The Energy Commission approved more than $10 million in grants for four alternative-fuel projects, which will be demonstrated in economically distressed areas that may benefit from additional jobs the projects will generate. They will be a vital part of the transportation technologies needed to meet California’s air quality, public health and climate change goals.
The Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP) projects include $2.9 million to CALSTART, Inc. to build and test four 33-foot battery-electric buses in Los Angeles; $2.8 million to Motiv Power Systems, Inc., to build and test large, battery-electric school buses in Reedley, Colton and Los Angeles; and $2.6 million to Hydrogenics USA Inc., for an advanced fuel-cell truck to transport containers from ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach along a 150-mile loop to a rail network and $2.1 million for an advanced fuel-cell bus to be tested in the Coachella Valley.
The Energy Commission also awarded $3.6 million to the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory to provide technical support for the state’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Action Plan, to assess the benefits of the ARFVTP and to review proposals for hydrogen fueling stations.
Source: California Energy Commission
