Purolator, a courier service owned by Canada Post, will invest one billion Canadian dollars in decarbonising its fleet within the decade. This includes the purchase of more than 3,500 fully electric last-mile delivery vehicles and the electrification of more than 60 terminals.
Motiv Power Systems, an American manufacturer of battery-electric chassis for medium-duty commercial vehicles, has secured more than 100 new orders via California’s HVIP program – with customers including Cintas, FedEx, Aramark, Alsco, City Fresh, Great White Packaging, and more.
In the USA, Motiv Power Systems is partnering with Our Next Energy (ONE) for battery technology for Motiv’s 6th generation all-electric vehicles. The vans, trucks and buses based on the new platform are currently being tested and will launch in early 2023.
Motiv Power Systems introduced the newest generation of its EPIC chassis for medium-duty electric fleets. The latest iteration features a reduced number of components by 30 per cent, while also improving range, acceleration, and speed.
BMW will supply their i3 battery packs to Motiv Power Systems, who will integrate them into their Electric Powered Intelligent Chassis (EPIC) for commercial vehicles. The two companies have now finalised their agreement.
Motiv Power Systems has come up with a solution that kills two birds with one car, so to speak. Their eBloodmobile is no bird slayer of course but a fully equipped outreach vehicle that blood banks would use.
CARB has certified Motiv’s Electric Powered Intelligent Chassis (EPIC) family for use in electric trucks and buses. With the executive order, EPIC chassis are certified for all of their service life, requiring no further emissions testing.
BYD funds for battery production: The Chinese manufacturer plans a share sale, with which it hopes to gain about 10 billion yuan (1.6bn dollars). The fresh capital is believed to be used for expanding BYD’s battery production to fulfil increased demand for the company’s electric cars and buses. bloomberg.com
Further expansion plans come from Motiv Power who just received a grant from the California Energy Commission over 8.1 million dollars. The money is to aid production at Motiv’s new factory in Hayward. At full capacity, the facility is said to make up to 480 all-electric powertrains annually. bloomberg.com
Fuel cell deal for Hydrogenics: The Canadian company has landed a 50-million euro deal with Alstom Transport to exclusively supply the latter with fuel cell systems for regional commuter trains in Europe over the next ten years. Delivery of the first units is set for 2016. greencarcongress.com
Electric forklifts: AllCell and LG Chem have developed a high performance long lasting Li-ion battery for material handling applications that will replace currently used lead-acid batteries. The battery is built with LG’s cylindrical 18650-format Li-ion batteries and AllCell’s proprietary passive thermal management technology with phase change composite (PCC). greencarcongress.com
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Most clicked link on Wednesday was Audi confirming its Q8 for 2019 launch and its all-electric Q6 for 2018. worldcarfans.com
Underground maintenance electrified: Metro Service, that operates Copenhagen’s subway, already uses five Citroën Berlingo Electrique for servicing the network. Metro now acquired another three Nissan e-NV 200 and has installed its own 50-kW fast charging station in the Danish capital. emobilitaetonline.de (in German), clever.dk (in Danish)
Touring with pedelecs: The Austrian city of Salzburg will open a new cycle track specifically designed for electric bicycles in May. Somewhat counterintuitively called Slow Bike, the trail runs through and around the town and crosses the border to Bavaria. Along the mountainous path, electric cyclists find charging and rental stations for pedelecs as well as information on the surrounding area. emobilitaetonline.de, slow-bike-tour.com (both in German)
Campus charging I: The University of South Florida is to install seven fast charging station in the Tampa Bay area. The first one will go up at the St. Petersburg (USFSP) campus next month and was donated by Nissan and Duke Energy. The charging stations will be open to the public and customers will be charged 30 cents per kilowatt used. usforacle.com
Campus charging II: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) has been granted 64,000 dollars for two Clean Fuel Advanced Technology Projects. 52,000 dollars will be used to erect 20 charging stations on campus while 12,000 dollars are to fund a battery monitoring pilot programme for low speed electric vehicles. ninertimes.com
Electric Ford commercial vans: AmeriPride has placed an order for six Ford F59 with all-electric powertrains by Motiv Power Systems. The walk-in vans provide up to 100 miles of range on a single charge and will be utilized in Fresno, California. sys-con.com
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Plug-in gas truck: Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI) and Greenkraft announced they will work together on a plug-in hybrid CNG powertrain for medium-duty trucks. Meanwhile, the California Energy Commission awarded EDI 900,000 dollars in funding to support the development of the parallel-series multi-mode truck. greencarcongress.com
Ship-through funding: Motiv Power was able to raise 7.3 million dollars in funding to further develop their so-called ship-through modification sets. These upgrades enable truck and bus builders to install electric drivestrains with minimal effort in their existing vehicles. insideevs.com, finance.yahoo.com
Test track for wireless charging: Utah State University plans to build a 446-square-metre facility including an oval-shaped track to test wirelessly powered vehicles ranging from regular cars to full-sized buses. Construction could start as early as this autumn. news.hjnews.com, miamiherald.com
Fuel cell business: Ballard Power Systems licensed its intellectual property to the Taiwanese M-Field Energy Corporation for their operations in Europe. Ballard will also provide engineering services and become the exclusive supplier of fuel cell stacks for M-Field’s material handling solutions. greencarcongress.com
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Most clicked Link on Monday: Audi to go global with plug-in hybrid. autonews.com
Two E-Class plug-in versions: The next generation of Daimler’s flagship (planned for 2017) will be available with two different plug-in powertrains – as diesel-hybrid and as petrol-hybrid. First pictures of the upcoming E-Class have already been released. autobild.de (in German)
Valuable insight: Nissan has developed an x-ray analysis method that allows it to observe electron activity in li-ion cathode materials during charging and discharging. Researchers hope it will help them build batteries with an increased capacity and durability. electriccarsreport.com, nissan-global.com
E-mobility makes mobile: Outrider USA is collecting cash for its unique, all-terrain electric trike, designed especially for people with limited abilities. It can be powered by pedalling, hand controls, or purely electric. kickstarter.com via treehugger.com
California electrifies mail delivery services: The California Energy Commission will hand Motiv Power Systems 1.6 million dollars to integrate its electric powertrains in UPS and U.S. postal vans. energy.ca.gov