Dear Drive to Zero Pledge Partners and Allies:
With a new U.S. federal administration we expect faster progress towards zero-emission commercial vehicles (ZECVs). This will build on the momentum already started in California and key states in the U.S. In addition to the sales requirements for zero-emission trucks from California’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule, California’s Governor Newsom announced a complete transition to zero-emission technologies for all medium- and heavy-duty vehicles on California’s roads by 2045. Furthering state ZECV adoption efforts, 15 U.S. states committed to working towards having 30% sales of new MHDVs being zero-emissions by 2030, and 100% by 2050. The next step ahead for Drive to Zero is to align leading nations around ambitious targets for ZECVs, consistent with the 15 U.S. states and hopefully more ambitious. This will send strong and consistent signals to industry and other governments, and strengthen future climate commitments that countries need to do ahead of COP-26. The Drive to Zero program and campaign is committed to working toward this global alignment.
– Cristiano Façanha, Global Director, CALSTART/Drive to Zero
Drive to Zero Program Progress and Updates
Clean Commercial Transportation Update
Join us this Friday at 11am PT for a live 30-minute webcast on the latest in clean transportation news hosted by CALSTART’s Bill Van Amburg, Executive Vice President, and Alycia Gilde, Senior Director. This week’s presentations will highlight the Drive to ZeroTM program and campaign with a focus on city actions around the world and trends in e-commerce. (LINK)
Zero Emission Freight: Market and Policy Development Briefing
CALSTART’s Drive to Zero program and campaign and its beachhead strategy feature prominently in a new report on zero-emission freight organized by C40 Cities with contributions from CALSTART and the International Council on Clean Transportation. Zero-emission freight: Vehicle market and policy development briefing for C40 cities describes vehicle and technology trends and shares recommendations for C40 member cities and others. (LINK)
CALSTART 2020 Annual Meeting
CALSTART will host its 2020 Annual Meeting next week, including a Drive to Zero panel featuring four pledge partners: the Netherlands, Ingka Group (IKEA), Arrival and Black & Veatch. Join us over November 17-18 for an interactive virtual experience that showcases industry thought leaders, hosts discussion groups, and looks to our future. Speakers include California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols and Michigan’s Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist. The agenda and sponsorship opportunities are available now. (LINK)
Drive to Zero Pledge Partners Update
Several new companies and organizations have joined the continuously growing Drive to Zero pledge partner ranks. Thank you for your efforts and dedication, we look forward to working with you as we collectively pursue a clean commercial vehicle sector!
- Climate Law & Policy Project (climate policy non-profit)
- DiPP-R AB (e-commerce logistics solutions)
- Tirn Technology S.R.O. (mobility services)
- Climate Change Mitigation Technologies LLC (electric truck fleet management)
News Updates
The recent U.S. presidential election’s preliminary results indicate a shift in federal climate priorities may be forthcoming. Among his other climate agenda goals, President-Elect Joe Biden aims to transition the transit bus fleet in every city with populations greater than 100,000 to zero-emission buses. Zero-emission transit buses, with proper management and dedicated equipment, have been shown in CALSTART’s new guide “Best Practices for E-Bus and Grid Integration” to reduce costs for transit and grid operators. Even with dedicated federal support, policymakers will need to engage industry to support a smooth and efficient transition to a zero-emission transportation sector. Fleet leaders discussed the ZEV transition at the VERGE20 conference last month and shared their top takeaways.
In the meantime, manufacturers and fleets continue to advance global commercial ZEV adoption:
- Royal Mail has joined the U.K. Electric Fleet Coalition as its largest member. The coalition is urging the government to commit to only ZEV vehicle sales within the nation by 2030.
- Hyundai plans to produce thousands of hydrogen-powered trucks for the Chinese market. Hydrogen has been growing in popularity as a potential heavy-duty zero-emission fuel system.
- Fluid Truck, a national U.S. commercial vehicle rental company, has ordered 600 all-electric Lightning trucks and vans for its fleet. These vehicles and others that are powered by electricity are more likely to charge overnight and during off-peak hours, according to a McKinsey report.
- Charging all-electric commercial vehicles may be simpler and easier with a wireless charging standard that is newly approved by the Society of Automotive Engineers.
Reach out to us to share new information, potential partners, and innovative practices to achieve our Drive to Zero goals at info@globaldrivetozero.org, and please feel free to share this newsletter with others. The updates described above and additional news stories are linked below.
– Dan Welch, Senior Project Manager, CALSTART
News Links
Events / Reports
- Best Practices on E-Bus and Grid Integration: A Guide for California Transit Fleets (LINK)
- Race to zero: How manufacturers are positioned for zero-emission commercial trucks and buses in North America (LINK)
- Fleet leaders share four recommendations for driving toward zero emissions (LINK)
Market
- Voltia converted Nissan e-van leasing cheaper than diesel (LINK)
- Trucking into the hydrogen era (LINK)
- Royal Mail joins Electric Fleets Coalition (LINK)
Fleet Deployments
- Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation set for trial run of e-buses (LINK)
- Fluid Truck orders 600 Lightning electric trucks and vans (LINK)
- Star Charge & VinBus to electrify Vietnam’s bus system (LINK)
- Hyundai to supply 4,000 fuel cell trucks to China (LINK)
Manufacturers and Models: Trucks and Buses
- Volvo Trucks to electrify entire lineup by 2021 (LINK)
- China’s BYD, Japan’s Hino announce electric truck venture (LINK)
- Triton-EV builds electric semi-truck in just 35 days (LINK)
Manufacturers and Models: Port Equipment and Off-Road
- Volvo Trucks testing electric construction trucks (LINK)
- Bangkok deploys a fleet of 27 electric passenger ferries (LINK)
- Niagara Falls’ Maid of The Mist goes pure electric (LINK)
Financial Incentives
- CEC approves $384 million plan to accelerate zero-emission transportation (LINK)
Government Policies
- President-elect Biden wants zero-emission public transit for cities with 100,000+ people (LINK)
- Qualcomm, FedEx, auto executives to propose transport policies for world in transition (LINK)
Fuels & Infrastructure
- Why most eTrucks will choose overnight charging (LINK)
- Electrify America launches new business unit to offer customized business-to-business charging solutions (LINK)
- New SAE Wireless Charging standard is EV game-changer (LINK)
Utility Policies
- California allows private sales of electricity as motor truck fuel (LINK)