As the San Francisco Bay Area goes into near-lockdown mode, Tesla’s manufacturing facility in Fremont will remain open. Alameda County’s “shelter-in-place” order makes exceptions for “essential businesses,” and a county spokesman told the Los Angeles Times that Tesla falls into this category. The Palo Alto-based automaker employs about 10,000 people, making it the ninth-largest employer… Read more »
Tag: The Vehicles
Colorado to allow direct sales model—good news for Tesla and Rivian
The tedious and complicated war between Tesla and the auto dealers continues to drag on. At present, the country is a patchwork—some states explicitly allow Tesla’s direct sales model, some explicitly prohibit it, and in others some sort of compromise has been reached. Tesla recently won an important battle in Michigan, and now it appears… Read more »
BYD delivers two K7M electric buses to Anaheim Resort Transportation
BYD has delivered two K7M 30-foot electric buses to Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART) in Anaheim, California. ART, which aims to have a 50 percent electrified fleet by the end of 2020, is scheduled to receive 40 more BYD electric buses this year. Stella Li, BYD North America President, said, “We applaud ART for its bold… Read more »
Washington set to become the 12th ZEV state
A bill that would make Washington the 12th state to adopt California’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate has narrowly passed the state Senate. The measure (SB 5811) passed the House in January, and Governor Jay Inslee is expected to sign it. Washington adopted California’s emissions standards in 2005, but did not sign on to the ZEV… Read more »
Proterra and Freightliner partner on electric delivery truck chassis
Proterra and Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) will partner to develop the MT50e, an electric delivery truck chassis. The chassis will offer 226 kWh of energy capacity, 125 miles of driving range, and the ability to support a gross vehicle weight rating of 16,000 to 23,000 pounds. The MT50e can fully charge in three hours… Read more »
California Air Resources Board expands eligibility for school bus replacement
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has expanded eligibility for funding from California’s Lower-Emission School Bus Program. The funds can now be used to replace school buses with a model year 20 years old or older. Previously, school buses had to have a model year of 1993 or older to be eligible for replacement funding…. Read more »
Voltabox to supply battery systems to e-troFit for diesel bus conversions
Industrial EV battery provider Voltabox will provide battery systems to retrofitting company e-troFit for the conversion of diesel buses to electric. Voltabox began providing battery systems to e-troFit in 2019. The two companies recently entered into a long-term agreement. e-troFit’s Conversion Kit 1 contains a modular Voltabox battery system consisting of prismatic cells based on… Read more »
Nebraska’s StarTran buys 10 New Flyer electric buses
Lincoln, Nebraska’s StarTran Bus Service has ordered 10 New Flyer electric buses. The purchase of the 35-foot Xcelsior CHARGE heavy-duty transit buses was made possible by $4.05 million in grants from the Federal Transit Administration. Compared to a traditional clean diesel bus, each 35-foot Xcelsior CHARGE is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100-160… Read more »
Kenworth and Meritor partner on electric powertrains
Truck maker Kenworth will partner with Meritor on the development of an electric powertrain for Class 8 Kenworth T680E EVs. Offering an operating range of between 100 and 150 miles, the vehicle will be a short-hood day cab in 4×2- and 6×2-axle configurations, as well as a 6×4-axle straight truck. Kenworth General Manager Kevin Baney… Read more »
Bakery giant Bimbo to build 1,000 electric trucks per year
The dynamics of the commercial vehicle market are very different from those of the fashion-driven passenger vehicle market. When it comes to electric trucks, it’s fleet buyers who are taking the initiative, from Germany’s Deutsche Post to Amazon to UPS. Now the bakery giant Grupo Bimbo has announced plans to build its own EVs. Mexico… Read more »
