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Proterra's
Milestone 100th Electric Bus Delivered to San Joaquin RTD in
Stockton
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Proterra delivered
its 100th battery-electric bus earlier in April, destined
for San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) in Stockton.
Serving more than 687,744 people in San Joaquin County, RTD has
added 10 more Proterra Catalyst battery-electric
buses to its expanding fleet, bringing their total number of
Proterra buses to 12. As the first agency in Northern
California to operate all-electric technology, San Joaquin RTD
exemplifies the growing trend among transit organizations to
transition to zero-emission buses as the cost and performance
benefits become clearer.
“Proterra has helped us save funds, reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and provide clean, quiet, electric transit service to
residents throughout the San Joaquin Valley, so we couldn’t be
prouder to share this milestone with them,” Donna DeMartino,
CEO of San Joaquin Regional Transit District, said in a news
release issued by Proterra. “At San Joaquin RTD, we see
Proterra as an indispensable partner as we seek to improve air
quality conditions in the Valley and to ensure that our riders
have access to one of the most efficient, reliable mass
transportation systems in the country.”
This record deployment marks Proterra’s continued leadership in
the North American electric mass transit market. The company is
leading the industry with more than 60 percent of sales
since the industry’s inception, with 36 different municipal,
university and commercial transit agency customers in 20
states. Transit agencies having completed third and fourth
orders for Proterra buses include San Joaquin RTD, King County
Metro in Seattle and Foothill Transit in Pomona, Calif.
Go to Proterra's website to read the entire news release.
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Participants
in the Dairy Workshop April 5 at the SCE Energy Education Center
in Tulare learned about "Energy Saving Strategies, Tools
and Resources," including how to turn methane from dairies
into renewable natural gas (RNG) that can be used to produce
both electricity and transportation fuel, providing a clean and
affordable alternative to diesel.
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Valley
Dairies May Become Significant Source of Renewable Natural
Gas
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Dairy
operators, utility representatives and others gathered April 5
at Southern California Edison's (SCE) Energy Education Center
in Tulare for a "Dairy Workshop: Energy Saving Strategies,
Tools and Resources." In addition to learning about
incentives and rebates from SCE, PG&E and SoCalGas for
everything from lighting to fans, information was presented on
how California dairies may provide an important source of power
and fuel.
Matt Hendrick, Senior Account Representative for SoCalGas,
stated that recently introduced “near-zero” natural gas engines
combined with renewable natural gas (RNG) for fuel offer what
he called a “game-changing solution for policymakers and fleet
operators." By converting waste from dairies, farms and
landfills into biogas using anaerobic digestion to extract the
methane and put it in the pipeline for future use, it could
power 2 to 3 million homes or replace 75 percent of all diesel
used by California vehicles, according to one of the slides in
his presentation.
Michael Boccadoro of Diary Cares, in his presentation on
methane and manure management at California dairies, noted that
only 16 dairies in the state currently use anaerobic digesters
to capture biogas for uses such as electricity generation,
pipeline injection and transportation fuel. Senate Bill 1383
(Short-Lived Climate Pollutants), he pointed out, will require
200 to 300 digesters by 2030 to meet the state's goals. "A
digester on a 5,000-cow dairy can reduce NOx by as much as
32,000 pounds per year," he said.
This technology is gaining attention from those outside of
California as well. Peter Drasher of Black Bear Environmental
Assets, traveled from Vermont to attend the workshop, hoping to
gain insight for his work with a Chowchilla dairy installing
digesters and producing RNG.
Chad Schlaepfer of ampCNG recently attended the World Ag Expo
in Tulare with the goal of expanding his company's business to
California. Fair Oaks Farms in
Indiana partners with ampCNG to produce its RNG. Using
anaerobic digesters, they convert methane from 36,000 cows
into energy to power their dairies and other operations in
addition to producing RNG to fuel their fleet of 42 tractor
trailers. Their fairlife milk products are
sold at stores nationwide, and their story has even been
featured in Fortune
magazine.
Fleets interested in converting to natural gas from diesel and
using RNG for fuel can contact Joseph Oldham at the SJVCTC for
more information.
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More
DC fast chargers and Level 2 chargers, such as these located at
Fresno's Fashion Fair Mall, would be funded by Volkswagen as
part of its ZEV Investment Commitment in California.
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Volkswagen's
Initial Phase of California Settlement Plan Stirs Up
Controversy
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Volkswagen
presented the first phase of its diesel emission settlement
plan for California to the Air Resources Board (ARB) at its
March 24 meeting in Riverside. The proposed plan is for VW's
2.0-liter engine violations and includes four phases over 10 years,
with the first cycle of funding totaling $200 million over a
30-month period. ARB Board Member Dean Florez, who served in
the California Senate representing the San Joaquin Valley, was
among the plan's critics for its failure to allocate 35 percent
of funds to disadvantaged areas. (Read his article, "VW's Plan
Drives by Disadvantaged Communities," for more
information.)
The first round of proposals had to be submitted by Jan. 16 to
the Electrify America website. Electrify America was formed by
VW to implement the California and national plans. Comments on
the California plan were due to ARB by April 10, with many
others expressing their concern about the plan's lack of
funding in disadvantaged communities (DAC), and the San Joaquin
Valley in particular, where 23 of the state's 30 identified
DACs are located. The ARB Board will need to vote on the plan,
but it was not on the agenda for the April 27 meeting.
The California ZEV Investment Plan
focuses on four areas: ZEV Charging Infrastructure to be spent
on community charging in the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles,
Sacramento, San Diego San Francisco and San Jose ($45 million)
and a high-speed highway network ($75 million); a Green City
Initiative ($44 million) with Sacramento identified as VW's
choice for selection; a ZEV Public Education Campaign ($20
million); and ZEV Access Initiatives such as ride-and-drive
events (funding level still being evaluated). In addition,
approximately $16 million will be used to fund Electrify
America's operational expenses.
The initial phase of the national plan now has been released as
well and also includes four 30-month cycles, with $300 million
allocated initially out of the $1.2 billion to be spent in the
other 49 states. (The National ZEV Investment Plan can be
downloaded from the Electrify America website.) In
all, VW will spend $2 billion to fund zero-emission vehicle
infrastructure nationwide through this settlement for its
2.0-liter engine violations. The settlement for its 3.0-liter
engines is yet to be announced. The diesel vehicles were within
emissions limits during testing but later were found to emit up
to 40 times the legal amount of smog-forming NOx (nitrogen
oxides) under normal driving conditions.
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CALSTART
to Celebrate 25th Anniversary
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Twenty-five
years ago, CALSTART set out to create a sustainable
transportation future. This October, the company will mark the
occasion with a timely gathering of national policymakers and
industry leaders targeting solutions and actions to stimulate
thinking toward a 2030 vision for a clean transportation
economy.
A 25th Anniversary Symposium is planned for Oct. 25 from 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. at the Pasadena Convention Center. The previous day,
tours and a reception will be conducted at the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory from 3 to 7 p.m.
For more information and to register, go to www.calstart25.org.
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More
than 20 law enforcement agencies in the San Joaquin Valley now
are using Zero electric motorcycles in their fleets. First
responders gathered March 25 in Tehachapi for an Alternative
Fuel Vehicle Safety Training, which included hands-on training
with the Zero and other electric vehicles.
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Valley
Law Enforcement Agencies Adding Zero Electric Motorcycles to
Fleets
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Personnel
from fire and police departments in Kern, Tulare and Fresno
counties were in Tehachapi March 15 to attend an Alternative
Fuel Vehicle First Responder Training course that also included
a new training component on electric motorcycles, developed and
taught for the first time nationwide by West Virginia
University’s National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium
(NAFTC).
A grant from the Eastern Kern Air Pollution Control District
served as the primary funding for developing the new curriculum
and pilot training in Tehachapi, which took place at the
Tehachapi Police Department. Project Clean Air, Inc.,
coordinated the event,
Officers from the McFarland, Tulare and Clovis police
departments, where Zero electric motorcycles are being used,
provided feedback that will be incorporated into the final
curriculum to be released in a few weeks by the NAFTC and used
to train first responders nationwide. Other attendees included
captains from the Kern County Fire Department and Bakersfield
Fire Department. Chris Womock, captain with the Indianapolis
Fire Department, served as the course instructor, with
assistance from Micheal Smyth, NAFTC’s Assistant Director of
Training and Curriculum Development.
“According to the U.S. Department of Energy, one in five motor
vehicle accidents now involves some type of alternative fuel
vehicle,” Womock told those at the training. More than 20 law
enforcement agencies in the Central Valley now have electric
motorcycles in their fleets, with their purchase largely funded
by grants to promote clean-air vehicles in public fleets. Their
quiet operation has been a real advantage, noted those who use
the Zeros, particularly in patrolling problem areas, working
public events such as parades, and performing traffic control.
”The public loves them, and it is good public relations for us
too because people want to talk to us about them,” said Clovis
Police Department Lt. Curt Fleming. “It also is a fun bike to
ride,” said Officer Brian Cordeniz of the Tulare Police
Department, noting their officers have been positive about
their use. To learn more, read the article about the training
that appeared in the Tehachapi
News.
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