Cyclists riding electric bikes can now charge their batteries for free at nearly all electric vehicle charging stations on Oregon’s portion of the West Coast Electric Highway.
That “highway” is a network of hundreds of electric vehicle charging stations stretching from British Columbia to the California-Mexico border. Oregon’s portion of the network has 44 charging stations located about every 25 to 50 miles primarily along Interstates 5 and 84 and U.S. Highway 101.
(West Coast Electric Highway/ Oregon Department of Transportation)
Upgrades that started last fall to Oregon’s portion of the network recently wrapped up, including the addition of e-bike charging ports. Three more stations will be built this fall and will include charging ports for bikes.
The cost to add the e-bike chargers to the existing vehicle charging stations was about $4 million, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. The money comes out of the $100 million the department has dedicated to growing a network of electric vehicle charging stations every 50 miles on most of the state’s highways during the next five years. That $100 million comes largely from the 2021 federal infrastructure bill.
The 44 charging stations in Oregon along the main highways are a fraction of the more than 2,000 stations in Oregon. Adding bike charging ports to the others could come soon, according to ODOT.
Over the next year, the department will study “micromobility charging needs” according to Matt Noble, an ODOT public affairs specialist. With the data, the department will create a more comprehensive plan for growing bike charging stations throughout the state.
Stockholm-based Candela, the world leader in hydrofoil electric boats that fly above the surface of the water to consume significantly less energy, has just unveiled its newest electric watercraft: the Candela P-8 Voyager. Designed to replace traditional water taxies and commercial passenger watercraft that have conventionally relied on combustion engines for power, the P-8 Voyager is preparing to usher in a brave new world for maritime transportation.
Unveiled today at the Salone Nautico in Venice, the P-8 Voyager is based on the same foundation as Candela’s hot-selling C-8 electric speedboat.
It relies on a similar hydrofoil system used on Candela’s other electric boats, which the company’s 50+ engineers designed while relying on experience from the drone, aerospace, and software industries. The onboard Flight controller automatically changes the foil’s angle of attack when the boat reaches 16 knots, allowing it to lift off and fly above the waves.
The Flight controller then relies on a wide array of sensors to gauge wave height and ensure a smooth ride even in adverse conditions. The system can handle four- to five-foot chop and boat wakes (120-150 cm) thanks to its high ride height and quick adjustments to roll, pitch, and height that are made 100 times per second.
As Candela’s chief of commercial vessels Erik Eklund explained:
You get the seakeeping ability of a 100-foot ship in a 28-footer, really. Foiling in bad weather will be the ultimate experience of nature. Taking in the dramatic scenery, breaking waves and all, while safely flying over it in absolute silence. This is a new level of luxury that, I dare say, has never been experienced at sea.
The system is also ideal for areas that are sensitive to boat wakes, such as Venice, since the hydrofoils leave almost zero wake. According to Candela, the wake left by its hydrofoils is no larger than that of Venice’s famous gondolas.
Importantly for commercial vessel owners and operators, the P-8 Voyager is designed to be as maintenance-free as possible.
That’s because the boat uses the Candela C-POD motor, which was specifically developed for the company’s hydrofoiling watercraft. A pair of submerged motors provide 50 kW of power and directly drive counter-rotating propellers without the need for any transmission in between. That means no noise, no oil, no cooling fluid – and virtually no need for maintenance.
Candela says the C-POD drive unit can run for 3,000 hours without service (compared to many outboard motors with internal combustion engines that require maintenance intervals of 100 hours). The highly reduced maintenance schedule is ideal for operators in remote locations where technicians are hard to come by.
When moored, the hydrofoils retract into a hull recess above the waterline to prevent marine growth. The P-8 Voyager is also fully connected and able to take advantage of over-the-air (OTA) updates, enabling Candela’s 24/7 Service department to perform remote troubleshooting.
As Eklund continued:
For commercial operators to go electric, we knew the service aspect was important. No matter if you run a whale watching business or if you’re a captain of a super yacht – our aim is zero downtime on this boat due to maintenance.
The Candela P-8 Voyager cruises at 20 knots and reaches a top speed of 30 knots. The 8.5-meter (28 ft.) boat offers space for six passengers in addition to the crew.
This is a big deal for the electric maritime industry. Passenger ferries and water taxis are crucial forms of transportation for islands, archipelagos, and waterfront communities around the world. The industry is almost entirely dominated by ferries with combustion engines, but the Candela P-8 Voyager could make huge inroads toward replacing many of those small, polluting ferries and water taxis with electric watercraft.
Not only that, but they’ll make the experience much better too. The C-POD motor isn’t just a new electric boat motor – or rather two new electric boat motors in one – but it’s a revolutionary leap forward in electric boat propulsion. The pair of counterrotating motors is able to run with more power in a smaller package thanks to their submersion in the water, which also keeps them effectively silent for the passengers. Their long maintenance interval also means ferry owners can keep the boats in the water and working much longer than conventional combustion engine boats that require much more frequent maintenance intervals.
The flying boat results in a lack of rocking in waves, which will also be a huge improvement to the passenger experience. Just last week I took a ferry in Iceland across a 4-mile (6.5 km) stretch of the Northern Atlantic. It was a windy day, which meant long ocean swells, which in turn meant lots of rocking. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say I had a lovely breakfast that morning that I unfortunately didn’t get to keep. With Candela’s hydrofoil-based P-8 Voyager water taxi, that won’t be a concern for passengers with sensitive stomachs. I previously tested Candela’s C-7 flying electric boat and had an absolutely lovely time with no seasickness issues.
I can’t wait to see more companies adopting boats like these, making the ferry experience better for passengers, crews and everyone who breathes the shared air on our planet.
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Electricity rates will rise for most Pennsylvania residents on Wednesday, June 1, just in time for what federal climate scientists say will be a hotter than average summer. PECO’s customers will see the lowest rise at 8.1%, while PPL, which serves some suburban Philadelphia residents, will experience a much higher 38% increase.
Prices are up because of the rising costs of natural gas, which generates about half of the state’s electricity.
“The price hikes are directly related to the ongoing volatility in the wholesale energy markets,” said Patrick Cicero, acting Consumer Advocate for the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate. “And the reason that the gas prices are high is because [the country] has significantly increased exports of liquefied natural gas and has not increased natural gas production.”
Cicero says the difference in price increases between utilities comes down to long-term contracts and procurement strategies. The utilities are required to shop for the best price. He says PECO locked in better rates when the prices were low, but rate hikes change with each quarter. PECO serves consumers in Philadelphia and its suburbs.
“PECO is not beating the average over time,” said Cicero. “Philadelphia and suburban Philadelphia customers are benefiting now from PECO’s procurement strategy.”
In Pennsylvania, electricity bills are split in half between the actual cost of the energy, and the cost of sending it through power lines. Utilities don’t make a profit on the price of electricity, but do pass on increased costs to customers. The profits come from distribution, which is regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
Residents can shop for an electricity supplier through the PUC’s PA Powerswitch. The process is known as “price to compare” where ratepayers can choose to get electricity from a competitive supplier rather than from the utility that transports and distributes the power such as PECO and PPL. Rates for those who shop or already have an alternative supplier aren’t necessarily going up June 1st. But consumer advocates warn that unless you are willing to take the time and do your homework, it’s best to stick with the utility such as PECO as the provider in the long run.
Rob Ballenger, director of the energy unit at Community Legal Services, says buyer beware when it comes to navigating a switch.
“If someone knocks on your door and says, ‘hey, I’m here to save you money on your electricity,’ you should be suspicious of that,” said Ballenger. “I would just say ‘no thank you’ and shut the door.”
A case study done by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy in 2016 concluded that small commercial and residential customers benefited from sticking with the utility, known as the “default service provider.”
“Because the utilities were doing a good job of shopping for them,” said Ballenger.
Cicero, from the Pennsylvania Consumer Advocate agreed, and says those who shop should be prepared to do their homework.
“What I’m concerned about is this is going to be a marketer’s dream,” said Cicero. “They’re going to market over the fear of price increases. And you may get a deal that you don’t want to get.”
Cicero says if you want to switch make sure to read the fine print. Some suppliers include varying rates and cancellation fees. On June 1, PECO’s rate will be 7.6 cents per kilowatt hour, while the best price to compare for an alternative supplier is now 10.8 cents per kilowatt hour.
“They are all going to the same well, the wholesale energy market regulated by PJM [Interconnect],” said Cicero, referring to the region’s grid operator. “Even with a fixed rate price, no cancellation fees, no monthly fees or no enrollment fees, there is still no offer that is better than PECO’s.”
There is the option known as the “standard offer program,” where customers get a 7% discount on the PECO price to compare with a 12-month fixed rate. But Cicero says those are not always available.
Customers who want to switch back to the default service provider need only call their utility. There may be cancellation fees involved, but nonpayment of those fees will not result in a shut-off.
Help is available for people struggling to pay their electric bills, regardless of income. PECO provides budget billing for customers to divide payments equally across 12 months. Payment arrangements are also available. Lower income customers still have time to take advantage of LIHEAP assistance, which has a June 17 deadline for applications, as well as the Customer Assistance Program and funds for weatherization.
Electric vehicles of all brands, shapes, and sizes gleamed in the almost 90-degree sun at Clean AIRE NC’s EVs for Equity event at Northwest School of the Arts on Saturday where community organizations dedicated to sustainable energy, transportation, and, of course, clean air shared their initiatives with the public.
Northwest School of the Arts is within the boundaries of the Historic West End Green District, a collaborative effort between Clean AIRE NC and the Historic West End community. Its lead organizers, Ron Ross, William Hughes, and Mattie Marshall spearheaded the Green District after partnering with Clean AIRE NC to monitor air quality in their neighborhoods.
The US Department of Energy hails electric vehicles (EVs) as a cleaner option compared to conventional gas-powered cars due to their lower carbon dioxide and particulate matter emissions. The North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Division of Air Quality says that gas-powered vehicles emissions can lodge deep into the lungs and exacerbate health conditions like COPD, heart disease, asthma and diabetes.
Black Americans have worse respiratory health outcomes due to their proximity to polluted air, soil and water – the lasting impact of environmental racism from housing segregation. Clean Aire NC’s environmental justice manager Daisha Williams explains, “Pollution impacts us differently. If you’re exposed to air pollution, you’re more likely to die from COVID.”
Marshall, Ross and Hughes also led the effort to get the PoleVolt electric vehicle charging station at The Ritz at Washington Heights, launched in March of this year. Marshall says she believes cleaning up the environment “is a necessity.”
“Without clean or healthy air, I don’t think we can exist.”
UNC Charlotte electrical engineering professor and associate director of the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) Robert Cox demonstrated use of the PoleVolt to curious onlookers.
Cox said most electric vehicle charging happens at home, but in a dense urban environment like Charlotte, that’s less of an option.
“One big win is being able to use existing light pole infrastructure to install the charger,” he said. The PoleVolt, along with two other charging stations, are part of a pilot program to answer questions Cox and his partners at Duke Energy have about the feasibility of bringing public charging to Charlotte.
In addition to encouraging bicycle use and walking when possible, Charlotte’s public bus routes are going fully electric thanks to a $44 million dollar transportation grant from the “build back better” infrastructure bill passed last November.
The up-front costs may present a hindrance to lower-income folks who are most impacted by air pollution. Thelma Currence, who grew up in the Historic West End, feels conflicted.
“I definitely agree in exposing the community to more progressive thinking,” she said. “But if you look at the economy of the immediate area, I don’t know if many can afford or would buy an EV.”
Photographer Alvin Jacobs expressed similar thoughts.
“That Tesla over there costs $140,000. Good for you, but it’s expensive,” he said. “It’s not for us.”
“I don’t think it’s just about cars,” says Ray Addison of Go Station, a New Mexico-based sustainable transportation company. “We need to take a multi-modal approach,” he said.
“As the market matures, we’ll see more vehicles enter the secondary market.”
Eric Zaverl of Sustain Charlotte agrees that public transportation is an important piece.
“It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s just small drops in the bucket.”
According to Zaverl, there are many other moving pieces to cleaning up the environment and making transportation more equitable.
“It involves the political power to influence and change things for the better, trying to offer more compensation for community members’ involvement and time, and getting folks educated and organized. There’s a lot of areas missing.”
Affordable housing along the corridors of public transportation to avoid gentrification and displacement are other issues that need to be addressed.
“It’s difficult to do in North Carolina because of the way our state is structured. We can’t do inclusionary zoning,” Zaverl said.
Considering the war in Ukraine, along with pandemic-exacerbated shipping delays and supply shortages, Zaverl says “using a renewable source that’s somewhat free like solar that we can control and that’s clean,” is a better option.
“Some states are using less money on highways, but NC is not one of them,” Zaverl said. However, cities across the nation can be the leaders in policy change.
“If we start changing in urban areas, where most people are living, we can change things.”
Lastly, there will have to be a cultural shift to adopt more renewable energy sources in the future.
“There’s a lot of people in denial with this apple pie in the sky idea of America,” Zaverl said. “If you tell your kid that they’re perfect every day, they’re not gonna be able to reflect and make necessary changes when they grow up.”
The City of Detroit has introduced four electric buses to its DDOT fleet. The buses, which are fully paid for by a federal grant for low- or no-emission vehicles, are made by the company Proterra.
It’s part of DDOT’s effort to pilot clean energy buses as it works toward having a carbon neutral fleet by 2045.
“Based on the studies that we’ve seen, we could save up to $2,000 per month per bus.” — Mike Oglesby, City of Detroit
Mikel Oglesby is the executive director of transit for the City of Detroit. He says while electric buses cost twice as much to purchase as diesel buses, they offer a lower operating cost.
“One of the good things about that is because it’s electric it has less moving parts,” says Oglesby, “and, based on the studies that we’ve seen, we could save up to $2,000 per month per bus.”
DDOT is seeking additional federal grant money to pilot other alternative energy buses. Oglesby says, if the city’s application is approved, they would like to pilot hydrogen buses — and potentially different brands of electric bus.
“There are other companies that have electric buses also. So on this next low-no we might be tapping another company and have two additional vehicles.”
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The electric pickup trucks are coming. Ford has officially started delivering the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck to retail and fleet customers.
At Electrek, we have been talking for years about how electric pickup trucks are needed to accelerate EV adoption in the US, purely because of how big the pickup segment is in the country.
After years, it’s finally happening.
Rivian started delivering the R1T electric pickup late last year. It’s still slowly ramping up production and already has a few thousand vehicles delivered.
Now Ford is starting deliveries of the F-150 Lightning, which is extremely exciting since it is an electric version of the F-150, the best-selling passenger vehicle in the US.
Ford announced that it started production of the electric pickup truck last month, and they have since made their way to dealerships across the US. Some were delivered to fleet customers, but now we learned that the automaker started deliveries to its retail customers as well. The very first retail customer reported their delivery of the F-150 Lightning Forum, pictured above.
The Michigan resident reserved a Platinum Trim Lightning on May 20, 2021, and the reservation was transferred into order on January 7, 2022. It was built on April 18, 2022 – before Ford actually announced the start of production – and finally delivered this morning May 26, 2022.
As we previously reported, Ford quickly accumulated 200,000 reservations for the electric pickup and realized that the demand was much higher than anticipated. The company quickly ramped up its production and is now planning for an annual production rate of 150,000 units by the end of next year. This year, production is expected to be limited to about 40,000 units.
While this is not much compared to overall F-150 production, it is good to jump-start electric pickup trucks in the US. Next year, the Silverado Electric, Tesla Cybertruck, and more are expected to contribute to the electric pickup truck revolution in the US
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This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon.
Beto Lugo-Martinez is a grassroots activist who advocates for clean air. A big part of his work is fighting the expansion of “gas guzzling” vehicles and making sure that historically underserved communities receive infrastructure updates, partly to encourage driving an electric vehicle in Kansas City.
Kansas City is no exception to the growing nationwide popularity of electric vehicles, which are known as EVs. As more affordable models hit the market, Lugo-Martinez, the executive director of the nonprofit CleanAirNow, is focused on ensuring equitable access to infrastructure, including charging stations.
“We can just invest and put charging stations everywhere, but if we’re not really worried about investing in communities that are most impacted, we’ll be missing that mark again,” he said.
Missouri was recently ranked seventh in the nation when it came to the number of registered electric vehicle drivers and charging locations, with 6,740 registered electric vehicles across the state and 985 electric vehicle charging stations available.
Evergy, the utility provider for much of the Kansas City metro, has played a role in the installation of many of the area’s electric vehicle charging stations. But the region still has gaps when it comes to electrification.
Census tracts with lower median income often lack public charging options, and the disparity is especially clear on Missouri’s side of the metro. Charging location data from the Department of Energy shows a concentration of stations in the Kansas City’s downtown, financial and Power and Light districts, which are among the city’s most affluent areas, based on Census data.
In the area surrounding the Country Club Plaza, another generally high-income neighborhood, public EV charging stations can often be found only a block away from one another.
Also, public electric vehicle chargers are most often found west of Troost Avenue, which has represented Kansas City’s racial dividing line for decades. East of Troost, home to many of the city’s low-income residents, electric vehicle charging appears more sparse, with only a fraction of the charging station availability that residents to the west enjoy.
Under the federal infrastructure law, Missouri can expect to receive $99 million over five years to support the expansion of EV charging in the state. Another $2.5 billion is set aside for states across the country to apply for grants for EV charging.
Electrification infrastructure created some controversy in the Missouri legislature this year. The House passed a bill that would have prevented local governments from requiring owners of buildings to install EV charging stations, unless the cities or counties were willing to foot the bill. Ultimately the bill didn’t progress to a Senate vote.
The Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC) in Kansas City, whose goals are to create “resource efficiency, environmental health and economic vitality,” is fielding some of the money (which will often require a 50% local match) to communities to expand their electrification infrastructure. Much of that work centers around helping cities electrify their vehicles or public buses, which emit pollutants when roving around cities all day. The MEC is also using a small grants program to help municipalities that may not have the funds to match federal dollars.
Miriam Bouallegue, the sustainable transportation manager at MEC, said the nonprofit is trying to assess the needs of the metro as the money flows in.
“How do we define who’s underserved? How do we measure that? How do we target those folks without relying on past definitions that were developed for other types of infrastructure that don’t really relate?” she said.
“Most people that drive an EV are charging their car overnight in their house,” Bouallegue added. “However, if you don’t have a garage, or maybe you do, but maybe your garage was built in the 1940s and has no electricity in it— it’s really more of a shed. Then you might not be able to charge your vehicle as easily or simply as someone who can just pull into their normal spot and plug in.”
Independence, whose utilities are not provided by Evergy like the rest of Kansas City’s, has fewer charging stations than other areas in the metro, but the demand appears to be lower. Joe Hegendeffer, deputy director of Independence Power and Light, said that many of Independence’s charging stations go unused on a day-to-day basis.
Centerpoint Medical Center’s stations, for example, have high use because the hospital’s staff often plugs in during the day.
“But charging stations at Cable Dahmer [Arena] are real hit and miss,” Hegendeffer said. “Ninety percent of the day when you drive by it, there’s nothing going on there. So they’re not being utilized.”
Lugo-Martinez is working on getting community members specialized training on electrification, so the push can come from the ground up.
“One of the other things that we’ve been looking at is creating some pathways for local community members to get involved in green economy, green energy, and get specialized training around EVs, building infrastructure for it in homes because then that can create that pathway for it,” he said.
Lugo-Martinez said the group is also lobbying lawmakers to provide further rebates or incentives for drivers to switch to electric, so lower-income communities aren’t left behind in the push toward electrification.
Electric vehicles can save consumers money in the long run. Charging is generally much cheaper than gasoline, and maintenance costs are usually lower compared to gas-powered vehicles.
The initial purchase price of an electric vehicle, however, remains above that of its gas-powered equivalent.
But industry forecasts suggest electric vehicles will become more affordable and commonplace in the years to come, as production volume grows and technology improves.
Bloomberg’s annual Electric Vehicle Outlook report from last year predicts a steep increase in passenger EV sales in the next few years, though China and Europe are likely to continue dominating in that department.
But American automakers have put down large investments in the transition to electric. Ford is aiming for up to half of its vehicle volume to be battery-powered by the end of the decade with a $30 billion investment. General Motors has promised 30 new EVs between 2020 and 2025 in a $35 billion investment.
“That’s a ton of money, a ton of support,” said Nick Voris, senior manager of electrification products and services at Evergy. “That support is going to manifest itself in terms of a greater variety of EVs, which of course are going to appeal to a larger base of customers.”
Federal, state and local governments have also offered tax credits and other incentives to encourage the transition to electric.
In Kansas City, Evergy offers rebates for developers looking to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure on the Kansas side. The utility is awaiting regulator approval for similar incentives on the Missouri side.
Evergy’s Clean Charge Network has also played a key role in Kansas City’s initial build-out of charging infrastructure. By the time the bulk of that project was complete, about six years ago, the utility had placed about 1,000 chargers around the city.
Since then, Evergy has installed a few dozen more, but has largely taken on a supporting role as private developers take responsibility.
“The industry is turning toward private developers, and, more specifically, private developers that are recipients of grant funding,” Voris said. “Those folks are going to be doing the vast majority of public charging station build-outs for the foreseeable future.”
As the public utility for the Kansas City region, Evergy still helps developers in the planning process. Slight tweaks to infrastructure planning can make chargers more energy- and cost-efficient, and Evergy offers guidance in those decisions.
But as private developers focus on bulking up the Kansas City metro’s charging availability, return on investment remains paramount. That gives Evergy the opportunity to fill the void in places where return on investment might not be as great, Voris said.
“Going forward, that is an area that we, the utility, are going to be much more focused on,” he said. “We, as a utility, have an obligation to ensure equitable access.”
Low-income neighborhoods may be less likely to embrace the transition to electric — largely due to a price barrier. A lack of public charging infrastructure in those communities, where multifamily homes are common and garages are less so, adds further impediment.
A Blast Point study last year found that consumers “ready to buy” an electric vehicle landed in the middle- to higher-income brackets, with an average income of $150,000. That group also tends to be college-educated and living in single-family homes, which are more accommodating to private charging than multifamily dwellings like apartments.
Blast Point found that low-income consumers don’t regard electric vehicles as favorably as more affluent drivers do. This group is more likely to not own a vehicle at all, often relying on public transit or other more affordable means of transportation.
Kansas City Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, whose District 3 includes some of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods, said she is continuing to prioritize education and electrification of the city’s fleets, as well as energy-efficient public transportation.
“We’re talking about electrification or electric vehicles where people are making $12,000 to $18,000 a year. How does that make sense? It doesn’t,” Robinson said “So we cannot get around this conversation without talking about having a robust public transit option to help people get from point A to point B.”
Lugo-Martinez said that an equitable infrastructure for electric vehicles has to be part of the overall picture.
“We’re seeing that where there’s wealth, of course it’s easier for them to put these stations in,” he said. “This disinvestment is really still creating that inequitable distribution of infrastructure. Because again, we’re investing in the communities that are OK already and literally catering to them.”
He added: “I would just love to see the utilities step it up, and say, ‘Hey, let’s invest and see what happens.’ I think they just need to take that chance on a community, right? And see what we can do and start from there.”
This story is part of a series on climate change in the Kansas City region produced by the KC Media Collective to support and enhance local journalism so every person in Kansas City can lead a richer life. Members of the KC Media Collective are KCUR 89.3, American Public Square, Kansas City PBS/Flatland, Missouri Business Alert, Startland News and The Kansas City Beacon.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: President Joe Biden announces Hyundai will spend $5.5 billion to build its first electric vehicle manufacturing plant in the U.S. near Savannah, Georgia, which will include a focus on autonomous driving and robotics. (Associated Press, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CNBC)
ALSO:
• Local concerns over a proposed North Carolina lithium mine illustrate the growing conflict between residents and mining companies that could shape the next phase of the clean energy transition. (HuffPost/The Assembly)
• Electric vehicles still represent less than 1% of Florida’s registered cars, but advocates say more charging infrastructure and normalization of the technology could produce exponential growth. (Florida Trend)
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STORAGE: Having built the world’s largest solar battery storage facility, Florida Power & Light looks to increase its battery capacity seven-fold by adding another 3,200 MW of storage. (Palm Beach Post)
WIND:
• North Carolina’s first offshore wind developer may not begin construction until 2026 on a lease it won in 2017, illustrating the risk involved in a massive undertaking some analysts are comparing to the now-failed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (Wilmington Star-News)
• A 115 MW wind farm in West Virginia that became operational in February is expected to boost the state’s wind energy generation by 15%. (State Journal)
SOLAR:
• NextEra Energy, Facebook parent company Meta and the Tennessee Valley Authority celebrate the commissioning of a 150 MW solar farm in Tennessee. (WTVF)
• Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power say a federal investigation into Asian solar imports won’t likely affect the finances or timeline of their projects in Virginia. (Virginia Mercury)
• A Spanish energy company begins construction of a 300 MW Texas solar farm, its largest to date and its first in the U.S. (Renews)
• A Georgia planning commission will consider a 750-acre solar farm that is attracting nearby residents’ opposition. (WMAZ)
• A solar developer and its Spanish partner break ground on a 240 MW solar park in Texas. (Renewables Now)
PIPELINES: South Carolina residents organize against Dominion Energy’s proposed 14.5-mile pipeline parallel to the Great Pee Dee River. (WBTW)
OIL & GAS: A Thai coal mining company agrees to buy natural gas fields in Texas from ExxonMobil subsidiaries for $750 million. (Forbes)
NUCLEAR: A Westinghouse Nuclear official briefs West Virginia lawmakers on micro-reactors as the company eyes the state now that it has lifted its ban on building nuclear plants. (WV Metro News)
EMISSIONS:
• West Texas grapples with how much its abandoned oil and gas wells contribute to methane emissions that are worsening climate change. (WFAA)
• Duke Energy’s North Carolina energy plan calls for steep cuts to carbon dioxide but includes no similar decrease in methane or other greenhouse gasses, according to utility filings. (NC Policy Watch)
CLIMATE: Climate change is exacerbating wildfires and intense rainfall, destabilizing forest ecology in Western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. (Carolina Public Press)
POLITICS: U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is seen as a linchpin in the clean energy transition as he navigates competing pressures from climate activists and coal miners in his home state. (Washington Post)
COMMENTARY: Texas’ grid troubles in recent weeks demonstrate the system still needs reform, even though officials declared it was fixed after last year’s winter storm failures, writes an editorial board. (Austin American-Statesman)
More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West
The driver of an electric scooter died after being hit by a car on St. Petersburg’s 34th St. N. The car’s driver then left the accident scene, according to police.
Just before 3 a.m. on Sunday, the scooter was heading west in the median lane near 3500 34th Street N, the St. Petersburg Police said. A person driving a car north in the median lane hit the scooter.
The driver of the car left the scene, police said. The scooter driver was pronounced dead at the site. The victim’s identity was not immediately available, pending notification of the family.
Police believe the car was a dark-colored Toyota sedan.
An investigation is ongoing. No other details are immediately available.
This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.
Renault has released details of an electric-hydrogen hybrid concept car, with the French automaker describing hydrogen technology as being "one of the options to make electric vehicles more convenient."
The design for Renault's Scenic Vision incorporates a hydrogen engine, electric motor, battery, fuel cell and a hydrogen tank. The 2.5 kilogram tank is located at the vehicle's front and, Renault said, would take around five minutes to fill.
According to a document published on Thursday that outlined the concept, the Scenic Vision's 40 kilowatt hour battery is recyclable and will be produced at a facility in France by 2024.
In a statement, Gilles Vidal, who is director of design at Renault, said the concept "prefigures the exterior design of the new Scénic 100% electric model for 2024." The company said the electric-hydrogen powertrain was "part of a longer-term vision, beyond 2030."
The broad idea is that the Scenic Vision's hydrogen fuel cell would help extend the vehicle's range during longer trips. "In 2030 and beyond, once the network of hydrogen stations is large enough, you will be able to drive up to 800 km [a little over 497 miles] … without stopping to charge the battery," Renault said.
Described by the International Energy Agency as a "versatile energy carrier," hydrogen has a diverse range of applications and can be deployed in a wide range of industries.
It can be produced in a number of ways. One method includes using electrolysis, with an electric current splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen.
If the electricity used in this process comes from a renewable source such as wind or solar then some call it green or renewable hydrogen.
It's envisaged that Renault's hybrid would use green hydrogen, although the vast majority of hydrogen generation is currently based on fossil fuels.
Renault's electric-hydrogen concept illustrates how car companies are looking to find ways to develop low and zero emission offerings that can compete with the range of gasoline and diesel vehicles.
"Several systems to complement electric motors are being explored today to address the requirements associated with long-distance driving," Renault said. "Hydrogen technology is one of the options to make electric vehicles more convenient."
In the field of hydrogen mobility, the Renault Group has already set up a joint venture with Plug Power called Hyvia. Among other things, it is focused on hydrogen fuel cells in light commercial vehicles and the rollout of hydrogen charging facilities.
Renault's idea of developing a passenger vehicle that uses hydrogen technology is not unique.
Toyota, for instance, started working on the development of fuel-cell vehicles — where hydrogen from a tank mixes with oxygen, producing electricity — back in 1992. In 2014, the Japanese business launched the Mirai, a hydrogen fuel cell sedan.
Other major companies like Hyundai and BMW are also looking at hydrogen, as well as smaller concerns such as U.K.-based Riversimple.
While the above companies are looking at the potential of hydrogen, some high-profile figures in the automotive sector are not so sure. In Feb. 2021, Herbert Diess, the CEO of Germany's Volkswagen Group, weighed in on the subject. "It's time for politicians to accept science," he tweeted.
"Green hydrogen is needed for steel, chemical, aero … and should not end up in cars. Far too expensive, inefficient, slow and difficult to roll out and transport. After all: no #hydrogen cars in sight."
Despite Thursday's unveiling of the Scenic Vision concept, even Renault CEO Luca de Meo would appear to be cautious when it comes to talking about hydrogen's prospects, according to comments published by Autocar.
Elsewhere, in Feb. 2020 Brussels-based campaign group Transport and Environment hammered home just how much competition hydrogen would face in the transportation sector.
T&E made the point that green hydrogen wouldn't only have to "compete with grey and blue hydrogen," which are produced using fossil fuels. "It will compete with petrol, diesel, marine fuel oil, kerosene and, of course, electricity," T&E said.
"Wherever batteries are a practical solution — cars; vans; urban, regional and perhaps long-haul trucks; ferries — hydrogen will face an uphill struggle because of its lower efficiency and, as a result, much higher fuel costs."
BEIJING — Nio's biggest challenge right now is making sure that supply chains are stable, CEO William Li told CNBC.
The Chinese electric carmaker has had to charge customers more due to soaring prices of raw materials.
When Covid controls in April prevented Nio's from getting parts from suppliers, the company had to temporarily suspend production. But the company said it was able to restart some production a few days later.
Still, as of Thursday, Li still described the overall state of auto production in China as in the process of recovery while Shanghai and other parts of the country remain under Covid controls.
On the sales front, Li said he expects consumer demand for electric cars to persist — even if the Chinese government reduces subsidies or other policy support for the sector.
Nio delivered more than 5,000 cars in April despite Covid restrictions, albeit down sharply from nearly 10,000 vehicle deliveries in March.
Passenger car sales fell by 35.5% year-on-year in April, but new energy vehicles — which include battery-powered electric cars — saw sales surge by 78.4%, according to the China Passenger Car Association.
Li, who is also Nio's founder and chairman, was speaking in an interview with CNBC's Emily Tan ahead of the company's secondary listing in Singapore.
On Friday, Nio carried out a secondary listing on the Singapore Stock Exchange by way of introduction — which differs from an initial public offering as no new capital is raised and less paperwork is required.
Instead, the listing primarily allows investors to trade the company's shares on an exchange other than the main trading venue.
Shares of Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio surged in its Singapore debut on Friday, the third exchange its shares are listed on. The stock popped at the open, rising by nearly 20% before paring some gains to trade higher by more than 3% on Friday morning in Asia.
In early March, Nio also carried out a secondary listing in Hong Kong by way of introduction. The company's first and primary listing venue remains the New York Stock Exchange.
The auto executive did not elaborate on why the company chose Singapore as the third listing venue, but said Nio could reach more investors this way.
But Li said Nio plans to export cars to Southeast Asia and open a research and development center in Singapore in the near future for artificial intelligence and autonomous driving. He did not provide specific dates.
So far, the company has focused much of its overseas expansion on Europe, primarily in Norway.
The start-up's main trading venue remains the NYSE, where the company held its initial public offering in 2018.
U.S.-listed shares of Nio have climbed by about 150% since that IPO — a volatile three-plus years that's included several quarterly plunges and one full year in 2020 that saw a surge of over 1,100%.
Honda released a teaser image of the upcoming 2024 Prologue electric SUV, the company’s first battery-electric vehicle to be sold in the US. The company also touted its hybrid vehicles as a way to address questions that it has been slow to roll out an EV strategy as compared to its rivals.
The Prologue will be the first of two vehicles that Honda is co-developing with General Motors, using the US automaker’s Ultium battery packs. The other vehicle will carry the Acura nameplate and will also be developed jointly with GM, but the company hasn’t revealed any new information about it at this time. The Prologue, which will go on sale in 2024, also marks the beginning of a wave of 30 hybrid, battery-electric, and fuel-cell vehicles that Honda says it will release by 2030.
These EVs will be built on a variety of EV architectures that Honda is building, some in collaboration with General Motors. The Honda Prologue and Acura EV will be built on GM’s Ultium platform, which is also powering the Detroit-based automaker’s Hummer EV pickup truck and Cadillac Lyriq SUV.
Honda’s other EVs will be built on the Honda E architecture, which the company plans to introduce in 2026. In 2027, Honda plans on rolling out a slate of “affordable” EVs, including a compact SUV. Those vehicles will be based on a new EV architecture it is co-developing with GM.
Honda is setting the goal of selling 60,000 Prologue SUVs in the US in 2024, 70,000 units in 2025, and 300,000 in 2026, said Mamadou Diallo, vice president of sales for American Honda Motor. More broadly, the company says it wants 40 percent of its sales to be comprised of battery-electric and fuel-cell vehicles by 2030, 80 percent by 2035, and 100 percent by 2040.
As seen in the teaser image, the Prologue is taking some subtle design cues from the well-loved Honda E city car. Honda is also stressing the vehicle’s long wheelbase and short overhang, or the length of the vehicle that extends beyond its wheelbase. The Prologue was designed at the Honda Design Studio in Los Angeles in collaboration with a design team in Japan.
“We wanted to ensure that Prologue represents both a true Honda EV and something that would look right at home in the showroom right next to the rest of our SUV lineup,” Diallo said.
Honda’s current electric lineup is extremely limited as compared to other automakers. The company recently discontinued its Clarity EV, though it will continue to sell hydrogen and plug-in hybrid versions of the vehicle. And the Honda E is only available in Japan and Europe.
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HOOVER, Ala. (WBRC) - Gas prices are ticking up again and with little hope for relief in sight, some of you may be considering making the switch to electric vehicles.
Going electric may seem like the next logical step with local gas prices well above $4 a gallon.
But experts said you may want to pump the brakes and make sure you understand all the cost involved with owning and operating an EV.
Before you head out and purchase that new electric vehicle, Edgar Barron, with Long-Lewis Ford said there may be a few things you’ll want to keep in mind.
“On the average, your electric vehicle is going to cost you a little more compared to a gas vehicle,” Barron said.
He said the average new electric vehicle will run you somewhere in the $60, 000 to $70,000 range.
That’s about $30,000 more than a regular 4-door sedan.
“You’re talking about a lot of electronic components, batteries along those lines. Prices are starting to come down on some of the smaller electronic vehicles, but still on the average comparing a small EV to a normal car, gasoline powered car it’s going to run you a little bit more for sure,” Barron explained.
It’s unclear how often you’ll need to change the battery in an EV, but mechanics recommend getting a new battery for your gasoline powered car about every five years or so.
Those can run you about $300.
But for an electric vehicle…
“You’re looking at anywhere from $10,000 and way up because prices for rechargeable batteries are really expensive,” Barron said.
But in the long run, Barron said you’ll save money on repairs with an EV because you won’t have to worry about oil changes and getting up tune ups as often.
You’ll still have to maintain your brakes, tires and other fluids, though.
But there’s one more thing you may not have considered.
“Insurance. Insurance on an electric vehicle is costly. You’re basically driving a large PC around with an electric motor. So, if anything goes wrong with your electric vehicle…programming issue, modules can go bad, if the electric motor goes bad, your batteries fail, all those are expensive repairs,” Barron explained.
And what if you’re planning a long trip?
Barron said the average EV can go about 250 miles on a charge, but you’ll have to wait a couple of hours to fully recharge, so you’ll want to factor that in on a road trip.
But Barron said the overall experience of driving an EV is pretty cool and may be worth all the added costs.
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STOCKHOLM , May 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Swedish origin innovative battery development company TEXEL Energy Storage has agreed to partner with the American EV manufacturer Triton, to accelerate the shift into developing the next generation Electric Hybrid powertrain for trucks. New technologies are needed to meet the demand of a circular future, to stop consuming our planets resources.
Today TEXEL Energy Storage and Triton announced their co-operation to develop the next generation of electric hybrid powertrain for electric vehicles, including Triton electrical long-distance semi-trucks. The TEXEL hybrid technology combining storing and producing energy, much like a combination of lithium batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. The TEXEL technology is thermochemical, using metal hydrides to store energy and the world´s most advanced Stirling engine to convert to electricity.
- "Our focus in the development of the TEXEL battery or energy technology has always been on circularity, we need to stop consuming our planets resource. I am glad that innovative companies like Triton and entrepreneurs like Mr. Himanshu is showing a true environmental commitment" – says Lars Jacobsson, CEO and founder of TEXEL Energy Storage.
TEXEL energy storage battery technology was appointed "the success story beyond lithium-ion batteries" by Innovation X-Lab at the energy storage summit at SLAC in Silicon Valley. TEXEL has an exclusive license agreement with Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to commercialize the thermochemical technology, developed and patented by SRNL, as an important component in the new TEXEL Thermochemical Hybrid Battery.
- "I am honored to be a part of TEXEL, we urgently need new energy storage technologies for the future; TEXEL is the future and it is here today. I could not think of a better investment in this planet. This is one of my ways paying a little bit of rent to mother earth for being on this beautiful planet. – says John Paul DeJoria, entrepreneur, environmentalist and shareholder TEXEL.
Triton ElectricVehicle is an innovative American company that is currently manufacturing a new class of electric vehicles currently in India with plans of expanding Globally. Triton is now looking to truly become a frontrunner in the fierce competition of developing the best vehicles in the long-range electric sector. The partnership with Texel is an important step in the right direction to achieve this mission.
- "It's a great honor for Triton Electric Vehicle to partner up with TEXEL Energy Storage to change the world, and we look forward to a long and healthy relationship."- says Himanshu B Patel, CEO of Triton Electrical Vehicle.
US-based EV maker Triton EV has recently acquired AMW's manufacturing plant in Bhuj, Gujarat. The facility spread across 3.7 Million Sq feet will now be used by Triton EV for manufacturing EV trucks, as the company shifts to top gear in their bid to enter Indian roads.
TEXEL and Triton intend to initiate their joint business efforts and collaboration in the first half of 2023 and are exploring locations in the US market. Both companies recently visited Waco, Texas as a leading State to expand their technologies.
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MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, May 16 (Reuters) - Nigerian entrepreneur Mustapha Gajibo has been converting petrol mini-buses into electric vehicles at his workshop, but he is now going a step further to build solar battery-powered buses from scratch in a push to promote clean energy and curb pollution.
Africa's top producer and exporter of crude oil has heavily-subsidised gasoline and a patchy supply of electricity -- a combination that might discourage anyone from investing in electric vehicles.
But Gajibo, a 30-year-old university drop-out and resident of Maiduguri city in Nigeria's northeast, is undaunted. He says rising global oil prices and pollution make electric vehicles a worthwhile alternative in Nigeria.
At his workshop, he has already stripped combustion engines from 10 mini-buses, powering them with solar batteries. The buses, which have been operating for just over a month, cover a distance of 100 km on a single charge, he said.
His most ambitious project is building the buses from scratch. They will be equipped with solar panels and batteries.
A man plugs a charging cable unto a solar-powered mini bus at the charging station along Baga-Kazuwa road in Maiduguri, Nigeria May 4, 2022. Picture taken May 4, 2022. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
"As I am speaking to you now at our workshop, we are building a 12-seater bus which can cover up to 200 kilometres on one charge," Gajibo said.
"Before the end of this month we are going to unveil that bus, which will be the first of its kind in the whole of Nigeria," he said, adding that his workshop had capacity to produce 15 buses a month.
In Nigeria, like most of Africa, electric vehicles have not yet gained traction because they are more expensive and there is little electricity and no infrastructure to charge vehicles.
For now, Gajibo has one charging station powered by solar.
There are other hurdles like foreign currency shortages that make it difficult to import parts. So, he is looking to source them in Nigeria.
"We have been substituting some materials with local materials to bring our costs down and maximise profit," said Gajibo.
Additional reporting by Abraham Archiga in Abuja, Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe, Editing by Christina Fincher
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
They’re quieter and better for the climate. But snow and water create new technological challenges for designers.
STOWE, Vt. — Snowmobiles are part of the winter soundtrack in this part of Vermont, at their worst shattering the stillness of the forest like motorcycles on skis. But the motorized sleds bouncing along a wooded mountain trail in February were silent except for the whoosh of metal runners on snow.
The machines, made by a start-up Canadian company, Taiga, were battery-powered — the first electric snowmobiles to be sold widely — and symbols of how conveyances of all kinds are migrating to emission-free propulsion. Taiga is also offering battery-powered personal watercraft, another form of recreation where the gasoline version is regarded in some circles as a scourge.
While electric cars get most of the attention, electric lawn mowers, boats, bicycles, scooters and all-terrain vehicles are proliferating. In some categories, battery-powered machines are gaining market share faster than electric cars are conquering the auto world. Start-up companies are wooing investors by claiming to be the Teslas of the boating, cycling, or lawn and garden industry.
The environmental benefits are potentially significant. Unlike cars and trucks, outboard motors or lawn mowers do not usually have catalytic converters to reduce harmful emissions. They are noisy, and they often use lower-quality fuel. A gasoline lawn mower generates as much pollution in an hour as a 300-mile car trip, according to the California Air Resources Board.
California has passed legislation to ban gasoline-powered mowers beginning in 2024, and all new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. But sales of electric alternatives are growing even without a push from government.
One of the first customers for Taiga snowmobiles was Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico, which markets itself as an environmentally conscious ski resort. The Taos ski patrol and trail maintenance workers will use the electric snowmobiles for tasks like transporting injured skiers or servicing snow-making equipment, said David Norden, the chief executive of Taos Ski Valley. When skiing resumes this year, Taos also plans to deploy an electric snow-grooming machine made by Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug, a German firm.
Even if the electric snowmobiles, which start at $17,500, are more expensive than gasoline counterparts, which can be had for less than $10,000, the resort will save money on fuel and maintenance, Mr. Norden said.
“You do the cost-benefit analysis, you’re probably close to break even,” he said. “These are not only decisions for the environment but also good decisions for our bottom line.”
But sometimes people are converting to electrical power because it offers practical advantages.
Buyers of electric lawn and garden equipment polled by the Freedonia Group, a research firm, cited noise reduction, low maintenance costs and no need to store cans of gasoline in the garage as their most important priorities. Often electric leaf blowers or string trimmers are cheaper and lighter than gasoline versions.
The lawn and garden industry has gone electric faster than the car industry. In 2020, electric mowers, leaf blowers and other equipment accounted for 17 percent of the market in the United States, according to Freedonia. That’s more than three times the share of electric vehicles in the U.S. car market.
Many people are hesitant to buy an electric car because they worry about running out of power far from a charger. Range anxiety is not a concern in the backyard.
“You’re not worried about taking a road trip in a lawn mower,” said Jennifer Mapes-Christ, manager of commercial and consumer products research at Freedonia.
But electrifying boats and other vehicles often presents technological challenges. Electrical energy works for smaller watercraft or boats that do not travel very far. It’s the only option on the hundreds of lakes where conventional outboard motors are banned because of noise or pollution.
Because water creates so much resistance, however, big power boats require amounts of continuous power that are beyond what batteries available today can provide. (Sailboats, of course, have operated on wind power for thousands of years.)
Batteries are “part of the answer to the future but not necessarily the complete answer,” said David Foulkes, the chief executive of Brunswick, which makes Mercury marine engines.
Still, Mercury has unveiled a prototype electric outboard motor and is watching the shift to electrification carefully.
“We intend to be a leader in this space,” said Mr. Foulkes, who drives a battery-powered Porsche. “Even if the market is small at the moment, we want to be there and see what the market does.”
Some engineers are taking advantage of the shift to electrification to rethink design. An offshore racing series known as E1, which plans to begin staging events in Miami and other cities next year, will use battery-powered boats equipped with hydrofoils that lift the hulls above the water, greatly reducing resistance.
“We have to change the paradigm,” said Rodi Basso, the chief executive of E1. “This is what Tesla has done.”
Just as Tesla has upended the auto industry, start-up firms are challenging companies that have long dominated their markets. Flux Marine is one of several companies trying to adapt electrical power for watercraft. With the help of $15 million in venture capital, it plans to begin selling electric outboard motors made at a plant in Bristol, R.I., this summer.
Ben Sorkin, the chief executive of Flux Marine, who was a summer intern at Tesla, conceded that battery power was not practical for large offshore fishing boats and the like. “Given what’s available right now, electric propulsion is a niche market,” Mr. Sorkin said.
But he said the market would expand as batteries improved and became practical for bigger and bigger motors. Flux Marine’s biggest motor is rated at 70 horsepower, and the numbers will continue to rise, Mr. Sorkin said.
“Every five or so years, the sweet spot shifts up,” he said.
Major manufacturers of boats, snowmobiles and mowers have been slow to go electric. John Deere, the largest manufacturer of self-propelled mowers, does not offer battery-powered alternatives but plans to discuss its electrification strategy with investors at an event May 25-26.
The recent history of the auto industry could serve as a warning to the established companies. Just as slow-moving car companies initially ceded territory to Tesla and are trying to catch up, new companies like Taiga are exploiting wide-open markets.
Samuel Bruneau, Taiga’s chief executive, said electrifying snowmobiles was a challenge because the batteries and motors needed to cope with extreme temperatures and bumpy terrain.
“No one was coming into that space, because it would require new technology,” he said. “That is the opportunity we saw.”
Competition is coming. BRP, a company based in Quebec that makes Ski-Doo snowmobiles as well as all-terrain vehicles and motorboats, has said it will offer electric versions of all its products by 2026. The company also plans to enter the motorcycle market with a line of electric two-wheelers in 2024.
“There is a trend out there driven by the automobile,” said José Boisjoli, the chief executive of BRP, which is the largest snowmobile maker. “We can’t ignore it.”
But he said the transition would happen more slowly in recreation. For one thing, the markets are much smaller, making it harder to achieve the cost savings that come with mass production. Fewer than 135,000 snowmobiles were sold worldwide in 2021, compared with roughly 60 million cars.
And snowmobiles and powerboats don’t receive the government subsidies or tax breaks that can cut thousands of dollars off the price of an electric car. Charging is also an issue in the woods. Taiga has installed charging stations alongside a popular snowmobile trail network in Quebec, and plans more.
But snowmobilers who venture deep into the wilderness will still prefer gasoline, Mr. Boisjoli said. “The combustion engine will be present in snowmobiles for a long time,” he said.
Dominic Jacangelo, executive director of the New York State Snowmobile Association, agreed that long-distance snowmobilers, who can easily travel more than 100 miles a day, would be skeptical.
Still, Mr. Jacangelo said he was eager to try out a Taiga. “In terms of performance, you’ve got a sled that will keep up with anything else out there on the market,” he said.
Because electric snowmobiles are quieter, they could help reduce friction between snowmobilers and people who consider the machines an affront to nature. That would open up more terrain for snowmobiles.
“Certainly,” Mr. Jacangelo said, “an electric sled is going to change a lot of environmentalists’ view of snowmobiling.”
