Fifteen states and Washington, DC have announced that they will follow California’s lead by doing away with diesel in favor of switching to electrify all heavy-duty trucks, vans, and buses, in what could be one of the most significant efforts to reduce harmful diesel engine pollution in the United States. It could also be a big development in the fight for environmental justice because emissions from diesel-powered commercial vehicles disproportionately harm…
Read MoreCalifornia OKs $738 Million for Electric Infrastructure
The California Public Utilities Commission has approved $738 million in transportation infrastructure electrification projects for the state’s three largest utilities —Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Southern California Edison. The approved projects aim to help speed the transition to electrified transportation for consumers and fleets. These projects include: San Diego Gas & Electric’s (SDG&E) Residential Charging Program ($137 million): SDG&E will provide rebates to residential customers…
Read MoreDriveWyze CA Weigh Station Bypass Service
Drivewyze has announced that it has been awarded the contract to operate its Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass service in California. The company is working to install its service with existing weigh-in-motion scales, underway at 37 locations where the state has chosen to operate bypass services. Drivewyze expects the service to be fully operational in the state within 60 days. The 37 sites supporting PreClear are located on many of…
Read MoreUSDOJ Sues Fiat Chrysler Over Diesel Emissions
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Fiat Chrysler America (FCA), alleging that some of its Dodge Ram Diesel Pickup Trucks and Jeep SUVs are cheating on emissions tests. The lawsuit filed Tuesday by the government marks the second time the D.O.J. has gone after an automaker alleging use of software on diesel engines that allows them to emit more pollution on the road than during Environmental Protection Agency lab…
Read MoreTennessee & California Increase Diesel Taxes
Governors in Tennessee & California recently signed legislation into law that will increase diesel fuel taxes in those states later this year. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed in late April the “IMPROVE Act,” which will raise diesel fuel taxes by 10 cents over the next three years. The excise tax on diesel will jump on July 1 by 4 cents from 18.4 cents per gallon to 22.4 cents per gallon.…
Read MoreFuel Cell Bus Programs get $35.8M Grant in CA
Sunline Transit, a public agency providing bus service throughout California’s sprawling Coachella Valley, will received a $12.5 million grant from the state Friday to fund five new zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell buses and upgrades to the agency’s existing hydrogen production plant. The buses will operate in a region that is known for the cities of Palm Springs and Indio and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The project, represents one…
Read MoreLA Shuttle Service Converts Fleet to Electric
Sixteen zero-emission utility shuttle buses will be used to service offsite parking at Los Angeles International Airport for shuttling service WallyPark, making it the first all-electric airport parking depot fleet in the country. Phoenix Motorcars, based in Ontario, Calif., manufactured the fully-electric buses for WallyPark, a subsidiary of parking facility operator L&R, which is headquartered in Los Angeles. Each vehicle carries up to 14 passengers and their luggage between the…
Read MorePG&E Plug-In Electric Class 6 Hybrid Truck
Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Efficient Drivetrains Incorporated (EDI) unveiled the utility industry’s first plug-in electric hybrid (PHEV) Class 6 truck featuring technology that has the potential to fundamentally change how the utility manages planned and unplanned outages. The vehicle, developed by EDI in partnership with PG&E, features a plug-in electric hybrid (PHEV) drivetrain that combines up to 50 miles of all-electric driving with 300 more miles of driving…
Read MoreBYD Supplies 20 Electric Buses to UC Irvine
BYD California’s truck and bus facility isn’t much to look at – an elderly concrete tilt-up in a mostly still unbuilt industrial center in Lancaster, a high-desert community about 70 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. But things are changing for the electric vehicle maker, a unit of China’s giant BYD Co. BYD has started a factory expansion on a 200,000-square-foot lot in front of the former recreational vehicle assembly…
Read MoreEldorado EZ Rider Bus Front Wheel Recall
Eldorado National-California, Inc. (Eldorado National) is recalling certain model year 2016 E-Z Rider II transit buses manufactured March 1, 2016, to July 31, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with front steel rims that may allow the inside sidewall of the front tires to contact the outer end of the front tie-rods due to insufficient clearance. CONSEQUENCE: If the tie-rods contact the front tires, the tires may be damaged and…
Read More
