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NetZero Insider’s transportation coverage for the past week included reporting from Elaine Goodman on a $5 million grant from the California Energy Commission for a “charging float” to support electric ferries in the San Fransisco Bay.
While the San Francisco Bay ferries have historically run on diesel, the Water Emergency Transportation Authority is aiming to convert half of the boats to zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
Going across the country, a new report found that a ferry system in the Chesapeake Bay could generate more than $100 million in benefits, but it also determined that electric ferries would struggle to meet the range requirements of the route.
Back ashore, Voltera announced that it has achieved financing for a $100 million California charging facility based on contracts with fleet operators, rideshare companies and EV charging providers. According to the company, this is the first charging facility of its size to be financed this way.
While deploying charging infrastructure will be a key component of decarbonizing transportation, advances in EV and battery technologies could significantly improve the range of vehicles, costs for consumers and stress of charging to the grid.
A new study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy found that increasing battery efficiency and reducing battery size could provide significant cost savings, reduce mineral needs and minimize the total amount of electricity required.
Solid-state batteries — which could increase the range of vehicles to more than 600 miles — may also be on the horizon, according to reporting by Inside Climate News. Toyota and Nissan have both indicated that they are aiming to roll out solid-state batteries before the end of the decade, while China-based automaker Nio already includes a semi-solid-state battery in one of its vehicles, boasting a range of more than 600 miles.
The week’s news was not all good for the EV industry; Ford announced it is scaling back investments in electric vehicles and delaying the introduction of a new electric pickup.
All that and more in this week’s Intelligence Report:
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