Electric Vehicles

Instead of owning the batteries that power the increasing number of electric vehicles on the roads, some companies want to rethink drivers’ relationships and are pushing batteries as a service.

Repowering older, internal combustion school buses as battery-electric versions can extend the life of bus fleets and save districts a lot of money as they transition to EVs.

In a sign of yet another demand placed on already busy curbs, officials at the recent CoMotion Miami conference weighed in on the placement of urban EV chargers. Spoiler alert: they don’t like the idea of a single-use curbside.

The Butte County Association of Governments has approved its annual budget for transit, which includes the purchase of four electric buses that are estimated to be on the road by the end of 2025.

For the last year and a half, four electric buses have been traveling routes throughout the city. Now, officials want to expand the use of the no-emission vehicles in line with the city's Climate Action Plan.

The 2023 Clean School Bus grant program has $400 million available to replace fleets in high-need communities. The EPA will allow districts to work with third parties to make applications more competitive.

A report from the nonprofit CALSTART says California, Maryland and Florida lead the way, but 11 states are not on board. The report also offers recommendations for making zero-emission fleets more affordable.

A recent 360-mile road trip to Portland, Ore., in an electric vehicle introduced a whole new set of considerations around trip-planning. Unlike their gas-powered counterparts, EVs take some planning and a little luck where charging infrastructure is concerned.

Barker Central School District in New York will use federal funding to buy 12 new electric buses, an idea that has been relatively well received within the district for its potential to reduce carbon emissions.

Navier, a small maritime startup, is developing a line of electric-powered hydrofoil vessels that could be a quicker alternative to gridlocked bridges or bulky commuter ferries.

The university and the state of Michigan have a contract to upgrade the campus' infrastructure and battery lab, potentially build a new training facility and support innovative research in electric-vehicle technology.

An Illinois school district used a $50,000 grant from the utility company Commonwealth Edison to add an electric vehicle and charging station to the fleet of its high school driver's education program.

California’s air quality regulator will vote on whether to ban the sale of diesel big rigs by 2036 and switch all trucks in the state to zero-emission by 2042, which would transform California’s trucking industry.

Electric vehicle charging infrastructure funding programs are taking root in states like Oregon, which will soon launch the Oregon Community Charging Rebate program, aimed at disadvantaged neighborhoods and multifamily housing.

Israeli-founded company Eviation Aircraft flew its nine-passenger, all-electric commuter aircraft on the morning of April 18. The flight lasted just eight minutes and reached an altitude of 3,500 feet.

Colorado’s trucking industry will need to invest in zero-emission semitrailers, buses and delivery trucks as soon as 2027 as part of the state’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the cause of climate change.

There are expected to be as many as 850 electric scooters and bikes on Syracuse roads this summer — more than double the 400 or so in circulation last year. The fleet could grow to as many as 1,000 depending on demand.

The U.S. Department of Energy is partnering with Stellantis on the Battery Workforce Challenge, a competition to boost EV battery research, development and the worker pool for this emerging industry.