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Electrify
America Discover and Drive Tour at Fresno's Fashion Fair Mall
March 5-7
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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.
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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.
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RNG from
California Dairies Provides Cleanest Alternative to Diesel
Trucks
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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.
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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.
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New
Funding Coming to Replace Diesel with Zero-Emission Electric
School Buses
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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).
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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.
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World Ag
Expo Displays EV Technology
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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).
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