Clean energy news: January 2023
Nikola launches first hydrogen fuel cell truck mobile fueler
Vertical farm in Avondale promotes sustainability, technology and water conservation
Imagine a farm that grows crops on platforms in a controlled environment, uses 99% less water than a traditional farm and grows seasonal produce year round – all without soil or anyone driving a tractor. This is the goal of OnePointOne, a 12,000-square-foot “vertical farm” in an Avondale industrial park that grows kale, arugula, spinach, basil, dill, baby leaf lettuce and strawberries. Vertical farming grows produce in vertically stacked layers rather than horizontally in an open field. The practice can use soil, hydroponic or aeroponic growing methods. Read more >>
Nikola moving battery manufacturing from California to its Pinal County plant
Three months after completing its acquisition of battery maker Romeo Power Inc., Phoenix-based zero-emissions auto maker Nikola Corp. says it will move its battery manufacturing operations to Arizona. The move will transfer those operations from Cypress, California — where Romeo is based — to Nikola’s plant in Coolidge in Pinal County, south of Phoenix. Read more >>
Atlis Motor Vehicles reaches 2 gigawatt-hours in customer demand for batteries
Atlis Motor Vehicles, a vertically integrated electric vehicle technology ecosystem company, and the first battery manufacturer to be fully owned and operated in the US, today announced it has reached a milestone of two gigawatt-hours’ worth of battery capacity demand in the form of non-binding Letters of Intent, Memoranda of Understanding, and Purchase Orders from customers in the automotive, heavy equipment, and solar industries. Read more >>
Arizona Gov. Hobbs talks water management in State of State, launches groundwater council
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs addressed water management during her State of the State speech Monday afternoon, and she signed an executive order to set up a council focused on groundwater management. Hobbs spoke of the Colorado River water cuts that went into effect at the start of the calendar year, as the key water source for much of the Western U.S. has been impacted by drought and overuse. Read more >>
Netherlands firm to bring water recycling technology to Phoenix homes
A Dutch company is launching a water recycling system in Arizona at a time when Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is pushing for more water conservation measures in the Grand Canyon State. Hydraloop founders were in the Valley last week on their way to Consumer Technology Association’s high-profile annual CES trade show in Las Vegas, where the company won the CES2023 Innovation Award in the Smart Home category. Read more >>
Solar company announces manufacturing plant, hundreds of jobs for Phoenix
A China-based solar cell and module manufacturer is locating its first U.S. manufacturing plant in the Phoenix metro at a newly built industrial facility. JA Solar, which has corporate offices across the globe, signed a lease in December for a 763,410-square-foot building at the GO|99 South project located at the southeast corner of 99th Avenue and Buckeye Road in west Phoenix. The project will represent a $60 million investment. Read more >>
Trucking co. purchases Nikola electric semi-truck to offer sustainable shipping solutions
PGT Trucking Inc., a multi-service transportation firm offering flatbed, dedicated, international and specialized services, announces the purchase of their first Nikola Tre battery-electric vehicle (BEV) semi-truck, becoming the first flatbed trucking company to actively grow its fleet with zero-emissions equipment. PGT will immediately utilize the Nikola Tre BEV on a select customer account, primarily operating on local, dedicated routes. Read more >>
Vietnamese electric vehicle survives Arizona’s heat, but navigating U.S. market will be tougher
America is about to get another electric car brand, one that’s gone from the steaming jungles of Vietnam to the scorching deserts of Arizona. VinFast has entered the competitive U.S. market with SUVs, including two Italian-designed crossover SUVs it introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. They join two other models that debuted last year. The first 999 cars to be delivered to customers arrived in the U.S. in December, the company announced. Read more >>
Nikola takes steps to qualify its hydrogen trucks in California incentive program
Phoenix-based Nikola Corp. (Nasdaq: NKLA) said its hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) has crossed a key hurdle that allowed it to apply for eligibility with the state of California for its Tre FCEV to be authorized for voucher incentives in that state. The company said it received a Zero Emission Powertrain (ZEP) executive order from the California Air Resources Board for the truck. That means that the vehicle meets the emissions standards required for zero-emission powertrains to be sold in California. Read more >>
SRP researches cloud seeding in White Mountains to create snow amid historic drought
Arizona has been looking to a myriad of solutions to stem its worsening drought, including cloud seeding. The Salt River Project, which delivers water and electricity to central Arizona, has formed a partnership with the White Mountain Apache Tribe to research the feasibility of ground-based cloud seeding in the White Mountains in eastern Arizona. So far, SRP is in the early stages of researching cloud seeding. Read more >>
ElectraMeccanica’s Mesa plant is up and running: Meet the woman leading the growth team
Julie Ibara got behind the wheel of a Volkswagen before she turned 10. That joyride, which she insists was well below the speed limit, ended in a minor crash into a support beam of a home in Hawaii, where she grew up. Her father and grandfather both worked in a sugar mill on the island. Ibara has vivid memories of watching molasses spin and riding in cane trucks. Read more >>
Phoenix commits to 100% zero-emission bus fleet by 2040
Phoenix City Council voted 8-0 to transition 100% of the city’s bus fleet to zero-emission models by 2040. Phase 1 of this transition plan includes a moratorium on purchasing compressed natural gas (CNG) buses after 2024, thereafter purchasing only low- and zero-emission buses, including hybrid-electric, battery-electric, and fuel-cell-electric buses. This comes almost a year after City Council unanimously approved a $150 million request for proposals (RFP) for low- and zero-emission buses and put significant limits on a contract for (CNG) buses. Read more >>
Agreement announced to supply lithium-ion batteries for Lucid Air luxury EVs
Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd., a Panasonic Group company, and Lucid Group, Inc. announced they have entered into multi-year agreements to supply batteries for Lucid’s award-winning luxury electric vehicle, Lucid Air, the fastest-charging, longest-range EV on the market, and Lucid’s upcoming Gravity SUV. The agreement marks another milestone in Panasonic’s plans to expand production of lithium-ion EV batteries beyond Japan and into the U.S. with production coming from both a facility in Japan, as well as expected future production from its recently announced battery production facility in De Soto, Kansas. Read more >>
Scottsdale becomes first in Arizona to mandate ‘green’ building rules
Future developments in Scottsdale will now have to follow the city’s environmentally-friendly “green building code,” a set of construction rules that are expected to cut a fifth of each new building’s water usage and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 10%. The code itself isn’t anything new, but how it’s being implemented could become a model for a region facing the ravages of a changing climate. Read more >>