The Biden administration has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) among four federal agencies to accelerate the nation’s clean transportation future. The U.S. Departments of Energy, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will work collectively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the transportation sector and to ensure resilient and accessible mobility options for all Americans.

Working closely with states, local communities, Tribal communities, labor unions, nonprofits and the private sector, the agencies will combine efforts to advance low- and zero-emission transportation solutions to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, create clean transportation jobs, and support President Biden’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050.

“A modernized transportation sector, equipped with accessible clean energy technologies, is critical for providing commuting options that are more affordable, more secure, and produce less polluting,” states U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “This MOU exemplifies President Biden’s whole-of-government approach to bringing the benefits of a decarbonized transportation sector directly to Americans and positioning the United States to be a global leader in clean transportation manufacturing and deployment.”

The agencies will lower the costs of electric vehicles (EV) and other zero-emission vehicles and fuels. The MOU commits the agencies to release – within 90 days of the MOU signing – a comprehensive blueprint for decarbonizing the transportation sector that will help guide future policy decisions, as well as research, development, demonstration and deployment in the public and private sectors. This includes modernizing the grid to meet increased demands from the EV sector.

“With this agreement, we will collaborate across the federal government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deliver the clean transportation future that Americans want and deserve,” comments U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“Under the leadership of President Biden, EPA is working with our federal partners to aggressively reduce pollution that is harming people and our planet – while saving families money at the same time,” adds U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan. “At EPA, our priority is to protect public health, especially in overburdened communities, while advancing the President’s ambitious climate agenda. This MOU is a step forward in delivering on those goals and accelerating the transition to a clean transportation future.”

“The people HUD serves deserve clean, affordable transportation options,” mentions U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “HUD is proud to join our federal partners at Energy, DOT, and EPA to ensure that clean transportation investments are made equitably and include communities and households that have been most harmed by environmental injustice. We look forward to working together to better align transportation, housing, and community development investments in these and other communities across the country.”

Read the complete memorandum of understanding here.

Magna has developed and is piloting a novel last-mile delivery solution for urban environments. The solution integrates a purpose-built, on-road, lightweight, electric robot; Magna-developed low-speed autonomous driving system; and delivery software.

With the goal of significantly reducing last-mile delivery costs and carbon emissions in cities, the Magna new mobility team built a “full-stack” solution from the ground up, leveraging hardware and software from its automotive products. Magna’s solution enables retailers and other stakeholders to offer end-to-end last mile delivery across a range of potential business models.

The Magna-developed robot was launched on a pilot basis with a pizza restaurant in the Detroit area in March 2022. Since then, it has delivered hundreds of pizzas to residential and commercial locations near the restaurant. Magna is using data and consumer feedback to refine the service.

Magna’s robot can travel at speeds of up to 20 mph on public streets and the Magna-developed low-speed autonomous driving system uses cameras, radar, LIDAR and other hardware.

“Expanding into the growing world of new mobility is a key part of our ‘Go Forward’ strategy that takes Magna beyond its existing technical strength in automotive and vehicle systems, and into entirely new markets and business models,” says Matteo Del Sorbo, executive vice president of Magna International and global lead for Magna New Mobility. “The next phase in this pilot program is to apply our learnings to further refine the solution for a broader range of applications and use cases, scale, and unlocking innovative new business models.”

“Our expertise lies in the ability to design, engineer and scale at higher volumes. Additionally, we want to explore opportunities to generate additional revenue streams,” Del Sorbo adds. “These moves allow us to enter a space where we could offer mobility as a service, not just a point-of-sale product.”

Stanadyne, a global fuel and air management systems supplier, has unveiled a new alternative fuel injector for medium-duty and heavy-duty commercial vehicle powertrains. The company has developed a multipurpose port injector for delivering hydrogen, compressed natural gas and dimethyl ether (DME) fuels.

“Demand for gaseous fuel injection is expected to increase significantly on the path to net zero, driven by the transport market – heavy trucks, trains,” says John Pinson, Stanadyne’s CEO. “Our alternative fuel delivery systems lower emissions, increase efficiency and improve performance on the path towards zero-carbon fuel compatibility.”

Stanadyne’s new low-pressure fuel injector is capable of high flow rates and has flexible packaging for a variety of port fuel injection applications. The higher flow capacity and fuel-air mixing features of the new injector permit equivalent energy density fuel delivery when compared to traditional hydrocarbon fuels. Its modular design is based on improved materials for robust hydrogen, compressed natural gas and DME compatibility.

“Stanadyne is working hard on near-term solutions bridging the significant adoption gap between fossil-fueled propulsion and low-carbon or zero-carbon fueled vehicles,” adds Pinson. “Decarbonization of the transportation sector is, and will remain, a defining global priority.”

Ideanomics, a global company focused on accelerating the commercial adoption of electric vehicles (EV), has signed an agreement with ABC Companies, a provider of motorcoach, transit and specialty passenger transport equipment in the U.S. and Canada, allowing ABC Companies to become a certified reseller of WAVE’s wireless inductive charging technology in North America. The resale partnership expands WAVE’s distribution across North America and into private charter fleets.

“Our WAVE wireless charging technology is a proven solution that solves a major concern we’re hearing from fleet operators about going electric: ‘what happens when I run out of charge?’,” says Robin Mackie, president of Ideanomics Mobility. “With our wireless charging technology, fleet operators can cut the cord, keep their electric fleet running, and stop worrying about vehicle downtime for charging at centralized depots.”

ABC Companies and WAVE, a subsidiary of Ideanomics, executed this agreement. This collaboration builds on the successful deployment of the WAVE charging system to select ABC customers. The systems range from 125 kW to 500 kW, and a 1 MW charger in development.

At the heart of WAVE’s wireless charging solution is a proprietary ruggedized and fully automated charging pad. High power is delivered over the air from the roadway-embedded charging pads to receivers mounted on a vehicle’s undercarriage. Charging begins as soon as the vehicle aligns on top of the in-ground pad. The WAVE system is easy to operate and maintain, with no moving parts or overhead charging infrastructure. As an added benefit, WAVE wireless charging is a reliable way to charge EVs. It requires no incremental labor for manual operations and zero handling of high-power cables.

“As we continue to expand our portfolio of OEM aftermarket products and services, we need to deliver industry leading charging solutions,” states Roman Cornell, president and chief commercial officer at ABC Companies. “WAVE is an ideal fit for many types of fleets and this partnership will enhance our offerings for our current and future customers. Beginning in 2020, we began delivering fully electric motorcoaches, and now offer zero emissions options from eight to 75 passengers. The expanding electric vehicle portfolio has greatly increased the number of customers choosing sustainable solutions. Now that we are expanding our charging options, we are helping the transportation industry transition to electric.”

Volvo Trucks is beginning series production of the electric versions of the company’s Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX heavy-duty trucks. These vehicles can operate at a total weight of 44 tons; the three models represent around two thirds of the company’s sales. With these new additions, Volvo Trucks has six electric truck models in series production globally.

“This is a milestone and proves that we are leading the transformation of the industry,” says Roger Alm, president of Volvo Trucks. “It’s less than two years ago since we showcased our heavy electric trucks for the very first time. Now we are ramping up volumes and will deliver these great trucks to customers all over Europe, and later on also to customers in Asia, Australia and Latin America.”

Series production of Volvo’s heaviest electric trucks will start in the Tuve factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, followed by the factory in Ghent, Belgium next year. Volvo produces the electric trucks on the same line as its conventional trucks. The batteries are supplied by Volvo Trucks’ new battery assembly plant in Ghent.

“We have sold around 1,000 units of our heavy electric trucks and more than 2,600 of our electric trucks in total. We expect volumes to increase significantly in the next few years. By 2030, at least 50 percent of the trucks we sell globally should be electric,” comments Alm.

Volvo Trucks’ electric line-up of six truck models covers a range of applications such as city distribution and refuse handling, regional transport, and construction work.

Harbinger, a vehicle and technology manufacturer focused on medium-duty commercial electric vehicles (EV), is collaborating with Wabash, a North American manufacturer of trailers and truck bodies, to work on the last-mile delivery industry. The two companies are working together to match platform longevity with more efficient vehicle construction and enhanced driver comfort.

Harbinger and Wabash are collaborating on improving materials science coupled with better vehicle ergonomics to increase driver comfort and enhance both operator productivity and driver retention. In addition, the strategic partnership is addressing industry demands for vehicles that are both more comfortable and more suitable for cold-chain logistics.

“Electrifying the medium-duty trucking industry will only happen with the commitment of manufacturers, distributors, and technology companies who are actively seeking innovative solutions to define the next frontier of the industry,” says John Harris, CEO of Harbinger. “We are working closely with industry leading partners like Wabash to bring the commercial electric vehicles to market that are so desperately needed today to improve supply chain efficiency and reduce environmental impacts.” 

“We’re excited to continue our collaborations with electric vehicle manufacturers like Harbinger to deliver sustainable solutions in the last mile and home delivery market,” states Dustin Smith, chief strategy officer at Wabash. “Wabash intends to be at the forefront of the commercial EV market, leveraging our proprietary DuraPlate and EcoNex material technologies to reduce weight without sacrificing structural integrity of the vehicle. By combining Harbinger’s electric chassis with our lightweight and long-lasting truck bodies, together we are building solutions that are responsive to today’s dynamic market conditions.”