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This Intelligence Report is generally dominated by the latest in electric vehicle news, and last week was no exception, with NetZero Insider’s K Kaufmann reporting on federal funding to put 7,500 EV chargers in remote and disadvantaged communities and Michael Brooks with a story on EPA awarding $965 million in grants for the purchase of almost 2,700 electric school buses, the second funding round in the agency’s $5 billion Clean School Bus Program.


Kaufmann also has a story on Maryland’s new Climate Pollution Reduction Plan, which recommends the state increase its EV rebates to $7,500 for low-income buyers.


We don’t write much in this space about nuclear fusion, which has remained the Holy Grail of energy technologies despite decades of research. In 2022, a U.S. national laboratory sparked excitement when it succeeded for the first time in extracting more energy than was put into its fusion reactor. Now a Honda-backed Israeli startup says it hopes to use mini fusion power generation facilities as charging stations for EVs. NT-Tao will manufacture demonstration facilities by 2029 and aims to commercialize them in the 2030s.


Hydrogen also is attracting more attention as a transportation fuel. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Hyundai said it will rely heavily on hydrogen fuel cells generated from plastic, food and organic waste to power a new generation of EVs, from passenger cars to heavy-duty trucks. Currently, the 2024 Hyundai Nexo compact crossover and the Toyota Mirai sedan are the only two hydrogen fuel cell EVs available for sale in the U.S., and they are available only in California, which has about 63 recharging stations, mostly around Los Angeles and San Francisco. (Meanwhile, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada added two hydrogen fuel cell electric buses to its fleet in 2023, the first of their kind to operate in the state.)


Finally, another first as Mesa, Ariz. brought the first 100% American-made electric fire truck into service. Called The Vector, it has a 400-kW (536-hp) electric motor, which powers either the rear axle or the pump system.


All of that and more in this week’s Intelligence Report!


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Electric Vehicles
Medium-duty Vehicles

 
 

Nevada

Hydrogen energy back in the vehicle conversation at CES 2024

Hyundai spotlighted its plans for utilizing hydrogen energy at the sprawling tech and gadget show in Las Vegas. The Associated Press


U.S.

Hyundai is going all in on hydrogen, and relying on food waste to make that happen

Kia owner Hyundai has set 2050 as its carbon-neutral target, but now it says it will rely heavily on hydrogen fuel cells generated from plastic, food and organic waste to power a whole new generation of EVs, from passenger cars to heavy-duty trucks. Hyundai has been mass-producing hydrogen fuel cell EVs for a while, and its Nexo compact crossover is one of only two hydrogen fuel cell EVs available to buy in the U.S. Electrek


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Electric Vehicles

California

OPINION: Three Steps to Pave the Way for the EV Revolution

Expanding access to EV chargers, making a plan for used electric vehicle batteries and researching other solutions are practical steps that state policymakers in red, blue and purple states can make to ensure that the planet is better off tomorrow, writes California state Sen. Ben Allen, chair of the Senate's Environmental Quality Committee. Governing


Delaware

Delaware GOP files complaint against DNREC over clean car regulations

Members of the Delaware GOP have filed a complaint against the state's environmental agency over the recently approved electric vehicle mandate, the Advance Clean Car II Act, which requires automobile manufacturers to deliver an increased percentage of new zero-emission vehicles to Delaware each year. Starting in model year 2027, 43% of new cars and trucks sent to Delaware must be zero-emission vehicles. This percentage will gradually increase to 82% by 2032. The mandate is set to expire by model year 2033. Delaware News Journal


International

Honda Mulls $14 Billion Plan To Build Electric Cars In Canada

Without confirming the report, Canadian industry minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told Canada's Global News that it reflected the country's growing reputation as a leader in attracting green investment in the auto industry. Clean Technica


International

Honda-backed Israeli startup to use nuclear fusion to power EVs

A nuclear fusion startup backed by Honda Motor plans to use mini fusion power generation facilities as charging stations for electric vehicles, signaling how development of the long-hoped-for energy source is accelerating. Israeli startup NT-Tao will manufacture demonstration facilities by 2029 and aims to commercialize them in the 2030s. Nikkei Asia


Montana

Montana looks to build up EV infrastructure

Montana has 120 of the country's roughly 60,500 public access EV charging stations, and the state and local governments are working to bolster that. Two recently built charging stations were funded by a Charge Your Ride grant from the state Department of Environmental Quality, and Montana DEQ energy resource professional Neal Ullman said the goal broadly is to create a "statewide network of fast-charging locations along certain designated alternative fuel corridors." KTVH


Pennsylvania

OPINION: Pennsylvania's proposed electric vehicle tax feels punitive

Pennsylvania should be a forward-looking leader of the 21st-century clean energy economy, rather than a regressive Luddite holding back the inevitable, writes Greg Alvarez deputy director of communications at Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology, a nonpartisan climate and energy think tank. The state's asthmatic children will thank us for it, he says. The Philadelphia Inquirer


Tennessee

Tennessee hybrid and electric car owners pay extra fees for vehicles

Going green is costing electric vehicle drivers in Tennessee starting this year because of the state's Transportation Modernization Act of 2023. All-electric vehicles use no gas, so to offset gas tax revenue lost from them, the state is requiring higher registration and renewal fees. The Tennesseean


U.S.

3 ways to help EV charging bloom in 'charging deserts'

For EV chargers to take off in disadvantaged communities, we'll need public-sector support -- and private-sector innovation to make the economics work. Canary Media


U.S.

OPINION: To spur more EV chargers, regulators must get creative with demand charges

No matter what the incentives for installing an EV charger, very few businesses will enter this marketplace if selling the product leads to significant charges that aren't made up for with revenue, writes Chris Kaiser, vice president of business operations for Sona Energy. Utility Dive


U.S.

Why the US's main sustainable energy center just banned e-bikes

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a federally funded R&D center that focuses on sustainable energy solutions, recently announced a hardline ban on bringing electric bicycles into its building due to safety concerns. Instead, the NREL has "worked to implement outdoor charging locations, at a reasonable distance from building entrances." Electrek


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Medium-duty Vehicles

Arizona

First 100% American Made Electric Fire Truck Enters Service In Mesa, Arizona

The Vector uses 800 volt architecture and is equipped with a 327 kWh battery pack that powers a 400 kW (536 hp) electric motor which in turn powers either the rear axle or the pump system. Clean Technica


Nevada

Overshadowed by electrification push, hydrogen gains steam in Nevada public transportation

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada added two hydrogen fuel cell electric buses to its fleet in 2023, the first of their kind to operate in the state. The Ely Times


Texas

A small Texas town is home to the state's first all-EV school bus fleet

With a new tranche of federal funding for electric school buses just unveiled, more districts across the country will likely follow suit. Canary Media


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