The Pine Point Resilience Hub would serve an elementary school and community center in Pine Point, an Anishinaabe village of about 330 people on the White Earth Reservation.
In June, the project was selected to receive $1.75 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Storage for Social Equity (ES4SE) Program, which helps underserved and frontline communities leverage energy storage to make electricity more affordable and reliable. It’s part of a slew of Biden administration funding related to grid resilience and energy equity that has spurred several tribal microgrid projects across the country.
The developers, locally owned 8th Fire Solar and San Francisco-based 10Power, hope to finish the project next year, and have also secured funding from Minnesota’s Solar for Schools program and foundation grants, but said they still need to raise about $1 million. They’re also counting on receiving about $1.5 million in federal tax credits, which face an uncertain future with the incoming Trump administration.
“The idea of the microgrid is to help with infrastructure,” said Gwe Gasco, a member of the White Earth Nation and the program coordinator with 8th Fire Solar, a thermal solar company based on the reservation.
Tribal communities were largely bypassed during the massive, federally funded push under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to bring electricity to remote rural areas of the country. As a result, grid infrastructure on many reservations remains insufficient to this day, with an estimated 1 in 7 Native American households on reservations lacking electricity connections, and many more contending with unreliable service.
On top of higher-than-average electric reliability issues, tribal communities also generally pay higher rates for electricity and face higher energy burdens due to poverty and substandard housing.
On the White Earth Reservation, these challenges are most pronounced in Pine Point, where one-third of residents live in poverty. Gasco said the area is among the first to suffer from outages, with eleven occurring over the last five years, according to the Itasca-Mantrap Electric Cooperative that serves the area.
The Pine Point Resilience Hub project will build on an existing 21-kilowatt solar array, adding another 500 kilowatts of solar capacity along with a 2.76 megawatt-hour battery storage system, enough to provide about 12 hours worth of backup power for residents to be able to charge cell phones, power medical equipment, or stay warm in the event of a power outage.
Gasco said the microgrid could be especially important in the winter, given the area’s “brutally cold” weather and reliance on electric heat. They also hope it will reduce utility costs, though they are still negotiating with the local electric co-op on rates for power the system sends and receives from the utility’s grid. Itasca-Mantrap President and CEO Christine Fox said it doesn’t set net metering rates, which are determined by its electricity supplier.
The project developers hope to qualify for additional federal tax credits by using equipment largely produced in the U.S., including Minnesota-built Heliene solar panels, inverters made in Massachusetts, and Ohio-produced solar racks.
The developers have partnered with the Pine Point School District, which plans to incorporate the microgrid into an Ojibwe-language curriculum on renewable energy. A monitoring interface will allow students to see real-time data in the classroom.
“It’s powerful to me that this [project] is at a school where we’re hoping to inspire the next generation of kids,” said Sandra Kwak, CEO and founder of 10Power, a for-profit company that specializes in developing renewable energy projects in tribal communities.
Corey Orehek, senior business developer for Ziegler Energy Solutions, which has been hired to do the installation, said they plan to work with a local community college to train students for solar jobs.
“One of the things that we want to drive in this is workforce development,” Orehek said. “We want to leave something that’s not only a project that’ll last 30 years but provide the training and experience for community members to either start their own energy companies or become contractors in the clean energy workforce.”
The resilience hub is the second such project announced by a Minnesota tribe in recent months. The Red Lake Nation received $3.15 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Local Government Energy Program in late September for a behind-the-meter microgrid project at a secondary school.
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is also working with Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative to build a $9 million microgrid with U.S. Department of Energy funding. The electric cooperative will install a 4 megawatt-hour energy storage system and add a 1 megawatt solar system at the reservation in suburban Minneapolis.
It’s unclear whether federal funding for such projects will continue in President-elect Trump’s second term, but for now tribal energy advocates see microgrids as a good solution to both lower energy burdens and improve reliability.
“This is a great opportunity to create a success story in terms of leveraging cutting-edge technology, being able to help frontline communities, and for tribes and co-ops to work together,” Kwak said.
Why Fleet Electrification Makes Economic Sense And How To Transition To EVs For Long-Term Success: Webinar, December 11, 2024, 12:30 pm EST
Whether you’re considering electrifying your fleet or already have some EVs on the road, this session is for you. We’ll challenge the current paradigms and processes around EV charging, and present new ways to think about your EV fleet operations and how to best solve electrification-related business problems.
In this webinar we’ll discuss:
The business case for fleet electrification
Critical areas to address for long-term success
Successful EV fleet operations to improve your overall business – even if you’re already running an EV fleet
Join us to get tangible takeaways for implementing a future-proof electrification strategy that drives your fleet business forward.
Reserve your spot—it’s free!
See the full session list for the December Virtual Conference here.
Broadcast live on December 10-12, 2024. This virtual event will span all things EV charging in two main tracks:
Track 1: Deploying EV Infrastructure & Fleets Content for fleet/facility managers, charging network operators, public transport planners, etc.
Track 2: Design & Manufacturing of Charging Systems Content for engineers who are building, testing, and manufacturing charging systems.
The free-to-attend conference will feature live presentations, interactive Q&As, on-demand webinars, and whitepaper downloads. All live webcast sessions are free to attend and will be recorded and available to watch on-demand after the event. Register to reserve your spot to watch it live or on-demand.
Source link by Charged EVs
Author Charged EVs
#Making #business #case #fleets #Webinar
Kia hasn’t yet confirmed EV3 or EV4 for the U.S.—but we might get both
Unclear if EV3 arrives, whether Niro EV would continue
Kia PV5 WKNDR electric camper van is a test for U.S. interest
The future of compact EVs for Kia in the U.S. could be as simple as this: It doesn’t have to be an either/or.
And that might mean that U.S. EV shoppers could get the more interesting compact EV market that America has been largely missing out on—thanks to the possibility of Kia’s EV3 and EV4.
In October 2023, at its Kia EV Day event, the brand revealed the upright EV3 compact electric crossover, which is close to the same size as the Volvo EX30, and the somewhat longer, lower EV4 compact electric hatchback. At the same event, it also showed a production version of the EV5 electric crossover, which is sized closely with the Kia Sportage, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4.
While Kia was quick at that time to say that the EV5 was not U.S.-bound, it left the door open for the EV3 and EV4.
Kia EV4 concept
The production EV4 is expected to bow globally within the next few months. But Kia has already, since last year’s event, shown the production-bound EV3, with deliveries of it starting earlier this month in Europe. Amid that, there hasn’t yet been a U.S.-market confirmation for either the EV3 or the EV4.
Last week, at the Los Angeles auto show, Green Car Reports asked Kia America chief operating officer and executive vice president Steven Center which of these two EVs we might see.
“We may see both,” replied Center. “And I think that’s just a matter of segment management.”
Center elaborated that these are two quite different EVs, referring to the EV4 as an electric equivalent to the K5 sedan, and the EV3 as “sort of a Soul EV.”
2023 Kia Niro EV
Whether that means borrowed time for the Kia Niro EV, which Kia opted to bring to the U.S. instead of the current Soul EV, Center wouldn’t say for sure—but he hinted that Niro EV is built on an internal combustion platform, and it’s the second-generation of a vehicle that was conceived when the company’s E-GMP EV platform didn’t exist.
Center also noted that at some point soon, Kia will have two lines of vehicles—an internal combustion line, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids, and one that’s pure EV.
Meanwhile, the number of U.S. Kia EV models will continue to grow over the next year, confirmed Center. Whether that means EV3, EV4, PV5, or something else completely—or a reference to the higher-power Kia EV9 GT also revealed at the show—rest assured it’s not sidelining its EV push in 2025.
Kia PV5 WKNDR concept
Kia PV5 WKNDR concept
Kia PV5 WKNDR concept
For a tease of what that something else might be, Kia showed what we interpreted as a wild card at the LA show. Its upcoming PV5 electric van may primarily be focused toward commercial use and future robotaxis, the company has said up until now. But the recent debut of the PV5 WKNDR electric camper van concept at the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas earlier this month, together with its prominent display at the LA auto show, beg another question.
Is the brand getting ready to pitch the electric vans in the U.S. as compact, activity-focused alternatives to the Volkswagen ID.Buzz—or, perhaps, even more in line with the original ethos of the cult-favorite Honda Element?
Kia America vice president for marketing Russell Wager replied to GCR, also at the LA auto show, that PV5 remains confirmed only for Korea and Europe, and the purpose behind the SEMA concept was to test American customers’ reactions to “more of an overlander concept.”
“So we’re still evaluating what that means, potentially, for the U.S. market,” said Wager.
Source link by Green Car Reports
Author news@greencarreports.com (Bengt Halvorson)
#Kia #EV3 #EV4 #EVs #USbound #PV5 #van
This year’s shopping holidays are set to reveal some of the best electric bicycle and e-scooter sales we’ve ever seen thanks to the perfect storm of overstocked models, meeting year-end sales targets, and good ol’ relentless competition. The e-bike industry has been hammered for a couple of years now, and while that has put many companies in a squeeze, the upside is consumers are getting some of the best deals we’ve ever seen. With countless electric bicycle brands operating now in the US and even more models to choose from, here’s some help separating the wheat from the chaff.
It’s nearing the end of November, and that means my inbox has been absolutely flooded by Black Friday deal pitches from dozens upon dozens of e-bike and e-scooter companies.
There’s a whole section of this site dedicated to ramming as many of those deals as possible into our readers’ eyeballs. For me though, I’ve always tried to take a more targeted approach to recommend models based on substance, and so here are the Black Friday deals that actually mean something to me. As someone who has likely reviewed more electric bikes than just about anyone on the internet, these are all models I’m actually considering for myself or my family because I know they’re a combination of good quality and good pricing. And if I’d put myself or a family member on it, I’d put you on it too.
Lectric Ebikes Sales
Lectric is basically my go-to brand when someone asks me for the best bang-for-their-buck in the world of electric bikes. I’ll never tell you that these are the best e-bikes in the world. On the quality spectrum, they’re mid-level, at best. And for most people, that’s exactly the right level. Not everyone needs a $3,000 or $6,000 e-bike, especially not when an $800 or $1,300 e-bike will fit their needs. Plus, Lectric is known for standing behind its products with a great customer service team (and is incredibly generous, too). Put it all together and you can see why Lectric often floats to the top of my list.
You can find all of Lectric’s sales here to peruse at your leisure. Many of them are based around popular bundles with tons of free accessories. But to guide you a bit better, here are some of the highlights:
Lectric XP 3.0 folding e-bike: Save $454 on a great bundle
Lectric XP Trike: Save $419 on the best-selling electric trike
Lectric XP Lite 2.0: Save $365 on the best-performance lightweight folding e-bike
Lectric XPress 750: Save $365 on what is likely soon to be the best-selling commuter e-bike
Lectric XPedition 2.0: Save $296 on the first cargo e-bike I recommend to nearly everyone
Ride1Up E-Bike Sales
San Diego-based Ride1Up has consistently been another value leader in the US e-bike market. While the company doesn’t have the size of Lectric, it has perhaps an even broader selection of e-bikes ranging from cruisers and off-roaders to urban bikes and even high-power electric mopeds. The recently released Ride1Up Revv1 DRT is a great example of how the company took its existing SUPER73-style moped and turned it into essentially an off-road scrambler electric motorbike.
Even more impressive is the pricing on the Ride1Up Portola, designed to be an entry-level folding e-bike that offers much better performance and ride quality than anyone would have expected in this budget class.
Many of Ride1Up’s deals are either outright discounts on their bikes, bundles of free accessories/spare batteries, or both. Below are some of the highlights, but it’s worth checking out their entire list of Black Friday deals here.
Ride1Up Portola: Save $100 and get 50% off of some accessories
Ride1Up Cafe Cruiser: Save up to $350 and get 50% off a second battery
Ride1Up LMT’D V2: Save $400 on this awesome commuter e-bike for urban riding
Velotric E-Bike Sales
Velotric burst onto the scene with some very nice initial offerings several years ago. Ever since, I’ve been watching closely as Velotric continuously improves its models, resulting in today’s highly refined offerings. Their more premium models are where I send friends and family who want something a bit nicer than Lectric or Ride1Up, including features like tracking for anti-theft as well as more app connectivity and features you might not expect – such as fully submersible batteries.
Velotric has a bunch of great Black Friday sales, mostly centered around deeply slashed price tags. Here are some of the highlights, but you can check out all of the deals here.
Velotric Discover 1 Plus: Save $550 (plus even more on accessories)
Velotric Fold 1: Save $350 on this 750W folding e-bike
Velotric Packer 1: Save $650 on this highly refined cargo e-bike
Velotric Nomad 1 Plus: Save $550 on this go-anywhere off-road e-bike
Photo: Velotric
Priority Bicycles Sales
Priority Bicycles is my go-to brand for higher-end electric bikes. When someone wants a model that uses higher-tier components (the kind of stuff bike shop folks consider ‘the good stuff’), this is the company to consider. Priority Bicycles was started by actual bike shop folks, but the kind that enjoy an electric bike as much as a good old-fashioned acoustic bike.
My favorite of Priority’s electric models is the Priority Current, which offers great value for a mid-drive commuter-style e-bike. The company has since added the Priority E-Coast electric cruiser which is a beautiful e-bike that embodies Priority’s higher quality ethos in a more affordable package. The Priority E-Classic Plus takes that idea even further, giving us an affordable commuter-style bike with a much sleeker design – and belt drive, to boot! In fact, all three models feature belt drive for a cleaner and quieter pedaling experience (though you’ll be glad to know there are throttle options too!).
Priority Bicycles’ Black Friday Sale is very simple this year, creating a tiered discount based on the order total. You can learn more about it here, but the basic summary is that you’re getting around 15-25% off of everything!
JackRabbit Micro E-Bike Sales
If you don’t know about JackRabbit yet, boy are you in for a treat! These micro-ebikes are technically more of a seated e-scooter due to the lack of pedals, but everything else about them feels like an e-bike. You get the same stable seating position, 20″ bike wheels for a nimble yet taller (than a scooter) ride, and even bicycle handlebars.
The main difference is just that the entire thing is more compact and lighter, making it easy to stow away when you aren’t using it. The handlebars even pivot 90 degrees so the entire JackRabbit is around 7 inches wide! Try to stash a typical e-bike behind a couch or under a bed – you could never get it as compact as a JackRabbit.
These aren’t the best bang-for-your-buck since you pay a bit of a premium for the novel design and innovation that comes with producing a unique, purpose-built micro e-bike instead of just choosing parts out of a catalog. But I think these are absolutely worth it for folks who prize the type of portability offered by JackRabbit’s various models.
Speaking of the options, there are multiple JackRabbit models available but the XG and OG2 are both on sale with a great Black Friday deal providing a free RangeBuster battery that offers 240% more range!
I’ve been following VMAX more closely over the past year and have enjoyed getting the chance to test out multiple models of electric scooters from this Switzerland-based electric scooter company. After expanding into the US market, VMAX has really made a name for itself with an impressive combination of performance and affordability. Their scooters are also UL-compliant and SGS-certified for safety and integrity.
When testing both the mid-range VX2 Extreme and the budget-priced VX5, I found myself accidentally popping Wheelies, that’s how powerful and torquey these e-scooters are in their max power setting. But they’re also quite controllable (and you don’t HAVE to use the max power mode!).
I also really like that the same scooters are often available with two or three different battery sizes, meaning you can save money on a lighter and lower range model, or you can decide to spend a bit more to get twice or more range. That kind of customization is almost never seen in the e-scooter industry, and definitely not at this price range.
Below are some of my favorite VMAX deals this Black Friday, but you can check out their entire page of sales here.
VMAX VX5 / VX5 Pro: Starts at just $249, which is an insane deal for these scooters
MOD Bikes is an Austin-based electric bicycle retailer that offers national service yet has a local bike shop feel. The company’s bikes are admittedly more expensive than others, but they come with more features (like cool helmet-mounted turn signals) and heavier-duty designs than most other e-bikes in this price range.
MOD makes one of the only sidecar electric bikes available in the US, which I’ve personally tested out with my nephews and the family dog as willing passengers, and it rocks!
The company is also dedicated to other innovations, such as a really cool charging station designed for safely locking and storing e-bike batteries, all developed in-house.
MOD’s Black Friday sales cover nearly everything in their lineup, so you’ll want to check out the entire list here.
Aventon E-Bike Sales
Aventon is another one of those electric bike makers that has simply gotten more and more refined as time has gone on. Each new launch showcases more of the brand’s chops, combining power and performance with style and design.
This year I’m particularly glad to see sales on several of the brand’s commuter e-bikes, which have long been Aventon’s forte. You can check out all of Aventon’s Black Friday sales here.
Aventon Soltera.2: Save $300 on this super-affordable metro-styled commuter e-bike
Aventon Abound: Save $300 on Aventon’s premier cargo e-bike
Aventon Aventure.2: Save $400 on this step-through adventure-style fat tire e-bike
I’ll keep an eye out for any other great Black Friday sales in the e-scooter and e-bike world. Like I said at the top of this article, there are hundreds of sales out there, and so this isn’t an exhaustive list.
Rather, these are several of the companies and sales I think are actually worth considering closely based on my experience covering the entire industry.
There are, of course, plenty of other good models out there, and you might find something great for you that wasn’t even on this list. That’s awesome! The important thing is that we’re all out there riding and having a good time. More two-wheelers and fewer four-wheelers is the name of the game, folks!
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Source link by Electrek
Author Micah Toll
#Black #Friday #ebike #escooter #deals #care
Can thousands of houses equipped with remote-control thermostats and other devices mimic what big power plants do for utility grids?
EnergyHub, a software and services company that operates virtual power plants (VPPs) for about 70 utilities in 30 states, says yes — and it has a trove of data from three major U.S. utilities that shows how it can be done.
This week, EnergyHub is publishing the results of trial runs it conducted this spring and summer with Arizona Public Service in Arizona, Duke Energy in North Carolina, and National Grid in Massachusetts. Over several afternoons and evenings, EnergyHub tested its capabilities to get thousands of smart thermostats — and for National Grid, rooftop solar-charged batteries as well – to help the grid.
The company says its approach, known as dynamic load-shaping, will allow it to more precisely manage the 2 gigawatts of flexible capacity it now controls from about 1.4 million customer devices, said Paul Hines, EnergyHub’s vice president of power systems. The company is hoping that the successful test cases will help convince utilities and regulators that “virtual power plants can become a core part of their infrastructure,” he said.
Getting customers to turn down their air conditioners, water heaters, and other appliances to deal with rising electricity demand is a lot cheaper than building new power plants. Hines cited a U.S. Department of Energy report estimating that 80 to 160 gigawatts of VPP capacity could be unleashed across the country by 2030, enough to meet 10 to 20 percent of U.S. peak grid needs and save utility customers roughly $10 billion in annual costs.
“There’s broad agreement that there’s a need for this stuff,” he said. “But when you talk to grid operators, they still have a ton of skepticism about whether virtual power plants can be a valuable part of the core resource mix.”
That’s because traditional demand response programs that pay customers to let utilities turn down their thermostats and other appliances have some well-known features that can make them unreliable, he said.
A typical demand response event – say, one reacting to a heatwave — involves two key steps: The first is “precooling,” or ordering thermostats to ramp up air conditioning earlier in the day when the grid isn’t yet stressed, so that homes can ride through the hotter hours ahead. The second is the demand response event itself, during which temperature settings on thermostats are raised to reduce air-conditioning power use when overall grid demand reaches its peak.
EnergyHub
Hines pointed out two significant issues that can crop up as a demand response event unfolds. First, there’s the “decaying response” factor. “You get a ton of load shed in hour one,” he said. But as people grow less comfortable with rising temperatures and start to override their thermostat settings, the energy savings decrease.
Then there’s the so-called snapback effect — the surge in electricity use when a demand response period ends and a large number of thermostats reset, triggering a bunch of air conditioners to turn on at once. “You get this big spike in load at the end,” he said — and that secondary peak can cause grid problems of its own.
These are standard problems for a smart-thermostat-based program, Hines said. “The question is, can we turn that into a more reliable, schedulable resource?”
EnergyHub, a subsidiary of Alarm.com, says its technology enables it to do that. In 2022, the company purchased Packetized Energy, the startup that Hines co-founded with two fellow University of Vermont professors in 2016. In simple terms, Packetized Energy’s software analyzes how much energy every device connected to the system needs to do its work — in the case of thermostats, keeping air conditioning and heating on to deliver set temperatures — over long periods.
That data is then fed into mathematical models that analyze how much each individual customer can be expected to reduce their electricity use during a demand response event. Some homes have poor insulation or older air conditioners that don’t perform as well when it’s time to precool homes, and some people may be less comfortable putting up with multiple hours of hotter-than-usual indoor temperatures, for example. Other homes are better insulated and have more efficient cooling systems, or their residents have previously demonstrated a willingness to sweat it out for longer periods.
EnergyHub’s system divides all those customers into different categories. “We use some fairly sophisticated machine learning, differential equations, to build a mathematical model” to predict what’s going to happen to the power consumption of each group when their setpoints change, Hines said.
That’s very different from simply broadcasting a signal to every customer’s thermostat to turn up by several degrees and then waiting to see how many customers actually let those commands stand for hours at a time.
This grouping approach also allows utilities to create a three-hour load-reduction event out of programs that allow utilities to ask their customers to turn over their thermostat controls only for two hours, he noted.
That’s what EnergyHub did with Duke Energy, the sprawling utility with operations in six states. In North Carolina, dynamic load-shaping test runs this spring and summer “combined a whole bunch of two-hour events, staggered them in a smart way so we got a three-hour constant load-shed event, and minimized snapback, to get it as close to zero in that final hour,” he said. “We fed that into an optimizer that essentially explored an enormous space of what-if scenarios, to figure out what is the optimal combination of 15–20 events to get the load shape you want.”
“The result was a bunch of different schedules from different devices,” he said.
Below is a chart displaying this, with target load reductions in yellow and actual load reductions in black, followed by a second chart that color-codes the different groups that EnergyHub assembled to do the job. (Note that this chart uses positive numbers to indicate how much load reduction is happening and negative numbers to show greater-than-normal electricity consumption during precooling and postevent snapback.)
Kia is serious about boosting PHEV electric miles—and sales
It’s still working on hybrid, ICE development
Range-extended EVs could be the future of hybrids
While Kia works to expand sales of American-made EVs, it’s also aiming to broaden sales of hybrids, while expanding a plug-in hybrid lineup that may keep growing—not just in sales but in electric miles.
According to Steven Center, Kia America’s chief operating officer and executive vice president, the plug-in hybrid electric range to meet or beat is 60 miles.
That number, said Center to Green Car Reports last week at the Los Angeles auto show, may arrive in Kia production models in as little as “a couple years”—enabled by a number of factors including the continuous improvement of batteries, as well as upcoming vehicle platforms that are being laid out to allow more space for PHEV battery packs.
A PHEV with 60 miles of electric range would be a big jump from present numbers. Kia revealed refreshed 2026 Sportage hybrid and plug-in hybrid models at the auto show. Currently, the Sportage plug-in hybrid comes EPA-rated at 34 miles, and 35 mpg combined after that. That’s for the 2024 model; outputs are up slightly for 2025 and it’s unclear as of yet whether that and the refresh might alter those numbers.
2025 Kia Sportage
Center didn’t elaborate about which models might get the long-range PHEV treatment first, but he noted that the 60-mile figure was informed by an “engineering statistic” relating to the total daily-driving distance for Americans—enough to be an EV in daily driving, plus more for road trips.
That happens to be very close to California’s target of 70 miles of electric range that serves as a way automakers can earn bonus points in upcoming fleet standards.
California does mandate EVs, but in the push toward them it’s allowing automakers some added flexibility, starting with the 2026 model year, if they deliver plug-in hybrids with more range. In short, they can apply plug-in hybrid models certified at 70 miles of electric range or higher at the same fleet-credit value as an EV, while PHEVs rated at 43-69 miles qualify at a partial value of an EV.
It’s quite the engineering challenge in itself right now to get there. A top Nissan executive for product planning in North America told Green Car Reports earlier this year that to achieve 70 miles of plug-in electric range, the necessary 30- to 40-kwh battery packs remain prohibitively large and heavy. But next-generation batteries will bring down the size and weight and be easier to package.
2023 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid
Center reiterated the benefits of battery improvements. Kia also continues to develop internal-combustion engines, but it’s mainly in the context of hybrid systems. For instance, according to Center, it’s considering extended range EV tech, although it’s not yet confirmed in any future vehicle from the brand. In a series-hybrid layout with the engine running as an efficient onboard generator, this type of application might warrant an entirely new kind of engine.
For instance, on the pickup front, Ram has been working on that formula, and it’s on the way next year in the 1500 Ramcharger truck. Ram claims that it will be able to get to about 145 miles of electric range with a 92-kwh battery pack and the Pentastar 3.6-liter V-6 engine that it’s put in base-level pickups for years, put to task here only as a generator—amounting to 14,000 pounds of towing capacity and 690 miles considering an initial battery charge and full tank of gas.
While some automakers continue to see plug-in hybrids as a confusing middle ground—including examples like that Ram truck—Kia isn’t holding back in plans to emphasize them over the next few years especially.
2025 Kia Sportage Hybrid
The brand is aiming to have more of them, said Center of PHEVs, calling them “the gateway drug for electrification.”
Kia is currently selling its plug-in hybrids in all 50 states, and it’s already pushed for its dealerships to be not just EV-savvy, but plug-in-hybrid-savvy. Kia Motors America marketing director Russell Wager told Green Car Reports that it’s not an easy message for dealerships to deliver—that plug-in hybrids can go 30 or 35 miles of electric range without running the gasoline engine—but it’s already done some of this hard work.
Kia isn’t naming target volumes or percentages for its hybrid vehicles, Wager asserted. “We don’t have a goal; and the reason we don’t have a goal is the customer is going to determine.”
2024 Kia Niro
“That’s why we have three choices, so that if the customers are saying we want more hybrids, we’ll build more hybrids,” Wager explained, pointing to the flexibility not only built into the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant in Georgia that will source some upcoming Kia vehicles, but to Kia’s West Point, Georgia, plant, where the majority of Sportage production will happen—and to Korea, where additional hybrids can come from if need be.
“We’re working on the supply chain to increase what we need for hybrids,” said Center. “Customers want them, dealers will have no trouble selling them, and it’s better for the environment.”
And thus, whatever new path regulators hand to the auto industry, come January or next year, the flexibility is helping Kia look very prepared.
Source link by Green Car Reports
Author news@greencarreports.com (Bengt Halvorson)
#Kia #PHEVs #coming #miles #electric #couple #yearsquot
The world’s first electric muscle car is finally here, and Dodge is already sweetening the deal for buyers. The Dodge Charger Daytona EV is launching with 0% APR, making it even cheaper to finance than the outgoing gas-powered model. Lease prices for the electric Charger start as low as $549 per month, but the Hellcat-like Scat Pack model may be an even better deal.
Dodge Charger EV launches with 0% APR offer
The first all-electric Dodge Charger has arrived, and surprisingly, it’s already becoming more affordable. In March, Dodge unveiled the Charger Daytona EV, kicking off “the next generation of Dodge muscle.”
According to Dodge brand CEO Tim Kuniskis, the electric Charger “delivers Hellcat Redeye levels of performance.” That’s for the Scat Pack model, which comes with a Direct Connection Stage 2 upgrade kit straight from the factory.
The upgrade delivers up to 670 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 3.3 seconds. It can also cover a quarter mile in around 11.5 seconds.
In comparison, the 807 hp Dodge Charger SRT Redeye Jailbreak edition, powered by a Supercharged 6.2L HEMI SRT V8 engine, takes 3.6 seconds to get from 0 to 60 mph.
2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack (Source: Stellantis)
With a Stage 1 upgrade, the base R/T trim has up to 456 hp and 404 lb-ft of torque, good for a 0 to 60 mph time in 4.7 seconds.
Dodge opened orders for the 2024 Charger Daytona EV in September, starting at $59,995. The High-performance Scat Pack trim starts at $73,190.
2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack (Source: Stellantis)
According to a new dealer note viewed by online auto research firm CarsDirect, all 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV models are now eligible for 0% APR financing for up to 72 months.
2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV trim
Horsepower
0 to 60 mph time
Starting price
Dodge Charger Daytona R/T
496 hp
4.7 seconds
$59,995
Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack
670 hp
3.3 seconds
$73,190
2024 Dodge Charger Daytona prices and specs (excluding a $1,995 destination fee)
The offer makes the electric Dodge charger even cheaper to finance than the outgoing 2023 Dodge Charger at 5.9% APR for the same 72 months. However, this is an individual offer and cannot be combined with other deals. Based on CarsDirect analysis, the 0% APR offer is limited to the Northeast, Southern, and Central US regions.
Dodge is also offering a $1,000 loyalty bonus for Stellantis (Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Chrysler) lessees that trade in for the electric Charger.
The interior of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV (Source: Stellantis)
Update 11/26/24: The 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV launches with lease prices starting at $549 for 36 months. With $4,999 due at signing, the effective rate is $688 per month (10,000 miles per year).
Although it may not seem cheap, it’s a pretty good deal for a $60,000 electric muscle car. According to CarsDirect analysis, the outgoing Challenger R/T has an effective cost of at least $853 per month. And that’s with an MSRP of just $43,235. The EV model is nearly $20,000 more on paper but significantly less to lease than the aging 2023 model.
2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack (Source: Stellantis)
Meanwhile, the Scat Pack model may be an even better deal. With a lease money factor as low as 0.00006 on a 24-month lease, the Scat Pack trim is surprisingly lower than the lease rate of 0.00027 for the base R/T model.
It also has a higher residual value. On a 24-month lease, the Scat Pack trim has a 59% residual compared to the R/T’s 54%. With both trims eligible for a $7,500 lease incentive, the high-performance model could be an even better deal.
With the $7,500 EV tax credit incentive, eligible customers can save up to $8,500 on the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV. You may want to act fast, as these deals expire on December 2, 2024.
Jeep, another Stellantis brand, launched lease prices at just $599 per month for its first luxury electric SUV last week, the Wagoneer S. Jeep’s electric Wagoneer is also available with 0% financing.
Emerging lithium-boron producer Ioneer has received the final permit approval for its Rhyolite Ridge project from the US Bureau of Land Management.
Having received the formal approval, Ioneer expects to issue updated reserve figures and estimated project costs by December 2024 and advance toward a final investment decision with its financing partners in the first quarter of 2025.
The project in Esmeralda County, Nevada is scheduled to start construction in 2025 and first production in 2028. Its goal is to supply batteries for more than 370,000 US-manufactured EVs annually and process battery materials on-site.
Around 70% of engineering is complete for the processing facility, for which the company will evaluate and deploy new technologies to reduce water consumption. Ioneer will limit its operational footprint by avoiding the use of evaporation ponds and limit its carbon footprint as the steam-powered facility will operate independently from the Nevada energy grid.
The formal Record of Decision (ROD) follows the issuance last month of the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)1 by the BLM, which incorporated public feedback received during the April-June open comment period and concludes the formal federal permitting process, which began in early 2020.
“This permit gives us a license to commence construction in 2025 and begin our work in bolstering the domestic production of critical minerals,” said Ioneer Managing Director Bernard Rowe.
Rivian postpones, but confirms Georgia plant thanks to fresh loan money
Planned for assembly of new R2 and R3 product lines
Will supplement Rivian’s existing Illinois facility
How will new Trump era impact plans?
Rivian on Monday announced a conditional commitment from the federal government for a loan of up to $6.6 billion under the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) program.
If finalized, the loan would help fund construction of Rivian’s second assembly plant in Stanton Springs North, near the town of Social Circle, Georgia, and less than an hour from downtown Atlanta, the automaker said in a press release. The Georgia plant was announced in 2021, with an initial target opening date of 2024, but Rivian has since paused construction. As a result, the opening was first pushed back to 2027, and now 2028.
Rivian R2
Rivian said it plans to build the plant in two phases, each with an annual production capacity of 200,000 vehicles for a total capacity of 400,000 vehicles annually upon completion. The first phase is scheduled for completion in 2028, and Rivian expects to create approximately 7,500 “operations jobs” in Georgia by 2030. That’s in addition to 2,000 construction jobs to build the plant.
The same release also noted that a DOE loan “would provide significant funding for for production of the company’s mid-size platform” underpinning the R2 electric SUV and R3 and R3X hatchbacks. Rivian earlier this year opted to start R2 production in 2026 at its current Illinois factory, with the R3 models following sometime after that, while keeping the Georgia plant on pause.
Rivian R3
To finalize the loan, Rivian must satisfy certain technical, legal, environmental, and financial conditions, Reuters noted. That includes pledging to not actively oppose unionization efforts, although loan approval will not guarantee unionization at the plant, according to a report citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter.
Established in 2007 and funded in 2008 in its original form, the ATVM loan program has funded several significant projects. A loan to Tesla helped the automaker get production of the Model S underway, while Nissan used an ATVM loan to establish Leaf production in the U.S. The pace of loans, which can also go to other green-technology projects than EVs, has slowed considerably since then, and may stop completely with the incoming Trump administration.
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Author news@greencarreports.com (Stephen Edelstein)
#Rivian #awarded #6.6B #conditional #loan #Georgia #plant
Many current electric vehicle (EV) efforts focus on passenger cars. While these are the biggest contributors to transportation-related emissions, sustainability initiatives should also make room for heavy industrial equipment.
Construction machinery and other off-road vehicles account for 10% of all transportation greenhouse gas emissions—double the rail and maritime sectors combined. Thankfully, electric alternatives to conventional machines have started to come into the market. This shift stems from a few key technological improvements.
Next-Generation Batteries
Truck battery swapping in China (from CarNewsChina.com)
Like in consumer vehicles, battery-electric alternatives are the most prominent electrification solution in heavy equipment. However, conventional EV batteries struggle to meet industrial machines’ need for long working hours in harsh operating conditions.
Modular batteries offer a few key improvements. These components are interchangeable between machines of all sizes, allowing teams to swap modules between vehicles instead of stopping work to recharge. This setup also means spare batteries can charge off-site to preserve their quality before they’re needed on the job.
Cells with higher power densities, better operating temperature ranges and faster charge times also make electrification increasingly viable. Drops in prices likewise make EVs a better alternative for budget-constrained projects.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Hydrogen power is another growing solution. Fuel cells are ideal for heavy machinery that can’t sit idle for long periods to recharge, as refueling takes only a few minutes. Hydrogen is also the world’s most energy-dense fuel (for its mass), allowing equipment to run longer between fueling stops.
Cummins has a vehicle platfrom adapable to diesel, hybrid and hydrogen power
Historically, fuel cells have been too expensive to implement in most applications, but that’s changing as research makes them cheaper and more efficient. The global energy sector has already decreased its emissions by 30% thanks to broader hydrogen power adoption.
Heavy machinery—which businesses often rent and needs additional power—is also a better fit for hydrogen than road vehicles. Consequently, it could come to industrial use cases before commercial cars.
Hybrid Equipment
John Deere hybrid wheel loader
Hybrids are worth considering, too. While combining combustion engines and electric motors does still entail some emissions, it lets companies reduce their carbon footprint without as much investment or as significant a change in workflow. As a result, the technology is a helpful stepping stone to a fully electric future.
Businesses recognize this opportunity, too. Hybrids are the fastest-growing electric construction equipment segment, likely due to a combination of their familiarity and the fact that many manufacturers make them. Lowering emissions through these machines could help heavy industries move closer to environmental goals before improvements in batteries and fuel cells make those options more commercially viable.
Challenges Remain in Equipment Electrification
Innovations in batteries, fuel cells and hybrids are making the dream of effective electric equipment a reality. However, the sector hasn’t overcome all of its challenges yet. While costs may be the biggest obstacle in consumer applications, accessibility is a larger issue for industrial-grade machinery.
New Holland methane-powered tractor
The lack of charging infrastructure near worksites makes it difficult to justify a fleet of electric machines. It takes up to eight hours to fully recharge the large EV batteries used in heavy equipment (with 240V Level 2 charging), and some heavy equipment cells may require even more time. Time is also a luxury most construction projects don’t have. Faster-charging batteries or portable fast chargers may be necessary to overcome this barrier.
Hydrogen offers a potential solution, but hydrogen fuel is even less widely available. Relatively few manufacturers produce fuel cell-powered equipment, too. The market will need to mature before companies can make significant changes to their fleets.
The Future of Heavy Equipment Is Electric
Despite such challenges, electric heavy equipment has made impressive strides. Further research, advancement and market growth will eventually pave the way for low-emissions industrial work. When that shift will occur is still uncertain, but organizations already have options to reduce their carbon footprints while maintaining productivity.
The post Exploring the Tech Making Heavy Equipment Electrification Possible first appeared on Clean Fleet Report.
Source link by Clean Fleet Report
Author Ellie Gabel
#Exploring #Tech #Making #Heavy #Equipment #Electrification
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