Drive to Zero Newsletter – September 2021

Dear Drive to Zero Pledge Partners and Allies:

With Climate Week NYC and the United Nations General Assembly underway this week, and just over a month remaining until the start of COP26, global attention is increasingly focused on climate change and the narrowing window of opportunity to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

As one of the fastest growing contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, there is an urgent need for the transport sector to decarbonize, and an opportunity to support innovation, good-paying jobs, and healthy communities. It was encouraging to hear the Netherlands and Scania discuss the aligned ambitions and actions of government and industry for zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (ZE-MHDVs) as part of the forthcoming Global MOU for ZE-MHDVs, during a Climate Week kick-off session from Drive to Zero’s partner initiative RouteZero.

As COP approaches, we will continue to seek the highest level of support from government and industry in supporting this important initiative, while also working to showcase the current reality, capability, and benefits of zero-emission commercial vehicle technology.

– Cristiano Façanha, Global Director, CALSTART/Drive to Zero

Drive to Zero Program Progress and Updates

Going Beyond the Curb: Policies and Best Practices

CALSTART, with support from FedEx Cares, explores the technological and social uses of urban curb space and how cities can best support innovative approaches to new mobility systems. This report draws from recent trends that have reshaped city spaces during COVID-19, showcases examples of zero-emission commercial environments and programs, and provides recommendations for policy development to manage urban curb space. (LINK)

ZET Global Expo

Recognizing the essential role zero-emission trucks (ZETs) must play in reaching our collective Paris Agreement goals, Drive to Zero will launch a ZET Global Expo at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in November in Glasgow. In conjunction with the recent call to action for a Global MOU to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, the ZET Global Expo will highlight industry and government ambition and showcase the strong reality and capability of available ZET technology. Be sure to visit the Drive to Zero website for updates and more information on how to get involved. (LINK)

Electric Mobility Canada’s Annual EV2021VÉ Conference, October 5-7

This three-day online event (October 5-7) presented by Electric Mobility Canada will present electrification trends for light-duty and medium-heavy duty vehicles and trends in health and policy to lead transportation electrification. The Drive to Zero campaign’s own Peter Jenkins will be presenting on October 7, register here to join us! (LINK)

CALSTART’s Clean Commercial Transportation Update

In case you missed it, check out the September 17 edition of CALSTART’s Clean Commercial Transportation Update, when Drive to Zero’s Cristiano Façanha provided an update on CALSTART plans for COP26 and the Global MOU amongst leading nations for a 100% zero-emission commercial vehicle future. Join us this Friday, September 24th at 11AM PT for this week’s CCTU Take 5 edition, which will feature a report that highlights trends and findings based on zero-emission deployment plans based on a new California regulation (LINK).

Drive to Zero has launched a user survey to help evaluate our Zero-Emission Technology Inventory (ZETI) and ZETI Analytics tools. We hope to better understand the current user experience while also identifying new features and information to include in the future. The survey should take about 5-7 minutes to complete, and will close on Tuesday, August 31. We encourage you to share your feedback by completing the survey. Your valued input will help us to improve these tools. (LINK)

News Updates

Announcements for interesting applications that are historically difficult to electrify grabbed our attention this month, so check out these quick-click articles:

Truckers aren’t the only ones delivering important cargo with zero-emission technology. In India, electric buses will transport people through 8-10 percent of new bus sales by 2025, an encouraging figure given the stress on the country’s public transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic. New Dehli, for instance, will receive its first fleet of 300 electric buses in January 2022as the city prepares for climate change and air quality improvements. Electric school bus deployments are also rising in North America, with health benefits for children driving the zero-emission transition. In Canada, an electricity utility will help accelerate school bus electrificationby launching a pilot project for 10 electric school buses and 12 charging stations.

New government financial support and clean transportation policy illustrates how and why more fleets are making the zero-emission leap. This past month Germany pledged €1.25 billion to develop electric bus fleets and required infrastructure, and the Biden administration’s infrastructure bill includes $5 billion in funding for electric and low-emission school buses. The City of London also enacted stricter emissions standards in its Low Emission Zone for commercial vehicles, which may give about 18 million people cleaner air. And now you can help jumpstart another successful zero- and low-emission loading zone project—provide the New York City Department of Transportation with your insights on green vehicle operations and challenges in their green loading zone pilot survey.

Please share new information, potential partners, and innovative practices to achieve our Drive to Zero goals at info@globaldrivetozero.org. Follow us on Twitter @TeamDrivetoZero. Please feel free to share this newsletter with others.

– Emily Varnell, Technical Writer, CALSTART

News Links

Events / Reports

  • Spatial and Temporal Analysis of the Total Cost of Ownership for Class 8 Tractors and Class 4 Parcel Delivery Trucks (LINK)
  • A global overview of zero-emission zones in cities and their development progress (LINK)
  • Battery electric tractor-trailers in the European Union: A vehicle technology analysis (LINK)
  • A comparison of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from heavy-duty diesel, natural gas, and electric vehicles (LINK)
  • A Transformative Climate Action Framework for Transportation (LINK)
  • Infrastructure to support a 100% zero-emission tractor-trailer fleet in the United States by 2040 (LINK)
  • Pandemic can accelerate electric mobility in Latin America (LINK)

 Fleet Deployments

  • NACFE to Announce Run on Less Results (LINK)
  • Port Of Oakland Tests Drayage With Class 8 Peterbilt Electric Trucks (LINK)
  • Volvo Trucks North America takes orders for 26 heavy electric trucks (LINK)
  • Delhi to get 300 e-buses in January 2022: DTC official (LINK)
  • Volvo Trucks Customer Dependable Highway Express to Transport SunPower Solar Products Using VNR Electric Fleet (LINK)
  • Nobina orders 122 electric buses from Volvo (LINK)
  • FTXT & partners deliver 100 H2 trucks in Hebei (LINK)

Markets

  • Truckers Lead the Charge to Go Electric (LINK)
  • How electrified, equitable mobility can transform US cities (LINK)
  • Electric buses to account for 8-10% of India’s new bus sales by 2025 (LINK)
  • Interesting Things Are Happening With Electric School Buses (LINK)

Manufacturers and Models: Trucks and Buses

  • Nikola Partners With Bosch On Fuel Cell Supply, Production Deal For Hydrogen Trucks (LINK)
  • Hyundai wants hydrogen fuel cell versions of all its commercial vehicle models by 2028 (LINK)
  • Volvo Trucks to Expand Operations in China (LINK)
  • BYD Introduces Two New Electric Truck Models (LINK)
  • Mercedes presents electric bus chassis built in Brazil (LINK)

Manufacturers and Models: Port Equipment and Off-Road

  • World’s first crewless, zero emissions cargo ship will set sail in Norway (LINK)
  • All American launches first hydrogen fuel cell ferry in U.S. (LINK)
  • Brazilian terminal orders very first Generation 6 Konecranes Gottwald Mobile Harbor Cranes to increase capacity and competitiveness (LINK)
  • AUS: Tritium redesigns DC charger for mining operations (LINK)
  • Alstom debuts battery-electric train in Germany (LINK)

Government Policies

  • Global overview of government targets for phasing out internal combustion engine medium and heavy trucks (LINK)
  • London’s clean air rules for trucks could benefit millions across England: report (LINK)
  • NYC DOT Green Loading Zone Pilot Survey (LINK)

Financial Incentives

  • ACT Expo: California subsidies make battery-electric trucks a sweet fleet deal (LINK)
  • German government pledges €1.25bn to fund electric buses (LINK)
  • Infrastructure Bill Could Jump-Start Electric School Bus Business (LINK)

Fuels & Infrastructure

  • Industry Experts, Researchers Put Charging Systems for Electric Trucks to the Test (LINK)
  • Electrify America and NFI Industries Collaborate on Nation’s Largest Heavy-Duty Electric Truck Charging Infrastructure Project (LINK)
  • Charging solutions: California’s first electric truck stop in the works (LINK)
  • Solar powered EV truck charging on a megawatt scale is coming to California (LINK)
  • Hydrogen in Latin America: From near-term opportunities to large-scale deployment (LINK)
  • Lack of infra delays rollout of e-buses, says India transport dept (LINK)
  • Beijing-led city cluster to demonstrate hydrogen economy (LINK)

Utility Actions

  • U.S. Utilities Expected to Add 10 Gigawatts of Battery Storage From 2021-2023: EIA (LINK)
  • Hydro-Québec launches pilot to support school buses (LINK)

 Batteries & Technology

  • Thermo King to deliver a fully electric product in every segment of the cold chain by 2023 (LINK)
  • BASF and CATL align battery material & recycling goals (LINK)
  • Hyundai joins US companies on second life storage (LINK)
  • NREL researchers, industry partners testing Megawatt Charging Systems; up to 3.75MW (LINK)

Environment

  • Air Pollution: A Forgotten Funding Issue (LINK)