Seven cities form North American Electric Construction Coalition

Government officials from six cities in the US as well as Montreal, Canada have made a commitment to use more electric construction equipment in North America.

Leaders in the municipalities of Austin, Texas; Boulder County, Colorado; Los Angeles, California; Montréal, Canada; New York City; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and San Diego, California pledged to support pursuing programs and policies to advance the use of electric construction equipment wherever possible. Major capital construction entities, the signatories collectively spent more than $9.57 billion capital dollars in 2023 on purchased, rented or contracted construction equipment.

Some of the largest cities in the world are committed to advancing the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement through the increased use of electric construction equipment. As the market availability of electric construction equipment is nascent, the coalition can potentially spur the growth of the market in North America by taking steps to encourage its use.

For instance, The City of Austin is committed to reducing carbon emissions from municipal purchasing by 50% and is electrifying its fleet assets, which feature about 300 EVs. It has a goal of using EVs to travel 40% of total vehicle miles. Los Angeles has already made some purchases of all-electric equipment for city street services and construction and is taking steps to pilot contract language to support the use of electric equipment on public works projects.

“Although there is a robust market and infrastructure for electric construction equipment in certain cities around the world, the market needs significant growth in North American cities,” the officials said. “We want to leverage our role as leaders to build industry partnerships and create opportunities to develop the market for electric construction equipment in North America.”

“As suppliers increase market availability, signatories to this letter intend to purchase and/or use electric construction equipment on our projects wherever applicable and also intend to promote and pursue strategies that encourage the increased use of electric construction equipment in our contexts,” they added. “We call on suppliers to increase the availability of electric construction equipment and its supporting infrastructure and engage with this coalition.”

Source: North American Electric Construction Coalition

from Charged EVs https://ift.tt/NDz6tdo

General Motors to invest $625 million in new Lithium Americas JV

General Motors (GM) has entered into a new investment agreement with Lithium Americas to establish a joint venture (JV) to fund, develop, construct and operate the Thacker Pass lithium carbonate project in Humboldt County, Nevada.

GM will provide $430 million of direct cash funding and a $195 million letter of credit facility to support the construction of Phase 1 of Thacker Pass alongside a conditional commitment for a $2.3 billion US Department of Energy (DOE) loan announced earlier this year.

The GM financing can be used as collateral to support reserve account requirements under the DOE Loan. The JV transaction replaces a $330-million Tranche 2 common equity investment commitment from GM under its original investment agreement with Lithium Americas announced in January 2023, in which GM acquired 15 million shares in the developer.

Once the transaction is closed, GM will have a 38% interest and enter into an additional 20-year offtake agreement for up to 38% of production volumes from Thacker Pass Phase 2 and will retain its right of first offer on the remaining balance of Phase 2 volumes.

Detailed engineering at Thacker Pass continues to progress in advance of issuing full notice to proceed, and approximately 40% of the design is complete. Site preparation for major earthworks has been completed and approximately 50% of the process plant area has been excavated to prepare for concrete placement, which is forecast to begin by mid-2025.

“We’re pleased with the significant progress Lithium Americas is making to help GM achieve our goal to develop a resilient EV material supply chain,” said Jeff Morrison, SVP, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain at GM. “Sourcing critical EV raw materials, like lithium, from suppliers in the U.S., is expected to help us manage battery cell costs, deliver value to our customers and investors, and create jobs.”

Source: Lithium Americas

from Charged EVs https://ift.tt/0GsZoXV

24M Technologies reports battery separator innovations that can reduce battery fires

Lithium-ion battery technology developer 24M has released new testing data for its Impervio battery separator. The testing was related to the issue of battery-fire risk in EVs, energy storage systems and consumer applications.

The company’s Impervio battery separator was designed to reduce the risk of overcharging that can cause metallic dendrite formation and internal shorts, which can result in a battery fire and/or explosion. According to 24M, Impervio obstructs dendrite propagation and prevents thermal runaway by monitoring the cell’s electrochemistry and enabling the implementation of a failsafe in the event of a potential short.

24M’s lab tests compared performance between a 10 Ah high-nickel NMC/graphite pouch cell with an Impervio separator and another off-the-shelf nickel NMC/graphite pouch cell with a conventional separator. Both were fully charged and then advanced to 100% overcapacity. The cells with Impervio did not short or overheat with a full hour of overcharge, but the off-the-shelf cells overheated from dendrite-caused micro shorts within 15 minutes of overcharging and exploded into flames after 38 minutes.

The company expects to bring Impervio to market in 2025 or 2026.

“Battery safety is a major roadblock to the widespread adoption of EVs,” said Naoki Ota, 24M’s President and CEO. “A sustainable energy future is only possible with innovations like Impervio, which can help prevent battery fires and create new opportunities for battery innovation.”

Source: 24M

from Charged EVs https://ift.tt/iGeHOoQ

TIME names InductEV’s wireless EV charging solution a 2024 Best Invention

InductEV, a pioneer in inductive wireless vehicle charging, today announced that its technology solution has been named as a TIME Best Invention for 2024. TIME’s editors selected the Pennsylvania-based company’s technology for its annual list of 200 groundbreaking inventions, based on a number of factors, including originality, efficacy, ambition and impact.

It’s common for consumer publications to be several years behind the curve on their coverage of “new” technologies, but in this case, TIME really took its time to recognize InductEV. We’ve been covering the company since 2013, when it was known as Momentum Dynamics, and it installed its first commercial wireless system in 2017. But we’re pretty sure the folks at InductEV aren’t complaining about the delay.

To the extent that “average consumers” (such as, say, TIME readers) are aware of wireless EV charging, they probably think of it as a convenience—something that lets you save a few precious seconds, like tapping your credit card on the reader instead of inserting it. However, the true benefits of wireless EV charging are seen in the commercial EV market. As InductEV execs explained to Charged in a 2022 interview, inductive charging can enable commercial fleets to deliver the same service with smaller batteries, reduce vehicle costs, and extend battery life.

InductEV targets commercial transport sectors such as ports, drayage, freight, municipal buses, airport vans, middle-mile vehicles, etc. Road freight vehicles emit an estimated 6% of the world’s total CO₂ emissions, so electrifying them, and maximizing the efficiency of charging them, can deliver a lot of bang for the emissions-reduction buck (while also enhancing reliability, driver safety and, yes, convenience).

InductEV’s wireless charging system features an in-ground inductive charging pad paired with a second pad attached to the underside of the vehicle. Current systems range in charging power from 75 kW to 450 kW. The company’s solution shifts the charging scenario from relying on time- and energy-intensive overnight wired charging sessions in depots to shorter charging sessions spread throughout the day.

InductEV has been awarded 105 worldwide patents for its wireless charging technology, and has another 118 pending.

Current deployments of InductEV’s wireless charging solution include:

• A new agreement with Seattle’s Sound Transit to deploy double-decker electric buses along its busiest routes. By the end of 2026, half of all battery-electric buses in the state of Washington are projected to be charged by InductEV’s on-route wireless chargers.  
• Wirelessly charging electric port tractors at the AP Moeller Maersk Terminal in Port Elizabeth, New Jersey.  
• Municipal transit buses in Indianapolis, Martha’s Vineyard, Oregon, and elsewhere.   
• OEM integrations with Phoenix Motor, MAFI, OrangeEV, BYD, Gillig, Volvo and others, which provide integrated InductEV technology off the vehicle production line.  
• A partnership with Volvo for wirelessly charged taxi fleets in Gothenburg and Oslo.

“InductEV’s engineers and our colleagues who support them deserve the lion’s share of praise for this prestigious recognition and the tireless work that led to it,” said John F. Rizzo, InductEV’s President and CEO. “The commercial transport industry is at a tipping point in its electrification and decarbonization efforts. As a result, we are seeing tremendous interest in and adoption of our solution.”

Source: InductEV

from Charged EVs https://ift.tt/MTwxtq9

New electric hydrofoil ferry service offers green travel among Stockholm’s 14 islands

A new ferry line operating electric hydrofoil ships started service on Tuesday in Stockholm.

The ferry deployed on this mission by Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, or Greater Stockholm Local Transit, is the Candela P-12 100% electric hydrofoil boat.

The P-12 seats up to 30 passengers, is 39 feet, 4.1 inches (11.99 m) in length and has a 14-foot, 8.4-inch (4.5 m) beam. It displaces 11.02 tons (10 metric tonnes).

Some 25 commuters in Ekerö, an island of almost 12,000 inhabitants in the environs of Stockholm, boarded the Nova P-12 ferry, the first of four ordered by Storstockholms Lokaltrafik. The Nova skimmed along about 3 feet (1 m) above the surface of the water, covering the nine miles (15 km) it takes to reach Stockholm’s City Hall in just 30 minutes. The morning commute on the regular diesel-powered ferry line takes 45 minutes without stops. The Nova also consumes 80% less energy than the diesel ferry that used to operate this route, Candela officials said. It is not subject to the 12-knot speed limit imposed on other watercraft because it has no wake, thereby allowing it to complete journeys in less time than ICE-powered boats.

“We are doing this to show the way in the green transition at sea,” Gustav Hemming, the city councilor in charge of climate and infrastructure, told reporters. The aim of the nine-month pilot project was to “make more people park their cars and buy a (public transit) card instead.”

Candela CEO Gustav Hasselkrog didn’t mince words when it came to pointing out the justification for moving away from ICE-powered ferries.

“Conventional ships haven’t evolved much in 100 years and are among the least energy-efficient transport modes, only rivaled by a battle tank,” Hasselkrog said.

According to Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, travel by boat is the fastest-growing mode of public transit in the city—some 6.2 million boat journeys made in 2022, and the transit agency is looking at adding more ferries such as the P-12.

The P-12 ferry was “designed with both passengers and the environment in mind,” Hasselkrog said, and added that it offers “a very enjoyable experience without taxing the environment with wakes, emissions and noise.”

A life-cycle analysis performed at the Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, or the Royal Institute of Technology, in Stockholm, titled “Electric Hydrofoil Boats Beat Diesel Boats for Climate Sustainability,” suggests that a Candela P-12 will emit 97.5% less CO₂ during its lifetime than a conventional diesel vessel of the same size.

In September, a crew from Candela set a world record by piloting a hydrofoiling Candela C-8 between Stockholm and the Finnish autonomous region of Åsland. The journey marked the first time an electric boat had crossed the Baltic Sea.

“The aim was to demonstrate that zero-emission sea travel is not only possible today, but that foiling electric ships and boats are so much cheaper to operate than fossil-fueled vessels,” Hasselkrog said.

There was some range anxiety during this trip, but it was not caused by the C-8. “The irony is that the photographer’s gasoline-powered chase boat had to refuel six times during the trip [to Åland and back], while we only charged three times,” said Hasselkrog.

The round-trip Baltic crossing largely took advantage of existing charging infrastructure, and was assisted by Finland-headquartered Empower, a charging solutions provider. The trip began in Frihamn, a neighborhood in Malmö, and continued to Kapellskär, a port city 60 miles (90 km) north of Stockholm, where the C-8 was recharged with a 40-kW Kempower wheeled charger that was connected to the harbor’s power grid. In Mariehamn, the boat was plugged into the marina’s three-phase outlet for charging. The same day at 6 pm, the C-8 team departed Åsland, piloting the boat back toward Sweden and stopping to top up the charge in Kapellskär. The voyage continued despite dense fog and arrived in Frihamn at 11:30 pm.

Source: Candela

from Charged EVs https://ift.tt/GpI7MOu

EPA selects 55 applicants to receive $3 billion in grant funding through Clean Ports Program

The EPA has selected 55 applicants across 27 states and territories to receive nearly $3 billion in grant funding through the agency’s Clean Ports Program. These grants are aimed at improving air quality by supporting the deployment of zero-emission equipment and associated infrastructure.

“Today’s historic $3-billion investment builds on President Biden’s vision of growing our economy while ensuring America leads in globally competitive solutions of the future,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Delivering cleaner technologies and resources to US ports will slash harmful air and climate pollution while protecting people who work in and live nearby port communities.”

In February, the EPA announced two separate funding opportunities for US ports: a Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition to directly fund zero-emission equipment and infrastructure to reduce mobile source emissions; and a Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition to fund climate and air quality planning activities.

After a rigorous application review process, the EPA selected 55 applications to receive this investment. Applications to the Clean Ports Program were evaluated in part on their workforce development efforts, to ensure that projects will expand access to high-quality jobs.

Selected projects cover a wide range of equipment used at and around ports—funding will support the purchase of zero-emission equipment, including over 1,500 units of cargo handling equipment, 1,000 drayage trucks, 10 locomotives and 20 vessels, as well as shore power systems, battery-electric and hydrogen vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure, and solar power generation.

The agency estimates that using the new equipment will reduce emissions by over 3 million metric tons of CO₂, 12,000 short tons of NOx, and 200 short tons of PM2.5 in the first 10 years of operation—not including benefits from retiring older vehicles.

Selected projects include:

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has been selected to receive $344,138,000 for a project that includes the deployment of electric cargo handling equipment and drayage trucks with supporting charging infrastructure. The project also includes the installation of vessel shore power infrastructure.

The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority has been selected to receive an anticipated $21,906,000 for a project at the Port of Detroit, which will include the deployment of battery-electric cargo handling equipment, vessels and railcar movers, along with charging equipment and solar arrays.

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has been selected to receive an anticipated $48,764,000 to upgrade the Port of Savannah and the Port of Brunswick with vessel shore power systems. These systems will allow ships to plug in to electric grid power and turn off auxiliary diesel engines while in port. The project also includes the replacement of diesel terminal tractors with new electric terminal tractors and the installation of electric charging infrastructure.

The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority has been selected to receive an anticipated $77,651,000 to deploy zero-emission port equipment, including cargo handling equipment and associated charging infrastructure.

The Port Department of the City of Oakland has been selected to receive an anticipated $322,168,000 to deploy zero-emission technology at the Port of Oakland. Project activities include the deployment of electric and hydrogen cargo handling equipment, drayage trucks, charging infrastructure and a battery energy storage system.

Many of the projects include the scrappage of existing diesel-powered equipment, and all include community engagement activities, workforce training on zero-emission equipment, and efforts to expand access to high-quality jobs in near-port communities.

The agency anticipates making awards once all legal, statutory and administrative requirements are satisfied. Selectees will work with EPA over the coming months to finalize project plans before receiving final awards and moving into the implementation phase. Project implementation is expected to occur over the next three to four years.

Source: EPA

from Charged EVs https://ift.tt/gHwtlcP

Nissan to launch affordable V2G technology in 2026

Nissan has announced that it will introduce affordable bidirectional charging on select EV models in 2026. 

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology enables EV owners to sell electricity stored in their car’s battery back to the grid or to use it for powering their homes.

A year-long trial in the UK at the University of Nottingham validated the scalability of AC- and DC-based bidirectional systems and provided customer feedback. Nissan then obtained G99 Grid code certification with an AC-based solution, allowing it to supply electricity to the country’s national energy grid.

Nissan plans to roll out the V2G technology, under the banner of Nissan Energy, first in the UK and then in other European markets. It aims to offer its AC bidirectional charger at a price comparable to that of a monodirectional charger available today.

“This technology is a potential game-changer for how we think of EVs,” said Hugues Desmarchelier, VP of Nissan’s Global Electrification Ecosystem & EV Programs. “Not just as a means of getting from A to B, but as a mobile energy storage unit that can save people money and support the transition from fossil fuels.”

Source: Nissan

from Charged EVs https://ift.tt/qaHW9bM

ZAPI acquires Ubiquicom, expanding its material handling automation offerings

Italy-based ZAPI Group has acquired Ubiquicom, which supplies Real-Time Locating Systems (RTLS) for manufacturing, transportation and logistics processes, to expand its capabilities as a systems integrator for electrification and warehouse automation.

The acquisition enhances OEMs’ access to automation systems that drive safety and efficiency in material handling and manufacturing operations, ZAPI said.

The ZAPI Group companies provide a range of electrification solutions for material handling machines and robots, including inverters and controllers, electric motors, high-frequency battery chargers, and accessories. The group’s companies across the AGV and material handling sectors include Zapi, Best Motor, BlueBotics, Delta-Q Technologies, Inmotion Technologies, Schabmüller, ZIVAN, ZTP, 4E-Consulting and now Ubiquicom.

 “Our RTLS solutions for the safety and efficiency of processes across production, supply chain and logistics complement ZAPI Group’s existing system integration solutions and advance its electrification mission,” said Stefano Sarasso, founder and CEO of Ubiquicom.

Source: ZAPI GROUP

from Charged EVs https://ift.tt/F4iQsfV

Download eBook: How can managed EV charging protect the distribution grid?

Sponsored by EnergyHub.

Adoption of electric vehicles is accelerating rapidly, posing challenges to aging distribution infrastructure. Fortunately, managed charging offers a compelling solution.

In this eBook, EnergyHub explores how growing residential EV load affects utility power distribution networks, and how utilities can use managed charging programs to both delight customers and defer or defray the cost of infrastructure upgrades. Key points include:

• How EVs will affect distribution systems
• The critical role of EV managed charging
• How to achieve reliability goals at a reduced total cost

The bottom line? EV growth will require utilities to upgrade some grid infrastructure, but managed charging programs can enable them to do so more strategically and affordably. Download the eBook to learn more.

from Charged EVs https://ift.tt/YwkDgSn