Electrify America Discover and Drive Tour at Fresno's Fashion Fair Mall March 5-7

Volkswagen's's Electrify America is hosting a Discover and Drive Tour in seven key California metro areas, including Fresno, to showcase electric vehicles (EVs) and charging. The tour will be at Fashion Fair Mall March 5-7 and is part of Electrify America’s initial $200 million investment in California to increase access to EVs and adoption through brand-neutral education and promotional activities.

Several EVs will be available to test drive, including the BMW i3, Chevrolet Bolt, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S and Volkswagen e-Golf, as well as the battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell powered Honda Clarity models. Pre-owned and affordable EV models also will be featured. An all-new 350kW DC fast charger from Electrify America that provides up to 20 miles of range per minute of charging – the fastest charging technology available today – also will be on display.

Admission is free, but advance registration is required to test drive the vehicles, along with a valid driver's license. Tour events were conducted in February in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego, with March tour stops also planned in Sacramento, San Francisco and San Jose.

California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross (center) cut the ribbon dedicating California Bioenergy's dairy digester project at Lakeview Dairy in Bakersfield. California Energy Commission Deputy Director Laurie ten Hope (left of Ross), California Assemblymember Rudy Salas (third from left) and other CalBio and dairy representatives took part in the Feb. 2 event.    

RNG from California Dairies Provides Cleanest Alternative to Diesel Trucks 

California Bioenergy (CalBio) hosted a ribbon-cutting event Feb. 2 at Lakeview Dairy in Bakersfield, where a double-lined, covered lagoon digester will produce 1 MW of electricity. It is one of the anchor dairies in the Kern Cluster, located near Interstate 5, with the goal to produce vehicle fuel as well as electricity.

With funding from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and California Energy Commission (CEC), dairies are using cutting-edge digester technology to break down manure and create renewable energy while also reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The renewable natural gas (RNG) produced from dairies has a key role in cleaning up the San Joaquin Valley's polluted air.

Heavy-duty diesel trucks are the single largest contributor of NOx emissions in the Valley, leading to ozone pollution. By using the new Cummins Westport engine fueled with RNG instead of diesel-powered trucks, NOx emissions can be reduced to near zero (see news brief at right for more information). 

"We are going to power all those vehicles that move goods up and down the 5 and 99 with cow power," said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. Dairy is the top ag product in the state, she noted, and one cow can produce the equivalent of 100 gallons of diesel per year.

"The California Legislature has stepped up with cap-and-trade funding, providing $99 million for these projects," said California Assemblymember Rudy Salas. The CDFA received $99 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund in 2017 for methane emissions reductions from dairy and livestock operations.

"The CEC has been a catalyst for innovation to help us reach our greenhouse gas and air quality goals," said Laurie ten Hope, Deputy Director of the CEC's Research & Development Division. She noted that this project will make it possible to "offtake gas to send to the SoCalGas pipeline for use as fuel."

The San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Summit March 14-15 at Fresno's Save Mart Center will include presentations on how cow power is used to produce RNG for use as a transportation fuel.
 

Millions in funding will be available for California school districts to replace diesel school buses with all-electric models such as this one from Blue Bird, shown here at a ride-and-drive event at the Fruitvale School District in Bakersfield. 

New Funding Coming to Replace Diesel with Zero-Emission Electric School Buses

Blue Bird, Adomani and A-Z Bus Sales teamed up to showcase the all-new Blue Bird Type D Electric School Bus at ride-and-drive events during in January at school districts throughout the state, including Bakersfield's Fruitvale School District and Fresno's Central Unified School District. Adomani patented the electric drivetrain for the buses, while A-Z Bus Sales is the authorized dealer. 

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) 2017-18 Funding Plan has allocated $180 million to the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), which is administered by CALSTART. With this new funding, the purchase incentive for electric school buses through HVIP is increasing to $220,000.

"With HVIP, a school district will be able to purchase an electric bus for the cost of a diesel," said Brandon Bluhm, Sales Director for A-Z Bus Sales. Volkswagen settlement funds may provide even more money to replace diesel-fueled school buses.

CARB is conducting public workshops in February and March to receive input on the Beneficiary Mitigation Plan for California’s $423 million allocation of the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust. The staff presentation from those workshops is available online.

Among the recommendations from CARB staff is to provide up to $400,000 per vehicle to replace internal combustion engine buses at public school districts with battery-electric models. A total of $130 million is recommended to be allocated for school, transit and shuttle bus replacements, with at least 50 percent of these funds going to disadvantaged or low-income communities. CARB estimates about 65 percent of California’s fleet of more than 25,000 school buses are diesel-fueled. Public comments can be submitted electronically.

Several manufacturers will have electric buses, including school buses, at the San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Summit March 14-15 at Fresno's Save Mart Center (see details below).

CALSTART'S booth at the World Ag Expo in Tulare showcased electric technologies, including an electric tractor built by Motivo, the solar-powered EV ARC charging station from Envision Solar, and one of Fresno County Rural Transit Agency's Zenith electric vans.   

World Ag Expo Displays EV Technology

More than 100,000 attendees from throughout the nation and 63 foreign countries came to the 2018 World Ag Expo. CALSTART was one of nearly 1,500 companies displaying cutting-edge equipment, technology and services at the 51st annual event Feb. 13-15 in Tulare.

The CALSTART exhibit featured an electric tractor built by Motivo, the solar-powered EV ARC charging station from Envision Solar, and one of Fresno County Rural Transit Agency's (FCRTA) Zenith all-electric vans. FCRTA, working with CALSTART's San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Center (SJVCTC), last year placed EV ARCs at all 13 rural incorporated cities throughout Fresno County.

Invented and manufactured in California, the solar-powered EV ARC fits inside a parking space, requires no trenching or permits, and can be deployed in minutes as well as moved to another location if needed. The EV ARC is equipped with battery storage to provide Level 2 EV charging day or night – up to 225 miles of EV driving generated per day – and it also can be used for emergency power during a grid failure. At the World Ag Expo, it was used to power a robotics exhibit displayed by Motivo in addition to charging the HARVEST Smart Electric Tractor.

FCRTA also plans to deploy two Solar Tree DC fast charging units from Envision Solar. These larger units will provide in-route charging for two BYD 35-foot electric buses running express routes from Orange Cove and Coalinga into Fresno.

Several Zenith vans are in the FCRTA fleet as well. The Zenith vans have an electric range of 80 miles, with options available for 100 and 135 miles. Read our previous newsletter article or visit the Zenith Motors website for more details about these vehicles, which also come in a cargo version and qualify for $50,000 in funding through the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP). CALSTART currently administers the HVIP program for the California Air Resources Board (CARB). 

Those who missed seeing these EV technologies at the World Ag Expo will be able to learn more at the San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Summit on March 14-15 in Fresno at the Save Mart Center. David Greenfader of Envision Solar, Motivo's Christopher Laudando and FCRTA General Manager Moses Stites will be among those speaking at the two-day event (see below for details).

News Briefs

FIRST FOR TESLA IN KETTLEMAN CITY

The San Joaquin Valley doesn't see many firsts when it comes to electric vehicles (EVs) and charging. But Tesla's new Supercharger site off Interstate 5 in Kettleman City features a whopping 40 chargers  –  making it one of the largest in the U.S.  – along with the first-ever Tesla lounge. As Model 3 deliveries increase, demand is expected to surge along this busy route between Los Angeles and San Francisco. 

For those who aren't Tesla owners  –  only they can access the 24-hour lounge using a code  –  check out a video from CNBC to see amenities that include everything from a kids' play wall to an apparel store. During business hours, a barista even serves up drinks (photo above) such as the Ludicrous Mode (double espresso shot) and Autopilot (barista's choice).

CUMMINS WESTPORT 12-LITER LOW-NOx ENGINE NOW ON SALE

Cummins Westport has rolled out the long-anticipated 12-liter near-zero-NOx natural gas engine, the ISX12N, providing the cleanest heavy-duty engine available. Full production of the engine launched in February, and the engine is expected to be powering trucks on California’s highways as early as March.

CARB has certified the engine at 0.01 NOx grams per brake horsepower-hour while running on renewable natural gas (RNG) – half the emissions required in its optional low-NOx standard of 0.02 g/bhp-hr.

“With RNG, the ISX12N and the L9N engines operate at sub-zero-NOx emissions when their entire life-cycle impact, including the source of energy, is calculated,” Hugh Donnell, who leads the North American truck market and truck OEM business for Cummins Westport, said in a recent article appearing in the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition newsletter.

“Heavy-duty diesel freight trucks produce the worst pollution in California," said Coalition President Thomas Lawson. "Now we have the ISX12N running RNG, and when it’s used to replace them, it will help to exponentially reduce air pollution along freight corridors and advance the state’s air quality goals.”

Donnell said he expects adoption of the new engine to increase quickly in 2018, thanks to state and local incentive funding, which could provide as much as $100,000 per engine. The Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), which is administered by CALSTART, provides attractive incentives for this engine and requires the use of RNG fuel. Visit the HVIP website for more information.

The ISX12N may be ordered now through all traditional OEMs, including Peterbilt, Freightliner and Volvo. Learn more about this exciting new engine at the San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Summit on March 14-15 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno.

GREENPOWER ADDS SCHOOL BUS, MINI BUS TO EV LINEUP

GreenPower Motor Company Inc., which soon will be building electric buses at the company's new manufacturing facility in Porterville, has two new vehicles in its EV lineup.

In addition to its all-electric transit buses, the company has launched an all-electric school bus, the Synapse 72. The first deliveries are expected in June, with orders already received from schools in the Los Angeles area. All GreenPower products are eligible for funding through the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project ( HVIP ), which is administered by CALSTART.

"Our school bus, the Synapse 72, will actually cost less than the equivalent diesel school bus with the California HVIP voucher," said GreenPower President Brendan Riley in a recent letter to shareholders.

GreenPower also has introduced the EV Star, a Class 4, 25-foot mini bus. The new model will go on sale in April, with demonstrations set for this summer. "In terms of unit sales, this product could very well emerge as our #1 seller," said Riley.

The EV Star qualifies for $80,000 in HVIP funding, while the Synapse 72, like other electric school buses, qualifies for $220,000 in HVIP funding. For more information, see GreenPower's corporate overview of their vehicles and eligible HVIP funding.