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NetZero Insider’s transportation coverage for this week was led by a story from Elaine Goodman on the West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor project, a tri-state effort that was awarded $102 million from the Federal Highway Administration under the Biden administration.
California is moving ahead with the project despite the turmoil at the federal level. The state, along with Oregon, was able to get funding for the charging corridor project obligated before the federal funding freeze. However, Washington state did not get its funding obligated and is “in a pause status until further guidance,” a state official said.
Also in the Golden State, the California Energy Commission announced $55 million in funding for public fast-charging stations. Applications will open to service providers in July.
Moving across the country, the Trump administration moved to halt New York’s congestion pricing program, which took effect in January. The new tolls were projected to provide about $1 billion annually for the state’s public transportation system. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is suing to maintain the program.
The congestion pricing plan is supported by transit and climate advocates and the construction industry but has faced strong criticism from New Jersey politicians over costs to commuters.
Also in New York, the MTA ordered 265 zero-emission buses from NFI Group. The authority is aiming to achieve an entirely zero-emission fleet by 2040. The fleet currently consists of 5,800 buses.
For South Florida, the rollout of electric buses has met some significant roadblocks; only a handful of the 117 buses purchased in two counties remain in service. The Miami Herald reports that the electric buses, which were produced by Proterra, a California-based company that has filed for bankruptcy, broke down seven times as frequently as their diesel counterparts.
The counties are struggling with a shortage of parts and challenges repairing the vehicles. The issues with Proterra buses have also affected fleets in Austin, Chicago and Ashville, and the Biden administration recalled hundreds of the vehicles over fire risks.
Read on for more of this week’s Intelligence Report:
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