and natural gas alternatives, the Summit featured vendor booths and numerous vehicles on display. The event opened with speeches from dignitaries and industry leaders, including California Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula, CALSTART President and CEO John Boesel (pictured above left) and George Minter, Regional Vice President of External Affairs and Environmental Strategy, Southern California Gas Co. Keynote speakers were Oliver L. Baines III, Fresno City Council; Sheraz Gill, Director of Strategies and Incentives, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District; and John Kato (pictured above right), Deputy Director of Fuels and Transportation Division, California Energy Commission. The day ended with vehicle ride-and-drive demonstrations.

The Summit was organized by CALSTART in partnership with Fresno State’s Office of Community and Economic Development and various industry partners. View the Summit video to see highlights of the event.




Envision Solar's EV ARC, using solar panels to power Level 2 electric vehicle chargers from Telefonix, soon will appear at city halls throughout Fresno County, making it the first county in the nation to have EV charging in all of its incorporated cities.

Fresno County to be First in Nation to Get EV Charging in Rural Incorporated Cities

Selma residents in late November will see an EV ARC™ providing electric vehicle charging at city hall, followed by similar installations at Kingsburg, Fowler, Kerman, San Joaquin, Huron, Coalinga, Firebaugh, Mendota, Orange Cove, Reedley, Sanger and Parlier. When completed, Fresno County will be the first in the nation to have EV charging at all of its rural incorporated cities. Fresno and Clovis already have several Level 2 EV charging sites, as well as DC fast chargers (Level 3) at multiple locations.

Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) General Manager Moses Sites outlined the project for those attending the electric vehicle breakout session at the San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Summit Oct. 19. FCRTA is directing the project with assistance from CALSTART and funding from several sources, including the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's Charge Up! program, which now offers funding for the EV ARC™.

Envision Solar has patented the EV ARC™ that couples solar power with on-board battery storage to provide EV charging day or night, even during power outages and emergencies. In addition to being transportable, the EV ARC™ does not require any permits, civil engineering or planning, foundations, trenching or electrical connections. The Fresno County sites all will be installed with two Level 2 PowerPost EVSE chargers from Telefonix. 



This Angus Transportation, Inc., truck features a Cummins Westport ISX12-G natural gas engine.  

Natural Gas Engines Provide Clean, Reliable Alternative for Trucking Fleets 

Near-Zero (NZ) emissions from new natural gas engines offer the heavy-duty market technology that is available today and deployable today, George Minter, Regional Vice President of External Affairs and Environmental Strategy for Southern California Gas Co., told those attending the San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Summit Oct. 19.

The Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) offers point-of-sale incentives for clean trucks and buses in California. Administered by CALSTART, HVIP's low-NOx incentives (tracked separately than conventional HVIP funding) are designed to cover the full incremental cost over a standard natural gas engine and includes both repowers as well new vehicles. A total of 1.86 million in incentives currently is available exclusively for low-NOx engines/vehicles, with approximately another $21 million in voucher funding added in February 2017. Incentive amounts are determined by the increased incremental cost, with current caps at $15,000 and increasing to $25,000 in February to accommodate the eventual introduction of larger Near-Zero 12 liter engines.
 
Although more trucks and buses will be added in the future, current eligible engines/vehicles and incentive amounts include:
  • Repower any vehicle with Cummins ISL G Near-Zero 8.9 liter engine, $15,000 
  • New Autocar Xpeditor Refuse Truck with ISL G Near-Zero 8.9 liter engine, $8,500
  • New ElDorado National Transit Bus with ISL G Near-Zero 8.9 liter engine, $15,000
  • New Gillig Transit Bus with ISL G Near-Zero 8.9 liter engine, $10,000
For more information, go to the HVIP website or call 888-457-HVIP. 


Chevrolet Bolt Expected to Drive 2017 Sales as California Tops 250,000 EVs 

It isn't even at dealerships yet, but with the EPA estimating an electric range of 238 miles and a base sticker price of $37,495 before rebates and incentives, the Chevrolet Bolt already is getting a lot of attention. It has won the prestigious 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year award and has been named the Green Car Reports Best Car to Buy 2017. If such accolades aren't enough for those with any remaining range anxiety, 238 miles is the approximate distance from Bakersfield to Stockton!

California leads the nation in EV sales and is anticipated to top 250,000 EVs sold by this month, according to a Nov. 14 news release by the California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative (PEVC). "The 2017 Chevy Bolt EV – the first EV capable of 238 miles of range and offered at an affordable price – will arrive in Chevy showrooms this year and provides an ideal option for even more buyers to purchase an electric vehicle,” Steve Majoros, Marketing Director, Chevrolet Cars and Crossovers, said in the PEVC news release.   

San Joaquin Valley residents who purchase or lease a new EV may qualify for up to $15,000 in rebates and incentives, depending on income and eligibility. In addition to a $7,500 federal tax credit, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's Drive Clean rebate is $3,000 and the California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) provides an additional $2,500 for all-electric vehicles. While CVRP now has a cap for higher-income consumers, Californians with low and moderate incomes can get increased rebates. Consumers with household incomes less than or equal to 300 percent of the federal poverty level ($72,900 for a family of four for 2016) are eligible for an increased rebate amount of $2,000, bringing the total state rebate amount to $4,500. (Photo by Jennette Waymire)

Most significantly, the Chevy Bolt signals what is to come for EVs. Until now, only Tesla has offered EVs with a range of more than 200 miles – but at more than twice the cost of a Bolt. Tesla has taken nearly 400,000 reservations for its much-hyped Model 3, which its website says will have "215 miles of range per charge while starting at only $35,000 before incentives" and will go into production by mid-2017. The Leaf is the nation's top-selling EV, first introduced in 2010. Nissan has released few details about its 2018 model due out late next year, but it also is expected to compete with the Bolt both in range and price.

Although Valley dealers may receive some Bolts in December and January, they don't know how many they will get and expect them to sell quickly. Those interested in reserving a Bolt can do so by putting down a $500 refundable deposit. In the Fresno area, contact Melissa Dominguez at Hedrick's Chevrolet at 559-347-5436 or MDominguez@hedrickschevy.com. In the Modesto area, contact David Schene at American Chevrolet at 209-499-6380 or DSchene@americanchevrolet.com. In the Bakersfield area, contact Jennette Waymire at 3 Way Chevrolet at 661-444-1761 or jwaymire@3waychev.com. (Photo by Jennette Waymire)   



Biodico Westside Bringing Clean Biofuel and Green Jobs to the San Joaquin Valley

Biodico Westside is the world’s first fully sustainable liquid biofuel facility in the San Joaquin Valley. Located at Red Rock Ranch in Five Points, the world’s first "Zero Net Energy Farm," these facilities will serve as templates for California and the country as a whole, Biodico Founder and President Russ Teall, told a group attending Fresno State University's San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Cluster meeting Nov. 9 during a tour of the site and presentation.

In addition to processing recyclable feedstocks, including used cooking oil, vegetable oil and animal fats to name a few, the facility also utilizes anaerobic digestion, gasification and an advanced utility scale solar cogeneration system. Biodico Westside produces up to 20 million gallons of biodiesel per year, supplying renewable fuel to the ag industry's truck fleet, and also has created "green jobs" in a disadvantaged area with high unemployment and poor air quality.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded a $1.2 million grant for the project. In addition to the SJV Clean Energy Cluster, some of the other project collaborators include the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and the U.S. Navy, which is the world's largest user of diesel fuel. Biodiesel can be used in diesel engines with little or no modification while providing significant emissions benefits.

To learn more, see the Zero Net Energy Farms presentation from the Nov. 9 meeting or view Biodico's video
Director's Message
By Joseph Oldham

Well, if you missed the CALSTART San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Summit on Oct. 19 at the Clovis Veterans Memorial Facility in Clovis, we have a video of the event in this edition of the newsletter to help you see and hear what you missed and, hopefully, encourage you to attend the next one. About 150 people attended the event and the responses from our post-Summit satisfaction survey indicated that most of the attendees plan to come back next time, so stay tuned.

For this edition of the San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Center Newsletter, I want to encourage you to pay close attention to two articles about new opportunities to have cleaner vehicles operating in the region. One is about the addition of significant funding to the HVIP program, which CALSTART administers for truck and bus engine conversions and new vehicle purchases using the new Cummins ISL-G Ultra Low NOx 9 liter engine. If you operate a vocational truck fleet or bus fleet and are planning to replace vehicles in 2017, you should seriously consider specifying the Cummins ISL-G Ultra Low NOx engine and taking advantage of the new HVIP incentives in addition to potential incentives from the San Joaquin Valley Air District Prop 1B program.

The second article is on the new Chevrolet Bolt, an all-electric SUV that will be coming to a Chevy dealer near you in 2017. This remarkable advance in all-electric drive vehicle capacity has an EPA-certified mileage of 238 miles on a single charge and seats five people. Priced in the mid-$30,000 range after the federal tax credit, the Bolt is a game changer for the San Joaquin Valley in terms of range and utility.  Imagine being able to drive round trip from Fresno to Bakersfield on a single charge using no gasoline! The Bolt has no oil to change, no smog checks, 0 to 60MPH in 6.5 seconds, and it is a small SUV with five-passenger seating capacity.

Finally, also note the work by Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) to deploy solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations in the thirteen (13) rural cities in Fresno County! The Envision Solar EV ARC stations are totally self-sufficient, requiring no electricity from the electric grid. Because they are solar powered, they will provide free electric vehicle charging for residents, as well as support deployment by FCRTA of advanced electric shuttle vans for their on-demand transit service in the communities.

As 2016 is ending, it has been a year that has seen very positive advancements of cleaner transportation technology in the San Joaquin Valley. The forecast for 2017 is for even greater strides! Best wishes for a safe and prosperous holiday season from the CALSTART San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Center!

“The CALSTART San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Center is a joint project between CALSTART and the California Energy Commission (CEC). It is funded through a grant from the CEC with the mission to assist residents and businesses in the San Joaquin Valley deploy cleaner transportation options to help improve air quality and promote economic prosperity. For more information about CALSTART, visit www.calstart.org
 

Quotes from the 2016 Summit

"We have the technology. It is doable through this partnership to have clean air in the Valley."
John Boesel
President and CEO, CALSTART

 
"Eighty percent of the emissions that contribute to smog come from the transportation sector."
George Minter
Southern California Gas Co.
 
"We can lead not just the state, but the world."
Dr. Joaquin Arambula
California State Assembly

 
"It is extremely important for us to incentivize these zero and near-zero technologies."
Oliver L. Baines III
Fresno City Council
 
"The San Joaquin Valley is at a critical juncture in meeting federal Clean Air Act mandates."
Sheraz Gill
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
 
"I would like to use the Valley as an example of sustainability."
John Kato
California Energy Commission
 
"Electric vehicles aren't just for the rich or those living in the Bay Area or Los Angeles."
Colette Kincaid
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
 

Looking for Grant Information?

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District offers a variety of grants and incentive programs for public agencies, residents, businesses and technology. Interested parties should apply early since incentives typically are available on a first-come, first-served basis. A complete list of current incentive programs is available on the Air District website.

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) administers grant programs funded through various sources, including the Cap-and-Trade program. A complete list of the various funding programs is available on the
ARB website.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) also administers grant programs for transportation technology. Go to the 
CEC website for information.

Various Federal agencies offer grants and incentives for transportation technology each year. All Federal agencies use the
Grants.gov website for submitting and receiving grant applications. 

 


Copyright © 2016 by CALSTART, All rights reserved.

Contact Us
Joseph Oldham, Director
San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Center
Address: 510 W. Kearney Blvd., Fresno, CA 93706
Phone: (559) 797-6034
Email: joldham@calstart.org
Website: www.sjvcleantransportation.org

Newsletter Editor: Brenda Turner, Project Clean Air
projectcleanairprograms@gmail.com