The California Energy Commission approved funding of more than US$20m for innovative transportation projects on 10 October, including US$10m added to Tesla Motors’ US$50.2m investment in developing and building its third vehicle, the Model X.
The awards, totalling US$20,093,718, were made through the Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. For the 2012-2013 fiscal year the programme is expected to invest approximately US$90m to encourage the development and use of new technologies and alternative and renewable fuels. The programme, which requires matching funding from recipients, is funded through a small surcharge on vehicle and boating registration and smog check fees.
Tesla Motors will receive US$10m to purchase equipment for the production of its SUV/crossover EV, the Tesla Model X, at the company’s facility in Fremont. Tesla is providing US$50.2m in match funding for this project, which is expected to create more than 500 new manufacturing jobs in California. The project will leverage existing investments in Tesla’s manufacturing and assembly line for the Model S. As with the Model S platform on which it’s based, Tesla expects the Model X to have a range of over 250 miles per charge. To support the state’s emerging EV market, the Energy Commission has to date invested more than US$20m in the development of 5,000 charging stations statewide and has awarded approximately US$2m to help local governments plan for more EVs.
Other Energy Commission grant award recipients are listed below:
- The Bay Area Air Quality Management District will receive US$3m for a Bay Area “eTaxi” Program. Working with Better Place Mobility Services, the air district will demonstrate battery-electric taxis that can use switchable batteries. Two battery switching stations, at the international airports in San Francisco and San Jose, and six taxis that use switchable batteries will be used. Data regarding their operation will be collected as part of the project. A similar e-taxi trial is under way with Better Place at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
- Quallion will receive US$2,230,595 to expand its manufacturing capacity and integrate advanced battery management system electronics to improve the performance, and scale up production, of lithium-ion EV batteries. Quallion is based in Sylmar (Los Angeles County), and has to date supplied Li-ion batteries for medical devices and satellites rather than transport equipment.
- Zero Motorcycles will receive US$1,815,123 to expand its electric motorcycle production capacity. The company, based in Scotts Valley (Santa Cruz County), previously outsourced manufacturing in Asia, but has chosen to bring its manufacturing and assembly operations back to California. With this award, the company plans to quadruple its motorcycle production capacity and develop new motorcycles.
- Valley Garbage and Rubbish will receive US$300,000 to build and operate a CNG fuelling station that will support the company’s fleet of natural gas-powered garbage collection trucks and will also be available for other fleets along Highway 101. There are no other CNG stations within 25 miles of the location concerned.
- The City of Mount Shasta will receive US$200,000 to produce a comprehensive plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) readiness plan for Siskiyou, Shasta, and Tehama counties.
Besides these grants, buy-down incentives totalling US$2,548,000 will be awarded for 180 alternative-fuel vehicles, most of them school buses.
