The number of available and announced models of zero-emission trucks, buses and off-road equipment in the U.S. and Canada is on track to rise nearly 78% by the end of 2020 compared to year-end 2019 – and that figure is expected to more than double by 2023, according to the Zero-Emission Technology Inventory (ZETI).

Recent corporate commitments to – and investments in – ZE vehicles include:

• UPS has invested in EV startup Arrival while also ordering 10,000 EV delivery vans for use in North America and Europe. 
• FedEx will purchase 1,000 all-electric delivery vans from manufacturer Chanje
• Amazon ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans from Michigan-based startup Rivian. 
• IKEA has committed to all-electric home deliveries worldwide by 2025, and by the end of 2020 in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Amsterdam and Shanghai.

Motorists can save as much as $14,500 on fuel costs over 15 years by driving an electric vehicle (EV) instead of a similar one fueled by gasoline, according to a new analysis conducted by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
The article, Levelized Cost of Charging Electric Vehicles in the United States was featured in Next-Gen Transportation News.

New to propane autogas? The first thing many fleet managers ask is, “How will I get the fuel?” Propane autogas is unique in that it offers a variety of refueling options. It gives fleet managers the freedom to shape your refueling plan around your budget and fleet size. To explore all of your options and how they could work for you,
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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have released the final Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule setting corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) and CO2 emissions standards for model years 2021-2026 passenger cars and light trucks. 

The final rule will increase the stringency of CAFE and CO2 emissions standards by 1.5% each year through model-year 2026, as compared with the standards issued in 2012, which would have required about 5% annual increases. This is a change from the proposal issued in 2018. The majority of automakers are not meeting the 2012 standard without resorting to the use of credits.

A federal tax credit of 30% of the cost of installing EV charging equipment, which had expired December 31, 2016, has been retroactively extended through December 31, 2020. If you installed charging equipment after January 1, 2017 or if you install equipment before the end of this year, you are eligible to claim this credit, up to $1,000.  To claim this credit, see IRS Form 8911. 

Park & Zoom, a parking service company with a 2,000-vehicle-capacity structure at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, has acquired another three Phoenix Motorcars all-electric zero-emission shuttle buses, totaling six Zero Emission Utility Shuttles (ZEUS 400) now servicing the airport.

Park & Zoom received the first three ZEUS 400 shuttles in early 2019. The new ZEUS 400 shuttles will be added to its current fleet of diesel and all-electric shuttles. The ZEUS 400 electric shuttles were built on a Starcraft body and delivered in partnership with Creative Bus Sales.

“Our occupancy has increased over the past few years and that trend required us to add additional shuttles to our fleet. As the Austin population has grown so has the airport and passenger traffic.”, said Bill Kelley, General Manager of Park & Zoom. “We appreciate the reliability of Phoenix Motorcars and are excited to add 3 more Phoenix Zeus 400 Shuttles to better serve our customers!”

Josh Selin, Vice President of Operations at Phoenix Motorcars said, “We’re honored to join Park & Zoom in the push to bringing all-electric medium duty vehicles into the Austin metro area. Their investment with the Phoenix product and praise of the overall performance has developed a long-lasting friendship.”

Each ZEUS 400 shuttle has a range of up to 110 miles per charge.