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Aptera awarded $21M grant from California Energy Commission to help bring solar EVs to production

Aptera Production

Solar electric vehicle startup Aptera Motors shared encouraging news today as it has been awarded a grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to the tune of $21 million. The grant comes as welcomed news for Aptera as it looks to reach scaled production of its namesake solar EV as one of the few startups left trying to successfully scale the sustainable technology for the masses.

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The greenwashing of cow poop harvesting. Should BMW be involved?

BMW greenwashing

You read that right. Poop. Manure. Cow pies. US Dairy farming remains a massive contributor of greenhouse gas methane emitted by its endless lanes of cattle providing milk to the public. California in particular currently sits at as the US dairy farming mecca, but also accounts for nearly half of the methane emissions in the entire state. New recycling methods have been put into place and automakers like BMW have utilized their carbon offsets to power its EVs, but many argue this is greenwashing and the entire incentive program encourages more emissions, not less.

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California’s ‘Lithium Valley’ project powers up EV battery boom with millions in tax breaks

California Lithium

During a press conference yesterday, supervisors in Imperial County, California, announced they had voted unanimously to offer tax rebates, property tax deductions, and the potential for further incentives to any and all battery manufacturers willing to produce Lithium products within the county’s lines. The county shared it is also seeking federal funding and state programs to support its “Lithium Valley” project with hopes of bringing more battery manufacturing to California.

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Low-cost electric motorcycle maker RYVID lands $20M to manufacture in California

ryvid anthem

There’s a growing number of affordably priced electric motorcycles hitting the US market, but many are still produced overseas. Thanks to a $20M California grant though, electric motorcycle manufacturer RYVID will be able to build its RYVID Anthem bikes in the Golden State and create hundreds of jobs in the process.

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The Biden administration just announced the first-ever California offshore wind lease sale

California offshore floating wind

The US Department of the Interior today announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will hold an offshore wind energy lease sale on December 6, 2022, off central and northern California. It’s also the first-ever US sale to support potential commercial-scale floating offshore wind energy development.

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Rivian applies to establish pre-delivery and service center in Orange County, California

Rivian California

US EV automaker Rivian has submitted a permit application to the Planning Commission of the City of Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. According to the application, Rivian has requested a conditional use permit (CUP) to revamp an industrial building to support 24/7 maintenance and receive new EVs for inspection before they’re delivered to customers.

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Utility locations hint at possible addresses for Rivian Adventure Network chargers in California

Rivian Adventure Network california

Once again, members on Rivian Forums have found new details hinting at what the EV automaker has in store next. According to a list of job locations for planning engineers, there are several potential spots picked out in Northern and Central California for the Rivian Adventure Network. Rivian has previously shared a map of its 3,500+ DC fast chargers coming in the next two years, but the public has not seen many specific addresses of those locations.

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Senators urge President Biden to set end date for ICE vehicle sales

President Biden

In an unconfirmed letter to the Commander in Chief, two US Senators from California urged the administration to follow their state’s lead in establishing a phase out date for gas-powered vehicles. Furthermore, President Biden and his team are maneuvering how to reimplement vehicle emissions rules eased by the previous administration.

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California bans per-minute billing; Tesla Superchargers will need displays

California budget

On December 16, 2019, California’s Office of Administrative Law approved amendments to its Electric Vehicle Fueling Systems Specifications. These rules ban operators of electric vehicle charging stations from billing by the minute at new 240Vac stations in 2021 onwards, and new DCFC stations 2023 onwards.

This is a huge blow to Electrify America and EVgo. Both firms bill by the minute for EV charging, leaving drivers with sticker shock and feeling ripped off by the end of the session. Chargepoint will also be negatively affected, as many of their site-host partners choose to bill per minute. And while Tesla already bills by the kilowatt-hour, California will also be requiring charging stations to physically display “on their face” important information about electricity cost and delivery, a move that will put the most burden on Tesla’s Supercharger stations.


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