Electric Vehicles

A massive car-charging plaza is being developed in California, while Colorado is moving forward with a high-speed charging network. And the electric vehicle industry is gravitating toward a single charging standard.

Officials from the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation offered measured hope and little guarantees during a recent discussion that the federal government would remain committed to advancing adoption of electric vehicles.

It’s possible the automaker’s throttling back on its robotaxi endeavor will come to be seen as a missed opportunity. But it’s definitely a sign self-driving electrified vehicles are a more complex, expensive challenge to realize than may have been thought.

As part of Gov. Wes Moore’s $90 million climate pledge to cut emissions, school districts can receive grants for up to 85 percent of the incremental price of purchasing qualified electric school buses.

A Bus2Grid project in Illinois will not only send electric school buses to 13 school districts, but enable them to discharge unneeded power back to the district, or an electric utility, when needed.

The city’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Advisory Board has approved a policy to expand electric bike access on city trails, but an official City Council decision won’t come until February.

The Maine Department of Education has advised that districts park their Lion Electric Co. buses until further inspections, given mechanical and service problems arising with many district fleets.

Electrathon clubs like the one at East Central High School in San Antonio teach STEM concepts involved with electric vehicles by challenging students to build and race their own battery-powered mini cars.

The funding, via a Fleet-ZERO grant from the Colorado Energy Office, will help pay for the city’s internal Electric Vehicle Action Plan and enable the transition to EVs and their supporting infrastructure.

The endeavor, on the University of California, Los Angeles campus, is intended to make charging seamless. Its infrastructure, to be in place by the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, could be used by numerous transit operators.

Seven states have passed mandates requiring buses be replaced with electric models to reduce air pollution and dependence on fossil fuels. But the journey to modernizing a fleet can be expensive and complicated.

The city’s Mass Transportation Authority replaced its last two diesel buses in April with hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. The $11 million, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced this week, will enable it to add to its fleet of fuel-cell buses and expand its hydrogen production facility.

A program in several northeastern states is attempting to bridge training gaps for EV technicians in disadvantaged communities. The endeavor, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, focuses on the need for municipal fleet mechanics.

Assembled in Wyoming, Minn., the new rig is the city’s inaugural electric fire truck. It features an adjustable height, enabling it to maneuver rain and snowstorms that might sideline lower-riding trucks, and wheels capable of turning so as to round tight corners.

Westville School District No. 2 has replaced its old diesel school buses with 15 electric, emissions-free models from IC Bus. The district purchased the vehicles with grants through the EPA's Clean School Bus Program.

Through an initiative called the Michigan Electric Vehicle Jobs Academy, state leaders reviewed 400 courses at community colleges across Michigan to ensure they meet employer needs for a workforce that can build EVs.

The California Air Resources Board approved changes to the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, to expand incentives for high-speed electric vehicle charging and advance the use of low-carbon fuels.

Veo, a shared, electric scooter and bicycle provider in numerous cities around the nation, is using technology from Captur to ensure its devices are parked properly. The process is customized according to local regulations.