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The NetZero Insider team’s zero-emissions transportation coverage this week includes reports on policies both promoting and limiting EV acquisition. 


Elaine Goodman reports on a pair of boosts to California’s EV charging network. Tesla has begun opening its chargers to other companies’ EVs, beginning with Ford and plans to add other EV makes throughout the year. At the same time, the California Energy Commission voted March 13 to install 300 public chargers in underserved areas of East LA.   


However, in New Jersey, the Senate voted for a $250-$290 yearly fee on ZEVs. While the fee is meant to secure revenue from vehicles not subject to the state’s gas tax, opponents claim the additional cost will dissuade potential EV buyers.  


In D.C., EPA announced its much-anticipated final rule on vehicular GHG and particulate emissions March 20, K Kaufmann reports. The rule will see the amount of GHGs in both light- and medium-duty vehicles nearly halve by 2032 when compared to EPA’s 2026 standards. Particulate matter is slated to drop by 95%, while nitrogen oxide and other pollutants are expected to decrease by 75%. President Biden said the new rule would allow the U.S. to meet his target that half of all new cars and trucks sold in 2030 be zero-emission. 


While this emissions rule has already won over environmentalists and EV carmakers, E&E News writes, waning demand and political division over EVs may render the rule’s benefits moot if people aren’t interested in buying EVs. Many voters, especially automotive workers, they write, aren’t interested in rules that would limit or end sales of gas vehicles.  


Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is stoking anti-EV sentiment, the New York Times writes. At an Ohio rally March 16, he warned of a “bloodbath” for the auto industry should he lose re-election. He has previously declared that the Biden administration “ordered a hit job on Michigan manufacturing” by encouraging the sales of electric cars. 


This week’s curation also includes: 

  • An opinion piece from the Boston Globe on the U.S.’ refusal of inexpensive Chinese EVs, available overseas for as little as $4,730 with battery. 

  • Trucking Dive’s coverage of a study pinning the cost of trucking electrification, not including truck purchases, at $1 trillion. Fleets and charger operators would have to invest $620 billion on infrastructure, and utilities would have to spend $370 billion to upgrade grid networks for commercial vehicles, the Roland Berger study states.  

  • A WHYY article on lagging EV charger implementation in Philadelphia.  

All that and more in this week’s Intelligence Report: 


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Electric Vehicles
Heavy-duty Vehicles

 
 

Electric Vehicles

Indiana

OPINION: Electric vehicle charging document misses the mark

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission's December measures to promote electrification instead allowed state utilities excessive control, argue NAACP and Citizens Action Coalition officials Denise Abdul-Rahman and Ben Inskeep Indiana Capital Chronicle


International

Cheaper batteries are key to shifting transport away from fossil fuels. Can the market deliver?

The good news is that the battery industry is maturing, which means it can focus on efficiencies with energy, materials and costs. TechXplore


International

Honda & Nissan Agree To Begin Thinking About Developing Electric Cars Together Someday, Maybe

We want to see Honda succeed, but its on-again, off-again approach to the EV revolution suggests it hasn't got a clue. Neither does Nissan. Together these two companies seem like swimmers caught in a riptide clinging desperately to each other as they try not to drown. In the end, they may end up dragging each other down, writes Steve Hanley. CleanTechnica


International

Hydrogen pie shrinks as electric cars and trucks charge into the fast lane

The popularity of hydrogen cars halved in Australia last year, but their fall was far from dramatic. Just six hydrogen-powered vehicles were snapped up in 2023, compared to 15 the year before. The Driven


International

Vehicle-integrated photovoltaics for electric ground transport

Canadian custom module manufacturer Capsolar developed a vehicle integrated PV system for an electric material towing application, reportedly enabling 30% to 40% range increase per battery charge. pv Magazine


Louisiana

Lawmakers vary on providing 'choice' to Louisiana auto buyers

Louisiana lawmakers advanced a bill March 19 that would prohibit any state agencies or local governments from restricting the sale of fuel-burning vehicles in Louisiana. Their support ended minutes later when presented with a bill that would let consumers purchase electric vehicles directly from manufacturers. Louisiana Illuminator


Louisiana

Louisiana Republicans propose bills combating potential state gas-powered vehicle ban

Republican lawmakers in Louisiana are attempting to pump the brakes on the potential statewide ban on the sale of combustion engine vehicles by introducing two bills that would block the restriction. One of the bills was postponed March 14, while another is expected to be discussed next week in the state House of Representatives, the Center Square reported. Washington Examiner


New Jersey

OPINION: Will Murphy kneecap his own EV initiative?

As of last June, only 1.8% of cars registered in New Jersey are electric, which means we have to start calling this what it is: another failed Murphy commitment, one that can be measured in simple but grim arithmetic, the Star-Ledger Editorial Board writes. The Star-Ledger


Oregon

Oregonians will have 2-month window this spring to apply for an EV rebate

If you're interested in snagging a rebate for purchasing an electric vehicle, gear up to go auto shopping: The state will offer EV rebates for only two months this spring. The Department of Environmental Quality announced March 13 it will reopen the Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program between April 3 through June 3. The department expects it won't have enough money to offer rebates longer than that. Oregon Capital Chronicle


Oregon

Pacific Power launches 'fleet make-ready' pilot program to help Oregon businesses transition to electric vehicles

Pacific Power is offering a "fleet make-ready" pilot program to help nonresidential customers across Oregon transition to cost-saving clean transportation. The program is designed to connect local communities with the benefits of electric vehicles. It provides financial support and technical assistance to enable nonresidential customers to transition their fleets to electric vehicles. KTVZ


Pennsylvania

Electric vehicles in Philly: Drivers await faster chargers as federal rollout lags

The EPA on March 20 announced new rules that would boost production of electric vehicles in an effort to phase out gas-powered cars. In cities like Philadelphia, though, EV owners said the charging network needs to improve, especially when it comes to the availability of fast chargers that don't require hours of time in expensive parking garages. WHYY-FM


Texas

Tesla's new EV factory set to boast largest rooftop solar installation in the world

The factory will have 70,000 rooftop solar panels capable of producing 30 megawatts of power. The Cool Down


Texas

Houston, San Antonio improving in electric vehicle infrastructure

Houston was among the nation's top cities for most improved electric vehicle infrastructure over the last year, according to a report from automotive search website iSeeCars. But range and charging anxiety remain a concern for electric vehicle owners. Houston Chronicle


U.S.

Biden Set to Crack Down on Auto Emissions to Accelerate EV Sales

The Biden administration is preparing to roll out the toughest-ever limits on pollution from the nation's cars and light trucks after making changes likely to mollify some automakers. Emissions limits set to be finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency within days would propel electric vehicle sales well beyond current levels. The EPA has projected that to meet proposed mandates, electric models would need to make up roughly two-thirds of car and light truck sales in 2032 -- up from less than a tenth last year. Bloomberg


U.S.

OPINION: Biden should push plug-in hybrids, not just EVs

The EV transition will have to happen over the next couple of decades. But forcing an immediate transition to full electric vehicles could produce backlash against the Biden administration's entire climate change strategy. Encouraging plug-in hybrids first would be like driving through a green light, writes the Washington Post editorial board. The Washington Post


U.S.

Survey Says: Most EV Drivers Rely on Fast Chargers for Long Trips, Use Onsite Amenities While Charging

The results, gathered from almost 40,000 EV drivers in the U.S. and Canada, provided insight into EV drivers' charging habits and the activities they regularly engage in while charging. North American Clean Energy


U.S.

Trump's Violent Language Toward EVs

Former President Donald J. Trump says that his recent warning of a "blood bath" if he is not elected president in November was made in the context of electric vehicles and that he was not talking about political violence generally. New York Times


U.S.

Trump's Violent Language Toward EVs

Former President Donald J. Trump says that his recent warning of a "blood bath" if he is not elected president in November was made in the context of electric vehicles and that he was not talking about political violence generally. But if discussing a type of automotive technology in bloody terms seems odd to some, it fits in the increasingly brutal language Mr. Trump has been applying to electric vehicles, one of his favorite foils. The New York Times


U.S.

U.S. automakers race to build more hybrids as EV sales slow

U.S. sales of hybrids grew five times faster than EV sales in February, Morgan Stanley said. Reuters


U.S.

U.S. EV Registrations Accounted For 7.8% Of The Car Market In January 2024

January brought a 4.7% year-over-year increase in new light-vehicle registrations in the United States. 1.1 million vehicles were registered. All-electric vehicle registrations slightly outpaced the general market, but the growth rate is significantly slower than in 2023. InsideEVs


U.S.

Washington is holding up a future of inexpensive EVs

Both Biden and Trump have stood in the way of cheap electric vehicles from China. Who's that really benefiting? Boston Globe


U.S.

Biden's tailpipe rule will put voters in driver's seat on future of EVs

The Biden administration's rollout of a new rule that will juice sales of electric vehicles is drawing praise from environmentalists, a powerful union and even the carmakers who will have to build and sell the cars. However, it still needs to convice consumers amid waning demand E&E News


Wisconsin

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signs electric vehicle expansion

A measure signed by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers will allow the state to use $78 million in federal funds to develop EV charging infrastrucure along state roads. Kenosha News


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Heavy-duty Vehicles

International

Bidirectional charging could unlock new potential for waste fleet electrification

France-based Veolia recently completed what it described as the world's first trial of bidirectional charging for waste collection vehicles, which could have implications for fleets in other areas. According to Phillippe Queruau, electrification services manager for Veolia UK, waste collection fleets are uniquely situated to take advantage of vehicle to grid charging technology. Waste Dive


U.S.

Electrifying US trucking could cost nearly $1 trillion: Study

Fleets and charger operators would have to invest $620 billion on infrastructure, and utilities would have to spend $370 billion to upgrade grid networks for commercial vehicles, per a Roland Berger study. The estimate does not include electric truck purchases. Trucking Dive


U.S.

How to electrify trucking in the US, one step at a time

The March 12 National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy focuses on getting electric truck chargers on the right highways -- the ones where electric trucks are poised to take off the earliest -- at the right time by identifying high-priority trucking corridors. Canary Media


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