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SJV
Clean Transportation Summit Drives Theme of Clean Air & A
Healthy Economy
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The 2018 San Joaquin Valley Clean
Transportation Summit – hosted by the Fresno State
Transportation Institute and CALSTART, in partnership with
Fresno State’s Office of Community and Economic Development
(OCED) and Project Clean Air – was successful in
bringing awareness of the necessity of transforming transportation
to promote a healthier San Joaquin Valley.
More than 200 attendees participated in the
two-day event in Fresno March 14-15, featuring 30 vendors at
the forefront of revolutionizing the clean transportation
industry. Vehicle displays and ride-and-drive demonstrations
were located throughout the Save Mart Center parking lots,
highlighting the latest electric and natural gas vehicles for
commercial and personal use.
Eight breakout sessions explored air quality
and transportation issues in the San Joaquin Valley, as well
as opportunities for progressing toward cleaner
transportation. Sessions focused on converting to natural gas
from diesel fuel, the impact of California High-Speed Rail on
the region, the challenge of and solutions to connecting
rural cities to major urban areas, and other timely
topics.
The event concluded with the Funders Forum,
where representatives from the Fresno Council of Governments,
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, California
Transportation Commission, Center for Sustainable Energy
and CALSTART provided an overview of more
than $220 million in funding available to the
Valley for clean air projects. The goal of the funding
is to continue to progress toward clean energy transformation
that promotes healthier living conditions and increased
economic activity for our region.
More
information about the Summit, including coverage from
Fresno's KSEE television station and links to presentations,
is available on the SJV Clean Transportation Center website.
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Valley
Air District Board Approves New Funding for Truck Replacement
Program
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The
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD)
gave the region's trucking fleets a major boost when its
Governing Board on March 15 approved a new funding program to
replace diesel trucks with new zero-emission electric or
near-zero compressed natural gas engines.
Formerly known as the Truck Voucher Program (TVP), it now
simply will be called the Truck Replacement Program, SJVAPCD
Strategies and Incentives Manager Todd DeYoung told those
attending the Funders Forum at the SJV Clean Transportation
Summit, speaking just hours after the Governing Board voted
on the program changes.
Several speakers at the Summit noted that an incentive of
$70,000 or more per truck is needed to make it economically
feasible for fleets to convert from diesel engines to the new
near-zero, low-NOx engines now available from Cummins
Westport and sold by numerous manufacturers. New funding
levels will range from $100,000 for these new CNG engines to
$200,000 for an all-electric truck (see graphic above for
details). Heavy-duty diesel trucks are the single largest
contributor of NOx emissions in the Valley.
Rather than requiring 2010 and newer diesel trucks to be
destroyed, said DeYoung, the Air District is creating a
trade-up feature for those trucks to be used by smaller
fleets and agricultural operations, which then would destroy
and older, higher-polluting truck. For fleet expansion when
no existing vehicle is being retired, a grant of $20,000
would be available per truck.
DeYoung said the $20,000 grant could be combined with funding
from the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher
Incentive Project (HVIP), which is administered by CALSTART.
Visit the HVIP website for
more information. View the Governing Board presentation for more
details on the Truck Replacement Program.
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A
total of 525 test drives were conducted in Fresno during
Electrify America's Drive and Discover Tour March 5-7 at
Fashion Fair Mall – more than any other market, including Los
Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento.
Because of that success, additional tour events are scheduled
April 3-4 in Bakersfield and April 7-8 in Stockton.
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Electrify
America Discover and Drive Tour Coming to Bakersfield,
Stockton in April
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Volkswagen's
Electrify America Discover and Drive Tour was so successful
in Fresno that additional events have been added for
Bakersfield and Stockton in early April. The tour showcases
electric vehicles (EVs) and charging, with several EVs
available to test drive, including the BMW i3, Chevrolet
Bolt, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S and Volkswagen e-Golf, as
well as the battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell powered
Honda Clarity models.
The tour will be in Bakersfield April 3-4 at Bakersfield
Plaza, 4200 California Ave., and in Stockton April 8 at
Weberstown Mall, 4950 Pacific Ave., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
each day. The tour also will be at the Stockton Tune In and
Tune Up event, 1658 South Airport Way, from 6:30 a.m. to noon
on Saturday, April 7. In Fresno, the three-day event at
Fashion Fair Mall had 525 test drives – the most of any
of the tour's markets – even though it was on Monday to
Wednesday.
"It was clear to all of us that there was significant
demand in Fresno, and residents were really interested in
learning more about electric cars," said Catherine
Teebay, program manager for FORTH, which is conducting the
tour as part of Electrify America’s initial $200 million
investment in California to increase access to EVs and
adoption through brand-neutral education and promotional
activities.
Added materials about used EVs in addition to
rebates and incentives will be featured. Admission is free
and advance registration is not required but can be done online to speed up the
sign-in process at the event.
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Four
new Pipistrel Alpha Electro two-seat electric training
airplanes arrived in Fresno in March. The all-electric
aircraft are part of a new pilot-training program
administered by CALSTART's San Joaquin Valley Clean
Transportation Center, with grant funding from the Fresno
County Transportation Authority.
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Nation's
First Production Electric Aircraft Makes History Taking
Flight in Fresno
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The San Joaquin Valley now is home to the
largest concentration of production electric aircraft in
the world! Four Pipistrel Alpha Electro two-seat electric
training airplanes were delivered to Fresno
Chandler Executive Airport in March. San Joaquin
Valley Clean Transportation Center Director Joseph Oldham,
who also has been a pilot for more than 40 years, is the
innovator behind CALSTART's Sustainable Aviation Project,
which will be the nation's first flight training program
using electric aircraft.
With slightly more than $1 million in funding from the
Fresno County Transportation Authority, the program is a
partnership with the cities of Mendota and Reedley
that includes $90,000 in training assistance grant funds
for youth from disadvantaged communities in Fresno
County. The planes will operate at Fresno Chandler
Executive Airport and the municipal airports in
Reedley and Mendota.
"Had I not known Joseph and that he could deliver, I
would have laughed him out the door," said Nicole Zieba,
Reedley's City Manager. She noted that the nation, and even
the world, is facing a pilot shortage. This project brings
the hope of a high-paying job to youth living in an area
that still has high unemployment, she noted. "We
are going to change lives," Zieba said.
Oldham piloted one of the Alpha Electro planes on its
first flight March 23 from Fresno Chandler
Executive Airport. "This truly was a historic
event," he said. "It was the first flight of a
production electric aircraft in the U.S.!"
Check out this video of that
historic flight. To learn more about the project,
read the Sustainable Aviation Project Blog or website.
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Crimson
Renewable Energy, LP, is the state's largest producer of
ultra-low carbon biodiesel. The Bakersfield plant's current
production level generates emissions and carbon reduction
benefits equivalent to taking 53,000 cars off the road.
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Biodiesel
and Renewable Diesel Helping California Meet Renewable Fuel
Standard
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Richard
Nelson, Ph.D., representing the National Biodiesel Board,
and Daniel Burns from the Renewable Energy Group, Inc.,
(REG) spoke to a group of diesel fleet operators in
Bakersfield. The March 21 breakfast meeting was hosted by
Wholesale Fuels, Inc., to help inform the group about what is
in the diesel fuel they are using.
Diesel fuel often contains up to 5 percent biodiesel. Looking
at the bill of lading, not just the invoice, will show what
is in the fuel, the presenters advised. B20, up to 20 percent
biodiesel, up to B100, or pure biodiesel, are available.
California requires biodiesel to have a NOx mitigant such as CATANOX
or VESTA, Nelson noted. The presenters also cautioned that
diesel storage tanks should be cleaned before storing since
biodiesel breaks down accumulated sediments and may lead to
clogged fuel filters.
In addition to being North America's largest producer of
biodiesel, REG produces Renewable Hydrocarbon Diesel (RHD)
and offers blends of both products to maximize the benefits
of both fuels. As a 100 percent hydrocarbon product, RHD can
be blended with biodiesel and petroleum diesel. It qualifies
for various state biofuel tax incentives.
Norm Ueunten of Crimson Renewable Energy, LP, located in
Bakersfield, also attended the meeting. Crimson is the largest
producer of ultra-low carbon biodiesel in California and
distributes biodiesel to the wholesale market in the Western
U.S. The California Energy Commission (CEC) in January
awarded a $4.4 million grant to Crimson from the Alternative
and Renewable Fuels and Vehicle Technology Program to design
and operate an advanced commercial scale refinery that
converts low-value feedstocks such as trap grease, inedible
animal fats and soap stocks into biodiesel fuel. Crimson
previously received CEC funding to upgrade its plant.
The U.S. implemented the Renewable Fuels Standard in 2007 to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels.
California has expanded on these efforts with the Low Carbon
Fuel Standard (LCFS) program.
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