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Tag: electric vehicles

Hampton Roads to deploy first electric buses in Va.

Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday signed legislation that will bring zero-emission electric buses to Virginia as part of an initiative to change public transportation in Hampton Roads.

Legislation sponsored by state Sen. Louise Lucas and Del. Alex Askew creates the first-ever dedicated Hampton Roads Regional Transit Program and Fund, which will be managed by the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission. 

“This legislation provides critical funding to increase access to public transit in a vital economic region of the commonwealth,” Northam said in a statement. “The transition to all-electric transportation in the Hampton Roads area will help combat climate change, reduce pollution, and drive a clean energy future across Virginia.” 

Under the new law, cities will continue funding public transit, but Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) will implement a new regional program of routes paid for with statewide and regional funding.

“We’re making history today that will benefit commuters and businesses across Hampton Roads for years to come,” HRT President and CEO William Harrell said in a statement. “A mix of reliable transit funding is long overdue, and better connections and faster commutes on public transportation will benefit everyone, even those who don’t ride the system themselves.” 

HRT will develop a network of bus routes with new buses and amenities, along with mobile ticketing and improved technology, which will launch in Hampton and Newport News in 2022. The network will eventually include 13 core bus routes and limited-stop services.

HRT’s bus fleet will include Virginia’s first public transit buses that are all-electric and produce zero emissions. The six electric transit buses use advanced battery technology and were manufactured by Proterra in Greenville, South Carolina. The electric buses will be used on Route 20, which runs between the Downtown Norfolk Transit Center and the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Virginia Beach Boulevard. 

“Investing in the transition away from dirty transportation fuels is a critical step, and the commonwealth will continue to develop projects and partnerships to move us toward cleaner transportation,” Secretary of Natural Resources Matthew J. Strickler said in a statement.

The bus project will be supported by the Department of Rail and Public Transportation’s MERIT prioritization program, which is funded by the Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean Transportation Voucher Program, the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust and the Federal Transit Administration’s Low- or No-Emission program. In October 2018, Northam announced that the commonwealth would allocate $14 million, or 15% of the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust to fund all-electric buses in Virginia. 

 

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Former Volvo Trucks exec launches commercial vehicle company

The former chief operating officer for Volvo Trucks North and South America, Patrick Collignon, announced Wednesday that he has launched Trova Commercial Vehicles (TrovaCV), located in Pulaski County’s Fairlawn area.

The company will focus on the engineering, design and production of fully electric commercial vehicles, with a goal to achieve cost-effective mass production.

Patrick Collignon. Photo courtesy Collignon
Patrick Collignon. Photo courtesy Collignon

“This is an exciting time as the electric commercial vehicle market is being reshaped,” Collignon said in a statement. “While technology and innovation have made it possible to convert fuel-powered commercial vehicles into electric vehicles, we haven’t seen a production model capable of producing the required volume of fully electric commercial vehicles to meet the demand.”

With more than 30 years of experience in the commercial vehicle industry, Collignon has worked with both the Volvo Group and General Motors. He was most recently the senior vice president of operations for the Americas for Volvo Trucks, where he led the initiative to develop and manufacture the new Mack medium duty truck platform.

TrovaCV has received support from the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors, the Economic Development Authority and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), according to the company.

As of yet, Pulaski County has not put any direct incentives into the Trova startup, says Jonathan D. Sweet, county administrator of Pulaski County. Trova’s location decision was predicated on the talent pools and “advanced manufacturing heritage in the county,” which has more than 5,000 manufacturing jobs, he says. 

“The county is excited to support Trova’s next steps and will work closely with the company in the future to facilitate access to available resources necessary to progress their industrialization plans,” Sweet says.  “Consistent with all of our industry partners, we will work diligently and creatively to enable and foster their success with the end goal of creating new opportunities for our citizens and a meaningful return on investment for Pulaski County.”

“VEDP helps businesses find the resources they need to make location and expansion successful endeavors, and we are pleased to assist Trova Commercial Vehicles with its launch in Pulaski County,” VEDP President and CEO Stephen Moret said in a statement. “Virginia champions the innovation of entrepreneurs like Patrick Collignon, and we are committed to working with our economic development partners at the state, regional, and local levels to facilitate TrovaCV’s success in the commonwealth.”

 

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