PROJECTS
CALSTART, in collaboration with its partners, manages the following independent programs to advance growth in the industry.
You can find more information about these projects under Initiatives and Activities.
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and CALSTART manage California’s Electric Truck Research and Utilization Center (eTRUC) for the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) $13 million research hub for electric technology in truck applications. eTRUC is a stakeholder-driven collaboration of industry, government, academia, and community partners committed to the development, advancement, and deployment of heavy-duty high-power charging infrastructure along key freight corridors in California.
With support from the Department of Energy (DOE), CALSTART and its partners collect and analyze data from a diverse set of electric vehicles (EVs) across different applications, geographies, terrains, and climatic conditions. Data from medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) EVs – battery-electric school buses, transit buses, trucks, and off-road equipment – from both public and private fleets as well as Clean Cities Coalitions is of particular interest. With this data, we are creating a public database, visualization tools, and more to support the anticipated growth of electrified transportation nationally.
This new program clearly defines what it means to be a sustainable fleet by setting objective, meaningful standards and guidelines to achieve. Designed by fleets, for fleets, CALSTART tapped the collective resources, experience, and expertise of veteran fleet managers, as well as the organization NAFA, to establish the official standard for being a sustainable fleet. CALSTART partnered with NAFA which provides the data collection and calculation tools used to justify tier levels of the participants.
With support from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), CALSTART leads Charge to Work NY, an innovative electric vehicle workplace charging program for the greater New York City area. This program, a collaboration with ChargePoint, the New York City Department of Transportation, Empire Clean Cities, and the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), facilitates the uptake of EV charging stations at NYC-area workplaces to boost EV adoption throughout the region.
Drive Clean Chicago provides point-of-sale voucher incentives for electric and hybrid-electric trucks and buses in the six-county metro Chicago region. CALSTART administers Drive Clean Chicago on behalf of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT).
The Global Commercial Vehicle Drive to Zero program (Drive to Zero) aims to enable and accelerate the growth of global zero- and near-zero-emission (ZE) commercial vehicles, with the vision that ZE technology will be commercially viable by 2025 and dominate by 2040 in specific vehicle segments and regions – China, the United States of America (led by California), the European Union, India, Canada, Japan, Mexico and South America.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) in partnership with CALSTART launched the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) and Low NOx Engine Incentives to accelerate the purchase of cleaner, more efficient trucks and buses in California.
In partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), and the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), CALSTART administers the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program (NYT-VIP), which provides point-of-sale discounts for fleets purchasing an all-electric, hybrid, or compressed natural gas bus, truck, or van. For more information or to see what vehicles and vendors are eligible for voucher projects, visit our website.
With funding from the California Energy Commission, CALSTART opened the San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Center. The Center’s goal is to accelerate the use of clean vehicles and fuels and help the region more quickly meet its air quality targets.
The Shared Electric Vehicle Employer Demonstrator (SEED) Program is a joint project between LA Metro, Pasadena Department of Transportation, and CALSTART designed to increase the education, acceptance, and adoption of EVs and workplace charging in the City of Pasadena. Through the program, Pasadena employees take part in free extended trials with electric vehicles and use the workplace as their primary charging source. This experience helps remove stigmas related to EVs and promotes the use of EVs and workplace charging.
Commercial airports are sources of high levels of economic activity and emissions. This project worked to reduce air pollution at airports from aviation, as well as ground activities on the airside (ground support equipment, airfield operations, aircraft fueling, emergency operations, etc.) and on the landside (taxis, shuttles, parking operations, passenger pick-up/drop-off, cargo delivery, etc.).