In This Issue

Alternative Fuel Corridor Planning
DOE Funding Opportunity Announcements
Off Road Recreational Vehicles-Discussion with Electric Dirt Bike Owner

March has been a busy month for VSCCC and clean energy funding. Our director has had a full schedule attending alternative fuel events and working with ADOT on designating new alternative fuel corridors in Arizona. There have also been so many new clean energy projects and funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) from the DOE that we can’t possibly fit them all in one newsletter. We will highlight just a few of these FOA’s in this issue. All in all, it is encouraging to see the amount of research and innovation that is being utilized by our country as it works towards a cleaner future.

Alternative Fuel Corridor Planning with ADOT

Our director, Don Covert, has spent the past couple months working with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) developing selection criteria to be used in the designation of new alternative fuel corridors in Arizona. Alternative fuel corridors are roadways that have been designated by the Federal Highway Administration to be equipped with alternative fueling stations at set intervals depending on the the type of fuel. For example, an electric fuel corridor is required to have a charging station every 50 miles along its course. Don has been participating as a member of ADOT’s Alternative Fuel Corridor Criteria Committee, where he has assisted with several areas of planning including identifying current EV charging and alternative fuel stations along Arizona’s roadways. Using this information, corridors can be planned to take advantage of existing alternative fuel infrastructure in the state. With the additional criteria developed by the Corridor Criteria Committee, ADOT can now select and submit new corridor plans to funding programs such as the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. You can view Arizona’s current and pending alternative fuel corridors on the Alternative Fuel Data Center’s Alternative Fueling Station Locator Map.

DOE Funding Opportunity Announcements

March saw the opening of applications for the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program. This program will provide $2.5 billion over 5 years to cities, counties, local governments and tribes to be used in the building of EV and other alternative fuel infrastructure in publicly accessible places in both urban and rural areas. More information on this funding opportunity as well as technical assistance can be found at the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation.

Funding to advance Clean Hydrogen Technologies has also been announced. As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $750 million will be made available for research, development and demonstration efforts with the goal of reducing the cost of Clean Hydrogen. Learn more about funding and hydrogen technology at the DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office as well as the DOE’s Hydrogen Program page.

The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced another funding opportunity for the advancement of research, development, and demonstration projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the industrial sector. This funding opportunity will be led by EERE’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) and will be awarded to projects in several different topic areas. Some of these include low carbon fuels utilization and the decarbonization of industrial heat, iron, steel, cement, concrete and food and beverage products. Learn more about this opportunity here.

Fleet Forward

VSCCC had a wonderful time at the Fleet Forward event last month. The Fleet Forward Tour travels around the country hosting single day events that promote EV technologies. VSCCC was proud to be a sponsor of the tour’s stop here in Arizona. The event, held in Mesa, was very informative and provided great networking opportunities for everyone who attended. The day was filled with discussions and presentations covering EV challenges, benefits and adoption strategies. Participants heard from small business owners, city fleet managers and representatives from the City of Phoenix, Arizona Public Services (APS) and Salt River Project (SRP). The event also had a ride and drive session where there were several different EV’s on display and available for test driving. We enjoyed meeting new people in the EV field and we were happy to have a chance to share what we do as a Clean Cities Coalition with the event attendees.

*Attendees listen to a presentation at Fleet Forward Event*

Off Road Vehicles - An Exciting New Market for EV’s- Discussion with Electric Dirt Bike Owner

We at VSCCC are excited about the recent emergence of electric vehicle technologies in off-highway vehicles. Outdoor recreation plays a large role in the economies of many of our states, especially here in Arizona. Motorized recreation in Arizona accounted for an estimated $5.2 billion dollars of economic value in the year 2020. (Duval et al., 2020) These off-highway vehicles represent a substantial number of gasoline fuel vehicles, that if replaced with electric, could make a real difference in lowering the amount of harmful emissions that are released into the environment.

For this reason, VSCCC arranged to have an electric dirt bike demonstration at the Ride and Drive session of last month’s Fleet Forward Event. The bike, a 2022 KTM Electric Free Ride, was provided courtesy of our friend Bridger Greenman. Bridger is an Arizona small business owner and avid trials agility and enduro rider. Trials and enduro racing are both very technical forms of off-road dirt bike riding. These competitions have riders navigate through trails filled with obstacles and difficult terrain.We talked with Bridger and asked him what his reasons were for purchasing an electric dirt bike for use in these races. He explained that there are many benefits that come with an electric dirt bike. They are light weight, quiet, and have instant acceleration with programmable power delivery capabilities. They also don’t release any harmful emissions!

When he bought his new 2022 KTM Electric Free Ride dirt bike, Bridger decided to modify it so that it could better handle the difficult conditions that he rides in. For example, he found that the factory KTM’s power train didn’t have the exact power characteristics he needed for his trials and enduro rides. To fix this, he designed and built his very own custom powertrain. Along with the powertrain, Bridger also wanted to decrease the weight of his dirt bike by building a lighter and more powerful battery pack. Bridger told us one of his favorite features of an electric dirt bike is the ability to program it with different levels of power delivery. To take advantage of this feature he installed an advanced programmable controller on his bike. This allows him to adjust the power delivery depending on the terrain he is riding through.

With these modifications, Bridger has found his electric dirt bike to be just as competitive as a traditional gasoline bike, even when riding in tough conditions. With more manufacturers starting to offer electric off road vehicles, we hope to see more people like our friend Bridger enjoying the great outdoors in zero emission vehicles.