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DFDS Orders Another 100 Electric Trucks from Volvo

DFDS, one of the largest shipping and logistics companies in Northern Europe, is seeing a growing demand for transport solutions with lower environmental impact. The company has now placed another order for 100 electric trucks from Volvo. Previously, DFDS had purchased a total of 125 heavy electric trucks from Volvo.

Ninety-five Volvo electric trucks are currently operational in Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, Belgium and the Netherlands with the remaining 30 due to be delivered during 2024. Thanks to its growing electric truck fleet, DFDS reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 1,516 tonnes by the end of 2023.

“I am very proud to continue our close partnership with DFDS,” says Roger Alm, president of Volvo Trucks. “This order for an additional 100 Volvo electric trucks is proof of their trust in our company. The big increase of DFDS’ electric truck fleet shows that zero-emissions transport is a viable solution here and now.”

The new electric trucks will be deployed in nine markets across Europe, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden. The trucks will be the updated and energy-efficient Volvo FH Electric and FM Electric models. 

DFDS currently has the largest fleet of heavy-duty electric trucks in Europe and is well underway to reach its target of having at least 25% of the truck fleet electrified by 2030.

“We want to drive the transition to more sustainable road transport,” says Niklas Anderson, executive vice president, Logistic Division at DFDS. “Our expanding fleet of electric trucks will not only contribute to reducing the climate impact of our operations, it will also enable DFDS to support more companies that are looking to decarbonize their supply chains. The 100 new electric trucks underline our commitment to pushing the development forward.”

Some of the new electric trucks will be used to transport goods to and from the Volvo Trucks assembly plant in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Energy Commission Awards BorgWarner, Partners $3 Million V2G Project Grant

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The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded BorgWarner Inc. and project partners Fermata Energy and The Lion Electric Company a $3 million grant for an innovative vehicle-to-grid (V2G) project.

This initiative is set to bring grid-supporting and cost-saving V2G solutions for services provided by American Transportation to California school districts, marking a significant step forward in energy management and the transition to electric school buses.

By working with BorgWarner, Fermata Energy and Lion Electric, the CEC will support the strengthening and decarbonization of California’s grid while pairing a fleet of electric school buses with AI-powered V2G technology. This project will ultimately enable electric school bus batteries to support the grid with additional power during emergency events when parked and to generate revenue through participation in demand response programs and other value streams to lower the vehicles’ total cost of ownership (TCO).

According to the CEC’s grant-funded opportunity Electric School Bus Bi-Directional Infrastructure (GFO 22-612), electric school buses with bidirectional charging capabilities can help offset the impacts and challenges of grid reliability and Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events. Some California school districts already have electric school buses that are ready to take advantage of vehicle-to-grid integration (VGI) benefits, with many more electric school buses expected to be ordered throughout the state.

The grant, funded through the CEC’s Clean Transportation Program, will include the installation of 21 BorgWarner 125-kW UL-listed, combined charging system (CCS) protocol bidirectionally enabled chargers, paired with a minimum of 20 LionD all-electric school buses. Fermata Energy’s Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) software platform will optimize and manage the charging and discharging of the buses to maximize grid benefits and V2X revenue for the school districts.

Deployment of V2G technology for the Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) and the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), in addition to American Transportation, the school bus fleet operator servicing these students, will support grid reliability and mitigate the impact of PSPS events and extreme weather events. It also will demonstrate the health benefits of zero-emission transportation solutions for communities leveraging V2G technology while generating revenue when selling power back to the grid.

“This CEC grant and project underscores the power of partnerships and our collective dedication to sustainability as we deploy this cutting-edge V2G bidirectional hardware and software solution,” says Tony Posawatz, CEO of Fermata Energy. “Together, we are advancing electric vehicle integration and grid support in California schools while enabling a viable path toward renewable energy for future generations.”

“American Transportation strives to be at the forefront of technology and innovation in an industry that often struggles to break free from its antiquated means of operation,” adds Dan Wilson, CEO of American Transportation. “With the assistance of the CEC grant and the company’s strong partnerships formed with BorgWarner, Fermata Energy, and Lion Electric, we are able to provide a glimpse into the future of safe, clean and environmentally sustainable student transportation.”

Fermata Energy’s AI-driven V2X software platform analyzes thousands of rapidly changing data points to manage and optimize EV charging and discharging. It simplifies participation of EV owners and operators in revenue- or savings-generating grid programs. Fermata Energy’s software platform provides signals to the V2G Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) and EVs when charging and discharging to provide the greatest value to the grid.

“With this new technology, electric school buses are not only delivering cleaner air to our children and cost savings to our school districts, but also providing extra power to the grid when we need it most,” says Patty Monahan, CEC’s lead commissioner for transportation.

V2X bidirectional school bus technologies can enable school districts to support CEC’s electrification goals while providing revenue or electric bill savings for school bus fleet operators. This CEC grant showcases a large-scale demonstration of how electric school buses can provide value to the grid while parked, serving as a model for schools across the nation.

“BorgWarner is proud to partner with Fermata Energy and Lion Electric on this exciting project, supporting the state of California in electrifying the transportation departments of their school districts while addressing real grid challenges,” says Isabelle McKenzie, vice president of BorgWarner Inc. and president and general manager of Morse Systems. “BorgWarner’s bidirectionally enabled chargers, combined with Fermata’s software and Lion Electric’s energy storage solutions, is a real-world case study in the V2G business case, and we are excited to get started.”

Phoenix Motor, InductEV Form Partnership for Wireless Vehicle Charging

Phoenix Motor Inc., a manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses and electrification solutions provider for medium-duty vehicles, has reached an integration agreement with InductEV, a provider of wireless vehicle charging technology. InductEV’s solution allows EV fleets to achieve their decarbonization goals with hands-free on-route (opportunistic) charging, while reducing costs.

The new partnership will develop software, hardware, and cooling and electrical systems integration of InductEV’s wireless charging pads with Phoenix’s zero-emission drive systems. This strategic partnership will give Phoenix customers the option to select wireless inductive charging for use in duty cycles and recurring routes.

“Wireless charging is well-suited for fixed route applications such as airports, seaports, hotels, and municipal and school bus markets,” says Denton Peng, CEO of Phoenix. “InductEV’s modular platform and small footprint allows Phoenix to successfully adopt InductEV’s technology on our medium-duty vehicles and offer our customers a cleaner and more versatile charging solution.”

Phoenix has already accepted orders for wireless charging of its Class 4 shuttles and expects to deploy its first wireless charging-capable shuttle buses later in 2024.

“We’re delighted to partner with such a well-regarded industry OEM like Phoenix,” says M. David Dealy, president and chief commercial officer, InductEV. “The use cases for Phoenix’s medium-duty vehicles align perfectly with InductEV’s wireless charging approach to the commercial transport market. We look forward to a long and successful partnership.”

Paul Group Delivers 25 PH2P Hydrogen Trucks for Shell Pay-Per-Use Platform

With the development of the PH2P hydrogen fuel cell truck, the Paul Group has delivered the first 25 such trucks from series production in Germany since the beginning of 2024.

Oil company Shell’s Hydrogen Pay-Per-Use model will be used for these trucks. Launched in August 2023, Hydrogen Pay-Per-Use is an affordable way for the heavy-duty mobility sector to explore hydrogen as a fuel. Customers get exclusive use of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) for a monthly fee.

Shell received the registered vehicles from the Paul Group and will lease them via the Pay-Per-Use platform, including after-sales service and support for the hydrogen refueling infrastructure. For customers, this covers all necessary services during the period of use.

The PH2P hydrogen truck has a permissible gross vehicle weight of 16 tonnes and offers a gross combination weight of up to 24 tonnes, with a range of around 450 km. Pure water vapor comes out of the exhaust.

Besides the logistics company DHL, the companies that are already using the PH2P truck include building materials manufacturer and construction service provider Bachl, food wholesaler Troiber and the logistics company Emde for the clothing company C&A.

“We are proud to have delivered all ordered vehicles to Shell in accordance with the contract within the short development and production time,” says Bernhard Wasner, CEO of the Paul Group. “From now on, we will be able to offer immediate delivery capability from the series production of the PH2P truck and thus serve companies in particular that already have funding notices for vehicles with alternative drive systems.”

While Troiber, based in Hofkirchen, Bavaria, sends the trucks overland on largely mountainous terrain, DHL operates in the rather flat North Rhine-Westphalia region. The zero-emission PH2P trucks therefore prove themselves with very different driving profiles as well as in different areas of application, which illustrates their versatility and the performance of this technology.

DHL Group’s DHL Freight and Post & Parcel Germany divisions have commissioned two PH2P trucks in Cologne to test the hydrogen drive solution for distribution and scheduled transport. As part of a one-year pilot, one vehicle will be used for distribution and scheduled transport at the Cologne location and the surrounding area, and the other for Post & Parcel Germany in the city center area by the Cologne West Operations branch.

The food wholesaler Troiber uses a PH2P truck as a refrigerated truck to reduce CO2 emissions in its fleet and open the firm to further technologies for CO2-neutral delivery.

“We want to do away with the biggest CO2-causing factor in our company,” says Constantin Troiber, the company’s managing director. “Currently, 60 percent of our emissions are attributable to our fleet, even though most of the vehicles already comply with the Euro 6 emission class. In doing so, we do not want to commit ourselves to just one energy source, but also want to be open to other technologies such as electric drives and e-fuels for CO2-neutral supply in the future.”

Photo credit: DHL

Solaris Receives Order for Five Urbino 12 Hydrogen Buses from Mantua, Italy

The transport operator APAM Esercizio S.p.A., based in Mantua, Italy, has placed an order for five modern Urbino 12 hydrogen-powered buses from Solaris Bus & Coach. Deliveries are scheduled for the end of 2025.

Located in the nation’s Lombardy region, Mantua is targeting hydrogen solutions in its efforts to decarbonize the area. This aligns perfectly with this latest five-bus order received by Solaris. The province of Mantua is participating in a project to establish a Hydrogen Valley, a project anticipated to produce over 1,500 tons of hydrogen from renewable sources per year.

Key features of the Solaris Urbino 12 bus include 70-kW hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen will be stored in five composite bottles placed on the roof of the vehicle. The buses will be equipped with electric motors in the drive axle, powered by the energy generated in the fuel cell. Thanks to this technology, the buses will emit only water vapor into the environment.

Although this is the first order from the client APAM Esercizio, Solaris’ position on the Italian peninsula is strongly established. Recent notable orders include 105 electric buses for Milan, 112 articulated trolleybuses for AMT Genova, 130 Urbino 12 hydrogen buses for TPER in Bologna and 90 hydrogen buses for Azienda Veneziana della Mobilita.

EnergIIZE Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure Funding Round Coming Up in April

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The Energy Infrastructure Incentives for Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicles (EnergIIZE) Hydrogen funding lane will open for two weeks beginning at 9 a.m. Pacific Time on April 17, 2024, and lasting through 5 p.m. Pacific Time on May 1, 2024.

This lane, funded by the California Energy Commission (CEC) and administered by CALSTART, follows the Electric Vehicle Fast Track funding lane application window, which is now closed.

The Hydrogen funding lane offers the highest incentive funding cap of all four EnergIIZE funding lanes, covering 50% of eligible equipment and software costs for standard projects, up to $3 million per project. If the applicant also meets certain equity criteria, then 75% of eligible equipment and software costs are covered, with the maximum amount rising to $4 million per project.

Eligible equipment and software covered for funding includes dispensers, compressors, liquid and gaseous pumps, piping and pipelines, high-pressure storage, chillers, meters, switchgears and electrical panel upgrades.

To be eligible for funding, applicants must show proof that their projects are intended for medium- or heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, that refueling stations are capable of dispensing 350 or 700 bar, and that they meet ASME, ASTM and NFPA standards.

Applicants can submit applications with supporting documents through an Incentive Processing Center at the opening of the application window. A Sandbox test application portal will be available on the EnergIIZE website beginning March 25, 2024, to help prospective applicants familiarize themselves with the application process. The How to Apply workshop will be held the next day; prospective applicants are encouraged to register now.

“This is a great opportunity for fleet users and station owners across California to deploy hydrogen fueling infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and equipment at a reduced cost,” says Alyssa Haerle, director of Infrastructure Incentive Administration, CALSTART. “EnergIIZE is happy to help accelerate the industry forward through this funding program.”

EnergIIZE is a CEC block grant project that provides infrastructure incentives for public and private fleets, owner/operators, school bus fleets, transit agencies and public charging sites that plan to deploy battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicle technology.

For more information on the four funding lanes, see the EnergIIZE website.