The California Energy Commission continued its support for zero-emission vehicle technologies by approving three major alternative fuel infrastructure agenda items totaling over $6 million.
An additional $5 million was approved to help fund environmental research to improve natural gas efficiency and $4 million to fund energy efficiency projects in schools.
The transportation investments were funded through the Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP).
To date, the ARFVTP has invested more than $400 million in at least 260 alternative fuel, infrastructure, and vehicle technology projects.
The investments include:
– Electric vehicle charging: Ten grants totaling over $3.5 million for 181 electric vehicle charging stations to be installed along California highway corridors, and at destination locations, workplaces, and multifamily buildings. The approved recipients are Clean Fuel Connection, Bio-Rad Laboratories, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Redwood Coast Energy Authority, California EV Alliance, CSU Fresno Foundation, City of Coronado, City of Torrance, Southern California Public Power Authority, and Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
– Heavy duty, vehicle-to-grid fleet: A $2.3 million contract to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will help fund demonstration of an all-electric, heavy duty, non-tactical vehicle-to-grid (V2G) fleet at Moffett Field near San Jose. The vehicles will explore the revenue-generating capability of V2G technology to participate in California’s electricity markets, where the vehicles can both get charged by the grid and send energy back to the grid to help meet demand.
– Operations and maintenance for Hydrogen fueling stations: Four grants totaling $1.2 million for the operation and maintenance of hydrogen refueling stations throughout the state. This complements the Energy Commission’s recently announced $46.6 million investment that will be used to build a hydrogen refueling station infrastructure. Automakers anticipate bringing the fuel-cell vehicles to the road starting this summer. The approved recipients are Air Liquide Industrial, Mebtahi Station Services, CSU Los Angeles University Auxiliary Services, and H2 Frontier.
