Government subsidies/perks/mandates for EVs

LeftieBiker said:

What asshats. The could have specified 4-1 CCS/Chademo, but no - they had to screw the drivers of the most popular budget EV. Humans really are incapable of doing anything right.

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The plan for build out is targeting a 2030 date for the 500,000 chargers. Through the end of last year - Nissan only sold 165,710 Nissan Leafs (114,827 from 2010-2017). Assuming a 10 year lifecycle for the Leafs sold from 2010-2017 - most of the Leafs are going to be off the road by the end state contemplated and no automakers are planning to move forward with the CHADEMO standard in the future.

(...)

To be sure, it sucks for those of us with Leafs,

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LeftieBiker said:

The plan for build out is targeting a 2030 date for the 500,000 chargers. Through the end of last year - Nissan only sold 165,710 Nissan Leafs (114,827 from 2010-2017). Assuming a 10 year lifecycle for the Leafs sold from 2010-2017 - most of the Leafs are going to be off the road by the end state contemplated and no automakers are planning to move forward with the CHADEMO standard in the future.

(...)

To be sure, it sucks for those of us with Leafs,

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Chademo isn't a Leaf-specific standard, as about half a dozen EVs sold in the US use or used it. In the rush to be Modern, let's not forget to try to be sustainable as well, and to avoid alienating those early adopters who drive Chademo-equipped vehicles, and who are raising children. The next 15 years are going to be a critical (if also too late) period for accelerating EV adoption. It is a terrible idea to 'strand' tens of thousands of EVs as we open the interstate highways to new ones.

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gcrouse said:

I'm tracking Leaf, iMiev, and Outlander PHEV - are there others using the Chademo standard I'm missing?

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California HVIP to re-open to voucher requests 30 March for FY21-22; total of $569.5M for FY21-22

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California’s HVIP (Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project) will re-open to voucher requests for standard HVIP funds at 10 a.m. Pacific on Wednesday, 30 March 2022. For FY21-22, $196.6 million is available for standard HVIP voucher requests.

Additionally, the following set-aside funds will also become available at the same date and time:

$65.5 million for public transit buses

Approximately $46 million for class 8 tractors performing drayage operations

$122 million for the Public School Bus Set-Aside for Small and Medium Air Districts

School bus requests that are not part of the school bus set-aside will be funded out of standard HVIP starting on 30 March. If set-aside funds are fully requested in any of these three set-aside categories, HVIP will continue to allow standard voucher requests for these categories pending funding availability.

An additional set-aside, the Innovative Small E-Fleets (ISEF) program, is set to open later this spring with $23.4 million. . . .

The 30 March 30 opening date and all implementation details are contingent on the release of the FY21-22 Implementation Manual (IM) by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

If the dollar value of all requests received for standard HVIP funds during the first 24 hours that HVIP is open is greater than the amount of available funds, funding will be assigned using a randomization process.

After the first 24 hours, requests are first-come, first served. Requests for vehicles domiciled in Disadvantaged Communities will be prioritized first in the randomization.

If demand for the drayage and/or transit set-asides exceeds available funds in the first 24 hours, requests will be randomized within each separate vehicle cohort. The other set-asides will not be randomized. . . .

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Delaware adopting California’s ZEV regulations

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Delaware will join 13 other states in adopting California’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) regulations. Implementation of the ZEV regulations would not take place until model year 2027 (2026) to provide manufacturers time to adjust their inventories and prepare dealerships.

Managed by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the ZEV program is designed to accelerate the commercialization of battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles. The regulations mandate that a certain percentage of the vehicles delivered for sale in a state are ZEV vehicles. Manufacturers receive credits for each delivered vehicle based on the type of vehicle, range and other factors. Each year, manufacturers must meet a ZEV credit amount that is based on average annual sales. In states already in the program, the automobile industry has successfully met the required percentage.

Transportation is the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in Delaware. DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin said increasing the number of zero emission vehicles on Delaware roads, along with building out the state’s electric vehicle charging network are key strategies outlined in Delaware’s Climate Action Plan, a result of a two year-long process involving residents, businesses, and technical experts. . . .

The DNREC Clean Vehicle Rebate Program currently offers rebates up to $2,500 within 90 days of a vehicle purchase or lease before June 30, 2022. In November, DNREC also announced a $1.4 million grant program to expand Delaware’s electric charging network. Funding will be targeted to increase the availability of electric vehicle infrastructure in areas where access to fast charging stations is limited.

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California “gasoline superuser” bill advances; focusing ZEV incentives on reducing gasoline use

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The California Assembly Transportation Committee passed a landmark ZEV incentive reform bill, AB 2816, by a 6-2 vote on Monday. The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to maximize the climate and equity impacts of the state’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) incentive programs by linking the amount of incentive to a driver’s past gasoline or diesel consumption level, with larger amounts for lower income drivers.

By shifting the biggest gasoline users into ZEVs first, AB 2816 also reduces the total number of ZEVs that would be needed to reach the state’s near-term target of cutting light-duty vehicle emissions in half by 2030.

If passed, this bill would make California the first government in the world to focus ZEV incentives on maximizing cuts in gasoline consumption.

California’s biggest gasoline users currently are on track to be the last people to switch to ZEVs. ZEV incentives tend to be used by higher income drivers and do not focus on reducing gasoline use.

If your goal is to reduce emissions, incentivizing people that drive the most and use the most gas is an efficient way to accomplish that goal. There’s nobody you see driving more than a landscaper. If they were to switch to a ZEV, I can see tremendous savings.

—Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-Central Coast)

AB 2816 applies to ZEV incentive programs that receive funding from, or are administered by, CARB including Clean Cars 4 All, the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP), and the Clean Vehicle Assistance Program. As currently written, the bill requires CARB, on or before 1 January 2024, to develop a tool to calculate the average annual gallons of gasoline or diesel that a particular vehicle has used by using both:

Publicly available data on the miles per gallon rating of the make, model, and year of the vehicle; and

The odometer reading at the time the applicant registered the vehicle, and the current odometer reading.

Beginning in 2024, ZEV incentives would be awarded based on the average annual gallons of gasoline or diesel that the applicant’s vehicle consumed.

The bill requires CARB to set the amount of the incentive at a level that maximizes the displacement of gasoline or diesel and the reduction of emissions criteria pollutants per dollar spent. Additionally, CARB must provide additional per gallon incentive payments to applicants that are low- or moderate-income.

The applicants will have to sell or otherwise surrender the internal combustion engine vehicle on which the incentive payment is based.

The bill also requires CARB to develop and implement a strategy for:

Identifying the drivers who use the most gasoline or diesel and are low to moderate income; and

Expediting the replacement of gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles of the above identified drivers with ZEVs.

AB 2816 is based on concepts outlined in a report published last summer by the nonprofit Coltura. The report provides an in-depth look at the heaviest users of gasoline—“Gasoline Superusers”—and proposes EV policy changes to incentivize them to switch to EVs faster.

Light duty vehicles cause 28% of California’s total carbon emissions and pollute the air near freeways and busy roads. According to the research by Coltura, drivers in the top 10% for gasoline consumption in the US each use at least 1,000 gallons of gasoline a year and drive on average 30,000 miles.

Many of these “Gasoline Superusers” are lower income consumers who cannot afford to live near where they work or must drive long distances as part of their work, and who spend a large percentage of their household income on vehicle fuel.

On average, switching from a gasoline car to a ZEV saves 40% on maintenance and 50% on fuel.

The bill now goes to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, where it will be heard on 25 April.

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Ministerial Decree Incentivizing Use Of EVs In Italy Signed Into Law
Electric bicycles, scooters, and motorcycles are part of the equation, too.

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. . . Mario Draghi, Italian prime minister has signed a new Ministerial Decree which is set to finance incentives for the purchase of electric and low-carbon vehicles. The government seeks to allocate sizable resources towards the project, with 650 million Euros per year being set aside until 2024. This translates to a total of nearly two billion Euros until 2024, and a staggering 8.7 billion until 2030.

Not only will the incentivization program help to make low-emission and fully electric transport more accessible to the general public, they’ll also provide manufacturers with a much-needed boost. "Incentives are a concrete and long-awaited response to a sector that is going through profound suffering.” The Minister of Economic Development Giancarlo Giorgetti explained that the industry is going through a lot of difficulties at present, given the raw materials shortages occurring across the globe, as well as the raging war in Ukraine which has disrupted several economies.

“The pandemic, the shortage of raw materials and the war are also putting a strain on this sector. It is necessary to open a reflection on the necessary ecological transition which must be sustainable, possible and not leave behind dead and wounded,” Giorgetti added. The incentive program isn’t centered only around automobiles. Lightweight electric vehicles such as motorcycles, mopeds, and quadricycles are also very much part of the equation. In fact, we could even see their list prices slashed by up to 30 percent due to the incentives.

Furthermore, the new law even includes a Sustainable Mobility Bonus dedicated to bicycles, electric bikes, and e-scooters. A maximum value of up to 750 Euros can be redeemed in the form of tax credit to those who get around aboard these eco-friendly, zero-emission machines.

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New Mexico adopts Clean Cars Rule

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The New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) and the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board (AQCB) have each adopted the Clean Car Rule after a joint public hearing. Their independent approval of the Clean Car Rule allows California’s Advanced Clean Cars to be implemented statewide in New Mexico beginning 1 July 2022.

The coordinated package of regulations will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and ozone- and smog-causing pollutants from new passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs starting in model year 2026.

The rule includes a combination of increasingly stringent vehicle emission standards and a requirement that manufacturers deliver for sale an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles, such as battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in New Mexico. The Clean Car Rule is projected to eliminate about 130,000 tons of greenhouse gases and more than 1,700 tons of harmful ozone-forming air pollution in New Mexico by 2050. . . .

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California Clean Fuel Reward surpasses 250,000 point-of-sale financial incentives for EV buyers; More than $319M provided to EV customers

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More than 250,000 Californians have now received a financial Clean Fuel Reward at the point of sale when they purchased or leased a plug-in electric vehicle—an important milestone for this program after only 18 months since it began.

The California Air Resources Board’s California Clean Fuel Reward program provides an instant price reduction of up to $750 at the point of sale or lease for eligible new plug-in electric vehicles at participating retailers. Since the program launch in November 2020, more than $319 million in rewards have been received by EV buyers. Of the total rewards, 21.2% of incentives went to customers in underserved communities, 10% to customers in low-income communities and another 10% to customers in disadvantaged communities.

CARB and car dealers alike had been seeking a program to help support the sale of plug-in cars that involved making funds immediately available at the dealership, as opposed to other incentive programs that required applications and a waiting period to receive them. After two years of discussion and collaboration between the California Air Resources Board, the California Public Utilities Commission and electric utilities throughout the state the California Clean Fuel Reward was launched on 17 November 2020. It proved immensely popular: Within six weeks, 741 retailers representing nearly 90% of the EV market had been approved to participate.

The California Clean Fuel Reward Program is administered by Southern California Edison in collaboration with electric utilities across the state, giving all Californians the ability to receive the reward, regardless of their electric utility provider.

Funded by credits generated by utilities in the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), the California Clean Fuel Reward makes electric vehicles even more affordable to a broad group of customers due to few eligibility restrictions and its ability to be stacked with other federal, state and local rewards. The LCFS is designed to reduce the carbon intensity of California’s transportation fuel pool and provide low-carbon and renewable alternatives, reducing air pollution and the state’s dependency on petroleum.

The reward amount depends on the vehicle battery capacity where vehicles with a battery capacity of 16 kilowatt-hours (kWh) or greater would receive the full reward and vehicles with smaller capacities would receive a prorated reward down to 5 kWh.

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WetEV said:

So what is GRA's point with this topic?

I notice he doesn't spend much time on the government subsidies, perks and mandates for ICE.

Like the free dumping of toxins into the air, for example.

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GRA said:

WetEV said:

So what is GRA's point with this topic?

I notice he doesn't spend much time on the government subsidies, perks and mandates for ICE.

Like the free dumping of toxins into the air, for example.

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You're right, I don't, because presumably everyone here is familiar with the long-standing subsidies that the fossil-fuel industry receives and the deleterious effects on air quality, AGCC etc. resulting from that.

OTOH, many people aren't aware of what subsidies etc. for AFVs are available in their area, including those given directly to them. Despite my dislike of the latter, it's important to provide the info. People can then choose whether or not they wish to make use of those subsidies.

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WetEV said:

GRA said:

WetEV said:

So what is GRA's point with this topic?

I notice he doesn't spend much time on the government subsidies, perks and mandates for ICE.

Like the free dumping of toxins into the air, for example.

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You're right, I don't, because presumably everyone here is familiar with the long-standing subsidies that the fossil-fuel industry receives and the deleterious effects on air quality, AGCC etc. resulting from that.

OTOH, many people aren't aware of what subsidies etc. for AFVs are available in their area, including those given directly to them. Despite my dislike of the latter, it's important to provide the info. People can then choose whether or not they wish to make use of those subsidies.

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I dislike the free dumping of toxins into the air more,

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California adding new certification requirement for HVIP: ZEPCert

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California’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), launched in 2009, accelerates commercialization of zero-emission and near-zero-emission technologies by providing point-of-sale vouchers to make advanced vehicles more affordable. Of the 730 zero-emission trucks on the road in California as of January 2022, more than 60% are directly funded by HVIP.

In 2018 alone, HVIP received $176 million in requests—more than all 8 previous years combined. Requests in 2021 totaled more than $240 million.

All vehicles eligible for HVIP are required to be certified at the vehicle level. Zero-Emission Powertrain Certification (ZEPCert) will be an additional requirement for all new HVIP vehicle eligible applications submitted to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on or after 1 January 2023, for all applicable zero-emission powertrains and the trucks and buses in which they are installed.

CARB is encouraging manufacturers to start the process of obtaining this certification in advance of the deadline.

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Euro Parliament committee backs revised CO2 standards for cars and vans; zero-emission road mobility by 2035

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The European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) adopted this week, with 46 votes in favor, 40 against and two abstentions, a position on proposed rules to revise the CO2 emission performance standards for new cars and vans in line with the EU’s increased climate ambition.

In the report, MEPs expressed their support for the Commission proposal to reach zero-emission road mobility by 2035. Under the approved proposal, carmakers would be required to cut their average fleet emissions by 20% in 2025, compared to 2021, by 55% in 2030, and by 100% in 2035.

Van-makers would be required to reduce the average emissions of new vehicles by 15% in 2025 and 50% in 2030. All new vans in 2035 would need to be zero-emissions.

Today cars account for 13% of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU and vans 2%.

Conservatives and even some progressive MEPs rejected a new interim target in 2027 and a higher 2030 goal which would require manufacturers to ramp up sales of electric cars.

Proposed measures include:

Removing the incentive mechanism for zero- and low-emission vehicles (‘ZLEV’), as it no longer serves its original purpose;

A report by the Commission on the progress towards zero-emission road mobility by the end of 2025 and on a yearly basis thereafter, covering the impact on consumers and employment, the level of renewable energy use as well as information on the market for second-hand vehicles;

Gradually reducing the cap for eco-innovation, in line with the proposed stricter targets (the existing 7g CO –/km limit should remain until 2024, followed by 5g from 2025, 4g from 2027 and 2g until the end of 2034);

A report by the Commission, by the end of 2023, detailing the need for targeted funding to ensure a just transition in the automotive sector, to mitigate negative employment and other economic impacts; and

A common EU methodology by the Commission, by 2023, for assessing the full life cycle of CO2 emissions of cars and vans placed on the EU market, as well as for the fuels and energy consumed by these vehicles. . . .

The report is scheduled to be adopted during the June plenary sitting and will constitute Parliament’s negotiating position with EU governments on the final shape of the legislation.

Green NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) said the increased 2025 goal could help spur action by carmakers early this decade but not enough for the EU and member states to hit their climate goals in 2030. T&E called on the European Parliament’s plenary to support a 2027 interim target and a more ambitious 2030 standard to make EVs accessible to more Europeans in this decade. . . .

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US Senators and Representatives urge EPA to finalize strongest possible clean truck rule

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Last week, US Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.-44), Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Congressman Donald McEachin (D-Va.-04), and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07) led 61 of their colleagues in both the US Senate and House of Representatives in sending a letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finalize ambitious clean truck standards (earlier post) that reduce NOx and greenhouse gas emissions and include requirements for the sale of zero-emission trucks.

Updating the outdated NOx standards is a top priority and it is critical that this rule provide pollution reductions that are at least as protective as the reductions that are codified in California’s recent Heavy-Duty Omnibus and Advanced Clean Trucks rules. This means, at a minimum, EPA should meet or exceed California’s Heavy-Duty Omnibus program by setting a standard that achieves, by 2027, a greater than 90% reduction in NOx emissions from trucks that are sold today relative to 2010 standards. Having a unified national program will provide needed equity of reduced emissions across the country, reduced regulatory complexity, and reduce unnecessary costs of complying with two separate regulatory requirements.

At the same time, this rule must accelerate the adoption of zero-emission trucks by providing a clear signal for manufacturers to chart a path to eliminating tailpipe pollution. At a minimum, the federal government should require that all new trucks must have zero emissions beginning in 2035, with intermediate targets before then. In addition, after completing this Heavy-Duty rule in 2022, EPA should move quickly to advance additional policies to eliminate emissions from the freight sector to accelerate the retirement of all combustion trucks by 2045.

—Letter to EPA Administrator Regan. . . .

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CARB launching second round of Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project with $130M

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The California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced the second round of its Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project (CORE), tripling the amount of allocated funding from the previous round for equipment used in agriculture, airport, railyard, port, construction, and marine operations. The project is administered by CALSTART, a national clean transportation nonprofit consortium.

CORE first opened in February 2020 and closed that August after the total allocation of $44.6 million was exhausted. Due to high demand, $30 million of the FY 2021-22 allocation was appropriated ahead of CARB’s board meeting to fund vouchers on a contingency list. The project’s relaunch, scheduled to begin in July 2022, will have $130 million in available funds.

CORE is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities.

CORE encourages and assists purchasers and lessees of off-road equipment—agricultural tractors, forklifts, airport cargo loaders, container loaders, railcar movers and the like—in acquiring zero-emission versions of this equipment. While conventional internal-combustion engine (ICE) off-road equipment accounts for only a small percentage of all vehicles in California, shifting over to zero-emission equipment can help reduce the significant amount of greenhouse gasses these vehicles release.

Those who qualify will be provided vouchers by CORE for point-of-sale discounts on off-road equipment, up to a maximum of $500,000 per voucher, and will not have to retire or sell their existing ICE equipment (called a “scrappage” requirement). There will also be additional funding for charging/refueling infrastructure equipment operated in disadvantaged communities and for small businesses.

There are nine funding categories of zero-emission equipment that CORE supports, including:

On- and off-road terminal tractors

Truck- and trailer-mounted transport refrigeration units (TRUs)

Large forklifts and cargo-handling equipment

Airport ground-support equipment

Railcar movers and switcher locomotives

Mobile power units (MPUs) and mobile shore-power cable management systems

Construction equipment

Agricultural equipment

Commercial harbor craft. . . .

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Bouldergramp said:

Yet about 80% to 90% of battery components now are made in China, which also refines 68% of the world’s nickel, 73% of cobalt, 93% of manganese and 100% of the graphite in EV batteries."

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