Electric Vehicles

Hawaiian Electric launched “Charge Up Hawaiʻi,” an interactive webtool to better understand customers’ mobility needs and learn where they think electric vehicle charging stations are needed in their communities. 

“Charge Up Hawaiʻi,” built on a story map platform, features a short survey and an interactive map where visitors can drop a pin to suggest a location for a future electric vehicle charging station. “Charge Up Hawaiʻi” also includes an overview of efforts underway to electrify transportation in Hawai‘i and links to informative videos, articles and websites. Visitors who complete the website survey will be eligible to participate in a $100 gift card raffle. 

“This webtool is a great opportunity for us to hear from our customers as we work to strategically locate EV chargers to maximize their benefit,” said Aki Marceau, director of  electrification of transportation at Hawaiian Electric. “As more and more drivers make the switch to electric vehicles, we need to ensure there are sufficient EV charging solutions to support that  growth.”  

Information gathered through the new webtool and other sources will help gauge community desire for EV charging as Hawaiian Electric looks to expand its EV public charging network. Hawaiian Electric currently owns and operates 25 fast chargers across five islands that were deployed as part of a public charging infrastructure pilot. The company hopes to eventually make the program permanent and add more chargers across its service territory to support the growing EV market in Hawai‘i. 

The number of electric passenger vehicles on Hawai‘i’s roads has been steadily increasing, with more than 15,000 registered statewide today. Hawaiian Electric estimates that in 2030 more than 3,600 public charging stations will be needed at workplaces, shopping centers, parks and multi-unit dwellings so that future EV users have dependable charging solutions. 

Hawaiian Electric’s public EV charging program is one of several initiatives the company is pursuing to accelerate the electrification of transportation across its service territory. In May, the Public Utilities Commission approved Hawaiian Electric’s Charge Up eBus Pilot that encourages the growth of electric bus fleets by helping bus operators reduce the upfront cost of installing charging infrastructure.  

The company’s commercial make-ready pilot is currently under the Commission’s review. If approved, the  commercial make-ready pilot would offer charging infrastructure support for light-duty vehicles at commercial properties such as multi-unit dwellings, workplaces, businesses and charging hubs. The company also has two new EV charging rates under review by the Commission that will help potential charging site hosts manage electricity costs in commercial and large residential  locations.

For more information, go to chargeuphi.com 

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That means more EV battery metal business was done in H1 2021 than all of 2020, itself a record year. 

The total battery capacity of EVs sold during June was up 160% year on year to 26.3 GWh, according to Adamas Intelligence, which tracks demand for EV batteries by chemistry, cell supplier and capacity in over 100 countries. 

To produce the most accurate data, the monthly battery capacity deployed numbers in the MINING.COM EV Metal Index do not include cars leaving assembly lines, those on dealership lots or in the wholesale supply chain, only end-user registered vehicles.  

Lithium leads the way

In June 2021, a record of more than 15,800 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent was deployed onto roads globally in batteries of all newly-sold passenger EVs according to Adamas. Average lithium on a per-vehicle basis including hybrids was up 30% year over year in June, jumping from 14kg to just over 18kg.

Carbonate made up 47% of the total versus hydroxide’s 53%, with the latter favoured in the manufacture of high-nickel content batteries, Adamas data show. 

Lithium prices have doubled year to date and now tops $16,500 a tonne, (hydroxide ex-works China mid-August) according to  Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a battery supply chain researcher and price reporting agency. 

That lifted the lithium subindex 35% over May to a new monthly record just shy of $200 million. As a percentage of the overall index value, lithium represents just over 30%, up from a low of 20% in August last year when prices spent several months under $7,000 a tonne. 

Graphite use per vehicle jumps 36%

Cobalt and nickel deployment was up more than 110% compared to the same month last year. On a per vehicle basis nickel use is up 9% while cobalt has increased 6% compared to the same month last year. 

LME nickel prices have turned higher and are approaching the $20,000 level while nickel trading in Shanghai hit an all-time record on Tuesday at 149,870 yuan ($23,200) a tonne. Benchmark’s index price for cobalt used in the battery supply chain has surged over the past year to comfortably above $50,000 a tonne compared to low $30,000s this time in 2020.

In June 2021, nearly 23,000 tonnes of synthetic and natural graphite were deployed globally in batteries of all newly-sold passenger EVs combined, a 170% jump over the same month last year. The global sales-weighted average amount of graphite deployed per vehicle jumped by 36% year-over-year, from over 19 kg to just above 26 kg, according to Adamas data.

Graphite prices have held steady at around $720 a tonne in 2021, after spending all of 2020 below $700 and hitting a low of $644 in September. Prices for the anode material peaked above $1,500 a tonne in early 2012.

FONTANA, Calif., Aug. 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — RDS Logistics Group announced the deployment of a new electric vehicle fleet today. The new fleet will consist of seven electric terminal yard hostlers as part of RDS Logistics Groups’ ongoing effort to promote sustainability.

The EVs will be used at the Toyota Ontario Parts Center to increase overall performance and eliminate emissions.

The delivery of the EV fleet marks the first electric vehicle deployment at the Ontario facility since the two companies joined forces over 24 years ago in 1997.

“Adding these emissions-free vehicles to our fleet helps move us closer to achieving the carbon reduction goals laid out in Toyota’s Challenge 2050,” said Santos Bugarin, group manager, Parts Supply Chain Operations, Toyota Motor North America. “We’re confident in the technology and capability of these new vehicles and look forward to continuing our long-standing relationship with RDS to achieve our common sustainability goals.”

RDS Logistics Group exists to serve the community and cultivate a better tomorrow for us all. The purchase of their new Orange EVs will assist in propelling environmental protection efforts forward. As a company, RDS Logistics Group has committed to lead the way in reducing carbon emissions, and they look forward to rallying around a more sustainable future. Through decades of industry leadership and proprietary technology, RDS continues to grow, evolve, and develop strategic partnerships with companies that share similar visions.

“We are proud to inaugurate the use of Zero-Emissions yard spotters at Toyota’s Ontario California facility and thereby contributing to Toyota’s ambitious 2035 and 2050 clean air and renewable power initiatives,” said Greg Stefflre, founder, RDS Logistics Group. “Building on this initiative, we are in the process of constructing an additional, greenfield Inland Empire facility that will utilize self-generated and stored solar power along with all-electric handling equipment and LEED qualified building and operating techniques. Toyota is a great business partner with whom to share our clean energy goals.”

About RDS Logistics Group

RDS Logistics Group is a customer-centric partner who has excelled at moving businesses forward for over 40+ years. Today, RDS leads the way by providing exceptional services, seamless experiences, and breakthrough technology. Headquartered in Fontana, California, RDS is a leader in the logistics marketplace. Operations include Intermodal Drayage, Dedicated Trucking, Small Haul Trucking, Regional Trucking, Cross-Dock Services, Brokerage Services, and Yard Management. RDS consistently delivers better outcomes for customers by providing truth and transparency.

Please find more information on how RDS is rallying together for our environment and the transportation industry at https://rdsrally.com/why-rds-logistics/.  

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships. 

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 36,000 in the U.S. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 30 million cars and trucks at our 9 manufacturing plants, 10 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

To help inspire the next generation for a career in STEM-based fields, including mobility, Toyota launched its virtual education hub at www.TourToyota.com with an immersive experience and chance to visit many of our U.S. manufacturing facilities. The hub also includes a series of free STEM-based lessons and curriculum through Toyota USA Foundation partners, virtual field trips and more. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Daniel Ekelem

RDS Logistics Group

909-225-9901

Marketing@rdsrally.com

 

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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America

Motional revealed Tuesday the first images of its planned robotaxi, a Hyundai all-electric Ioniq 5 SUV that will be the centerpiece of a driverless ride-hailing service the company wants customers to be able to access starting in 2023 through the Lyft app.

The purpose-built vehicle, which will be assembled by Hyundai, is integrated with Motional’s autonomous vehicle technology, including a suite of more than 30 sensors including lidar, radar and cameras that can be seen throughout the interior and exterior. That sensing system provides 360 degrees of vision, and the ability to see up to 300 meters away, according to Motional.

The company, which was born out of a $4 billion joint venture with Aptiv and Hyundai, intentionally showcases the numerous sensors, president and CEO Karl Iagnemma said in a recent interview.

“We see so many competitors bending over backwards to try to hide this sensor suite and conceal it in these big plastic casings,” Iagnemma told TechCrunch. “And the fact is, you can’t hide the sensors. They need to be where they need to be and they’re an important part of the car and a key part of the technology. So our strategy was to celebrate the sensors, and to adapt the design language of the vehicle and carry that through the design of the integrated sensor suite.”

Motional has not announced where it will launch its first driverless robotaxi service. It’s likely that it will be in one of the cities it currently is testing and validating its technology, a list that includes Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh.

The base of Motional’s robotaxi is the Hyundai Ioniq 5, an electric vehicle revealed in February with a consumer release date expected later this year. The consumer version will not be equipped with Motional’s autonomous vehicle technology. Unlike some AV developers, Motional didn’t chose a  shuttle design or even a larger van for its first robotaxi.

Iagnemma said that the company’s research shows the vast majority of taxi or ride-hailing trips are for two or fewer passengers. The Ioniq 5 is the right size vehicle for Motional’s use case, he added.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the first vehicle based off the automaker’s dedicated battery electric vehicle platform called the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). The vehicle — both the consumer and robotaxi version — is equipped with an 800-volt electrical system. This higher voltage system is able to supply the same amount of power as the more common 400-volt with less current. The 800-volt system, which debuted in the all-electric Porsche Taycan, is lighter, more efficient and allows the vehicle to charge at a faster rate.

That fast charging rate will be an important benefit for Motional’s robotaxi service.

The robotaxi version of the Ioniq 5 will be assembled by Hyundai, a noteworthy detail, Iagnemma said.

“This is vehicle that will come off the assembly line looking, as you see it in the pictures,” Iagnemma said. “This is not a scenario where we’ll take a base vehicle, move it to a different line, take the components off and then reintegrate or retrofit it.

Inside the robotaxi are displays to allow riders to interact with the vehicle during their ride, such as directing the robotaxi to make an extra stop, according to the company.

The robotaxi still has a steering wheel and other features found in traditional vehicles operated by a human driver. Riders will not be permitted to sit in the driver seat.

The Odisha Government has announced the Electric vehicle (EV) Policy, 2021, which aims to accelerate the adoption of EVs, especially in the category of electric two-wheelers (E2W), three-wheelers (E3W), and light motor vehicles (E4W). The State aims to achieve 20% of all vehicle registrations to be EVs by 2025. Promotion of EV and component manufacturing, including batteries, is also planned through the policy.

The policy will be valid for five years.

The policy proposes financial incentives for EV manufacturing, purchases, and scrapping. Interest subvention in loans, road tax, and registration fee waivers will also be provided. Incentives will also be available for start-ups.

Demand incentives for EVs

The policy focuses on incentivizing the purchase and use of EVs, particularly in the segments of E2W, E3W, and E4W. The vehicles approved under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase-II (FAME II) program would be eligible for incentives.

A 15% subsidy would be provided for the purchase of E2W, E3W, and E4W up to a maximum of ₹5,000 (~$68), ₹12,000 (~$163), and ₹100,000 (~$1,359) respectively.

E-buses will receive a subsidy of 10% up to a maximum of ₹2,000,000 (~$27,176). A purchase incentive of ₹30,000 (~$408) will be provided to the first 5,000 electric goods carriers registered in the State.

State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) on the sale of e-buses and e-goods carriages sold and registered in the State during the policy tenure will be fully reimbursed. Road tax and registration fees of e-buses and e-goods carriages will be exempted for five and four years, respectively.

The government would also provide a 100% interest-free loan to its employees to purchase EVs. Similarly, government departments, offices, and public sector undertakings would prioritize hiring and purchasing EVs for official use.

Interest subvention to the public will be provided for purchasing EVs for personal use.

Municipal authorities will provide subsidized parking for all personal EVs. Towns and cities will prepare city parking plans to encourage on-street parking places for EVs with subsidized fees and EV charging stations.

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) will have to register their e-vehicle models, including swappable battery models meeting eligibility criteria with the Transport Department.

Supply incentives for EVs

Incentives will be provided to make the state conducive for setting up manufacturing and R&D facilities related to EVs (component manufacturing, vehicle assembly, battery assembly, cell manufacturing, electronics parts manufacturing, recycling of EVs, and EV batteries).

The policy outlines the following incentives:

• New micro & small enterprises (MSEs) would receive financial assistance up to 25% of capital investment made in plant and machinery subject to an upper limit of ₹10 million (~$135,882).
• New MSEs owned by scheduled caste/scheduled tribe/differently-abled/women/technical and diploma holders would receive financial assistance of 30% of capital investment made in plant and machinery subject to a ceiling of ₹12.5 million (~$169,853).
• New MSEs set up in industrially backward districts, including the Kalahandi Balangir Koraput region, would receive an additional capital investment subsidy of 5%.

The State government will also explore the possibility of entering into a memorandum of understanding with lithium cell manufacturers to start a battery assembly plant in Odisha.

Charging infrastructure incentives

The Odisha government will provide a grant of up to ₹5,000 (~$68) to purchase charging equipment for the first 20,000 private charging points.

Energy operators will be invited to set up charging and battery swapping stations across all the cities and along the national and state highways. The government will provide a capital subsidy of 25% to the selected energy operators for the charger installation expenses. Such subsidy will be available within one year of allocation of locations.

A special subsidy will be provided for the first 500 EV charging stations.

The government will also provide 100% SGST reimbursement to the energy operators to purchase batteries in swapping stations.

The office of the Engineer-in-Chief, Electricity, will be the nodal agency for setting up and monitoring charging stations.

The government will ensure that batteries currently installed in the EVs will be clearly labeled with the specific battery chemistry. Synergies with existing e-waste management agencies will be explored.

The Industries Department will introduce a well-defined policy for encouraging recyclers in consultation with the Forest & Environment Department and State Pollution Control Board.

Policy Implementation

The Transport Department will be the nodal department for the implementation of the policy. A dedicated “EV Cell” will be established for effective day-to-day policy implementation.

Several states and Union Territories, including Delhi, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, have announced EV policies.

The latest to announce an EV policy was Rajasthan, which offered subsidies up to ₹20,000 (~$271) for e-rickshaws, among others.

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Late last week, Rivian filed for an initial public offering. The 12-year-old electric vehicle manufacturer, which is backed by Amazon and considered one of the biggest threats to Tesla, is seeking a valuation as high as $80 billion. That would make Rivian one of the world’s most valuable automakers, worth billions more than Ford or GM — and its trucks aren’t even on the road yet. Rivian’s first vehicle, a $73,000 pickup, is expected to start shipping in September, and a second model, a $75,500 seven-seat SUV, is supposed to be released next year.

In some ways, Rivian’s timing is good. President Joe Biden recently issued an executive order that called for electric vehicles to account for half of all new auto sales in the United States by 2030, and a growing number of legacy automakers have committed to shifting their production to electric vehicles in the next two decades.

But as the world continues to struggle with the pandemic, Rivian faces some serious challenges. A shortage of semiconductors has caused delays and production halts across the auto industry. There also aren’t that many charging stations available across the US, leaving some potential EV buyers worried about running out of juice.

“It’s a big deal that more public infrastructure is available,” Jeremy Michalek, an engineering and public policy professor at Carnegie Mellon, told Recode. ”Probably the first priority is making sure there are enough fast chargers available on highway rest stops so that you can take your vehicle wherever you want to go.”

Like Tesla, Rivian is selling home chargers and developing a nationwide charging network. The company plans to have 10,000 stations available by the end of 2023, many of which will be in remote areas. Also as Tesla has done, Rivian is taking an AI-focused approach to its vehicles. Rivian has invested heavily in its hands-free, semi-autonomous driving technology with a suite of features called Driver+, which sounds a lot like Tesla’s Autopilot. In a lawsuit, Tesla even accused Rivian of stealing its trade secrets after hiring its former employees.

But a big difference between Rivian and Tesla is the type of electric vehicles the two companies are selling. After being founded in 2009 and remaining secretive for years, Rivian announced in 2018 that its first models would be a pickup truck and an SUV meant for off-road driving. That’s a notable difference from Tesla, which has focused primarily on selling cars and crossovers. (Tesla announced its first pickup truck, the Cybertruck, in 2019, but deliveries have been delayed until 2022.)

Rivian is also appealing to commercial clients, including its own influential backers. After participating in two funding rounds for the startup, Amazon last year committed to buying 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian by 2030. Former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and three other passengers on Blue Origin’s first flight with humans aboard even rode in a Rivian SUV to the launch site.

Ford, which has its own plans to release an electric version of its popular F-150 pickup truck next year, has also invested more than half a billion dollars into the electric car startup.

The tricky timing of Rivian’s IPO

There’s no doubt that President Biden is enthusiastic about electric vehicles. The Biden administration has already started to electrify the entire federal fleet of cars, SUVs, and trucks, more than 600,000 vehicles. Meanwhile, the White House and Congressional Democrats are pushing for the Postal Service to purchase as many as 165,000 electric delivery trucks. Biden also wants to allocate $174 billion to build 500,000 electric vehicle chargers across the country. (Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also promised to open Tesla Superchargers to electric vehicles from other manufacturers.)

But while EVs are getting more popular globally, the US faces slower growth than China or Europe. Last year, global electric vehicle sales grew by 41 percent, according to the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental energy policy advising organization. While sales of electric vehicles in the US trail behind those in China and Europe, sales of hybrid cars are growing, a sign that more consumers could warm to electric vehicles down the line.

In a recent Pew survey, some 7 percent of Americans said they owned an electric or hybrid vehicle, and 39 percent said they’d consider buying one. The higher price of EVs is certainly a contributing factor to the slower adoption rate in the US. But the price of batteries, which are the costliest part of electric vehicles, is falling, so Americans could see cheaper EVs in the future.

Pandemic-era hurdles have also plagued the auto industry. Rivian, which was originally supposed to release its pickup truck in July, twice postponed delivery of the vehicles. Late last month, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe told customers who had preordered vehicles that Covid-19 had interfered with everything from “facility construction, to equipment installation, to vehicle component supply (especially semiconductors).” The same chip shortage forced Tesla to rewrite code for its vehicles, and experts are worried that a lack of semiconductors could delay production of the new electric Ford F-150.

Still, if Tesla’s runaway success is any indication, Rivian stands to find eager, outdoorsy customers who want an EV that goes off-road. Considering the present challenges, the company is leaning hard on standing apart from Tesla and the growing number of legacy automakers that want a slice of the EV market. Jeep is expected to release an electric version of its Wrangler by 2023. President Biden has already given one a test drive.

VILLAGE OF FAYETTEVILLE – Libraries have long been known as dependable spots where visitors can relax and recharge, but now patrons of the Fayetteville Free Library can replenish their batteries in a more literal sense.

Aided by a hefty anonymous donation, some government-sponsored incentives and rebates, and the determined efforts of its FIRST Lego League Challenge team, the library at 300 Orchard St. was able to install two electric vehicle (EV) charging stations near the entrance of its public parking lot.

That Lego robotics team, made up of participants ages nine to 14, was presented in September 2019 with the side task of developing a proposal for a community improvement project.

Though they thought up several ideas, the team eventually settled on the environmentally conscious plan to bring chargers for battery-powered vehicles to their local library.

“The students gave a very convincing presentation illustrating why libraries are a great location for EV charging infrastructure,” said Heather Matzel, the executive director of the Fayetteville library. “So many adults listened to these kids with this great idea, and I love that they were so inspired by them that we were able to bring it to fruition.”

According to librarian and FIRST Lego League team coach Margaret Kingsport, the other EV chargers in the village can only be found at the retail-focused Towne Center and seasonally accessible spots like the Green Lakes Golf Course, where plows never go.

Through the pandemic, the library’s operations and facilities manager Laurel Flanagan arranged Zoom calls, met with vendors and remotely researched the topic of charging stations alongside Kingsport, information technology administrator and fellow coach Pete Cioppa, library trustee William Sunderlin and kids from the FIRST Lego League team.

The group in charge of the endeavor also called upon Village of Solvay trustee Ray Fougnier for guidance, taking into account his involvement with the introduction of charging stations at the Solvay Public Library.
With electricity in the air the morning of Aug. 25, the Fayetteville Free Library held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its pair of 220-volt ChargePoint stations, followed by an inaugural charge of four vehicles.

Since the rebates and the $11,000-plus anonymous donation took care of the entire cost of installation, from here on the library will only have to cover operating costs for the chargers.

Featuring two universal plugs each, the stations are suited for any electric vehicle, and though the amount of time required for a full charge depends on the make and model, 45 minutes will usually get a battery to 80 or 90%—enough to get from point A to point B according to Kingsport.

During the wait, patrons can enter the library for free during its hours in order to flip through books and retrieve information, all while staying cool in the summer or warm once winter rolls around.

The stations are, however, accessible 24/7, and usage is complimentary for the rest of 2021.

A ChargePoint card will activate the charger once its radio-frequency identification chip is held against the machine and the plug is inserted into the vehicle.

The FIRST Lego League is an organization that challenges students to design, build and pre-program robots made of Lego blocks that move around on a set field. FIRST is the acronym that abbreviates “For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology.”

The Fayetteville Free Library is presently looking for two people in the F-M district interested in projects of this sort who would be willing to join its board of trustees on a volunteer basis.