VW’s I.D. Buzz Cargo is an electric delivery van with a hint of flower power

There’s a new entrant in Volkswagen’s playful I.D. lineup of electric concept cars: the I.D. Buzz Cargo van. The transporter concept was presented at the IAA Commercial Vehicles conference in Hannover, Germany, as a progressive sibling of the I.D. Buzz, the all-electric, autonomous Microbus concept first unveiled at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. Made for… Continue reading VW’s I.D. Buzz Cargo is an electric delivery van with a hint of flower power

Toyota enters $82 million partnership to roll out hydrogen trucks in Los Angeles port

Toyota Project Portal 2.0 fuel cell-powered semi-trailer truck
After showing its second-generation fuel-cell semi-truck at the Port of Los Angeles in July, Toyota announced last week it will build 10 more fuel-cell trucks for the project.

In addition to the trucks, the project will add two new heavy-duty hydrogen filling stations, two new hydrogen forklifts at Toyota's warehouse at the next-door Port of Long Beach, and two new zero-emissions yard tractors at the nearby Port of Hueneme.

The California Air Resources Board will provided $41 million of funding for the project. Toyota, Shell, and Kenworth, which builds the trucks, will provide the balance of the project costs, which totals $82 million.

READ THIS: Toyota introduces second hydrogen fuel-cell powered semi working in Los Angeles

The Port of Los Angeles is the largest in the country, and has been targeted by the state for investments in zero emissions technology.

In July, Toyota revealed its second-generation fuel-cell semi truck after operating a proof-of-concept prototype for the previous year. The updated model can go 300 miles between hydrogen refills, rather than 200 for the initial truck, and has a small sleeper in the back of the cab, which the first truck lacked.

The trucks use two fuel-cell stacks from the Toyota Mirai fuel-cell car to deliver 670 horsepower and 1,325 pound-feet of torque, and include a 12-kwh battery pack to store power.

CHECK OUT: Toyota 'Project Portal' hydrogen fuel-cell heavy-duty semi tractor as proof of concept

The trucks will ferry cargo from the Port of LA to Ontario, California, where Shell is installing the two new hydrogen filling stations to complement facilities already in the Port of LA.

The projects are part of Toyota's efforts to eliminate CO2 emissions from its logistics facility in the next-door Port of Long Beach, where it is building a combined power facility to produce electricity, water, and hydrogen to power the trucks from agricultural wastes.

DON'T MISS: California utilities commission passes record incentives for chargers

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are a primary focus of California's efforts to clean up its air. About 40 percent of all imports and exports traveling to and from the U.S. come through the ports, creating a concentration of diesel trucks that has been linked to poor health in the area.

California is expanding efforts to replace those trucks with zero-emissions battery-electric and fuel-cell replacements. Toyota's agreement is the largest part of the hydrogen initiative in the area. The state is also expanding infrastructure to charge a growing number of electric drayage trucks and other equipment at the facility.

BMW and Daimler submit application to EU Commission: Car2go and DriveNow agree on merger

Getty Images / AFP DriveNow and Car2go: The merger is in the final meters After months of negotiations, they were able to clarify their issues: BMW Show stock market chart and Daimler Show stock market chart have submitted the merger of their car-sharing offers to the EU Commission for approval. In advance, the corporations had… Continue reading BMW and Daimler submit application to EU Commission: Car2go and DriveNow agree on merger

Lime hits 11.5 million bike and scooter rides

Bike and scooter company Lime recently hit 11.5 million rides, a couple of months after it surpassed six million rides. This milestone comes just 14 months after Lime deployed its first bikes. Today, Lime is in more than 100 markets throughout the U.S. and Europe. Last December, Lime brought its bikes to a number of European… Continue reading Lime hits 11.5 million bike and scooter rides

VW reimagines the microbus as an all-electric cargo hauler

The slow roll towards electrified vehicles isn’t isolated to passenger cars and SUVs. Manufacturers are investing in commercial vehicles as well — everything from school buses and delivery vans to big commercial trucks. VW Group’s vision for an electrified commercial vehicle future also includes a microbus. The automaker’s commercial vehicles unit unveiled five zero-emission vehicles… Continue reading VW reimagines the microbus as an all-electric cargo hauler

Lyft Continues Rollout of Scooters with Launch in Santa Monica

Today, we’re excited to introduce Lyft Scooters in Santa Monica, our second market following the launch in Denver earlier this month. Lyft was founded in San Francisco over six years ago, and Santa Monica is our first market in California where we’re operating scooters (and soon bikes), so we’re thrilled to bring this solution to… Continue reading Lyft Continues Rollout of Scooters with Launch in Santa Monica

Hyundai signs deal to sell 1,000 hydrogen-powered trucks in Switzerland

SEOUL (Reuters) – Hyundai Motor said on Wednesday it will sell 1,000 hydrogen-powered trucks in Switzerland over the next five years through a new tie-up, betting the vehicles could beat battery-powered models sold by the likes of Tesla Inc. FILE PHOTO: A car dealer stands in front of the logo of Hyundai Motor at its… Continue reading Hyundai signs deal to sell 1,000 hydrogen-powered trucks in Switzerland

Subsidies for German battery cell factory: Merkel’s tedious pick-up maneuvers for electric cars

All articles and backgrounds 09/19/2018 Subsidies for German battery cell factory Merkel’s tedious pick-up maneuvers in e-cars DPA Economics Minister Peter Altmaier and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (both CDU) want a German battery cell factory Now the reaffirmation comes from the very top: Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed on Wednesday that in Germany a separate battery… Continue reading Subsidies for German battery cell factory: Merkel’s tedious pick-up maneuvers for electric cars