The US Department of Energy (DOE), in coordination with General Motors and MathWorks, announced that the Georgia Institute of Technology has been named the winner of the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge, which tasked 11 North American universities with applying advanced vehicle technologies to a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer while considering emissions, safety,... Read more →

Cummins and Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America, are collaborating to upfit and validate Freightliner Class 8 Cascadia trucks with a Cummins hydrogen fuel cell powertrain for use in North America. Freightliner will leverage Cummins’ fourth-generation fuel cell powertrain, which provides improved power... Read more →

Lightning eMotors, a provider of medium-duty and specialty commercial electric vehicles for fleets, has expanded its partnership with Forest River (earlier post) to offer a factory-certified all-electric repower program for shuttle buses and passenger vans. Forest River is a Berkshire Hathaway Company that manufactures shuttle buses, recreational vehicles, cargo trailers,... Read more →

The Swiss technology company ecovolta, a division of ecocoach AG, together with the vehicle and boat specialists of Friedli Fahrzeuge AG, has electrified the well-known Can-Am Traxter for the first time. The vehicle is used in the mountain village of Stoos, which is located in the Swiss canton of Schwyz... Read more →

Romeo Power and Wrightspeed are working together to leverage Romeo Power’s high-capacity battery packing and module technology along with Wrightspeed’s high-torque, high-efficiency powertrain system to accelerate electrification in the bus, and medium- and heavy-duty truck market. There are more than one million existing buses and trucks that are candidates for... Read more →

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), MTI, and Elomatic Oy, a Finnish maritime consulting and engineering firm, have completed the development of a concept design for an ammonia-fuel ready LNG-fueled vessel (ARLFV) for the transition to a future marine fuel. NYK and MTI have established the long-term target of net-zero emissions... Read more →

Lightning eMotors has reached an agreement with General Motors to be the first GM Specialty Vehicle Manufacturer (SVM) to provide fully electric Class 3 through Class 6 commercial vehicles. Under the agreement, Lightning eMotors will electrify popular medium-duty truck platforms provided by General Motors, which can be used for several... Read more →

Australia-based Li-S Energy has entered into an agreement with Janus Electric to develop and to test lithium sulfur and/or lithium-metal battery cells to suit the requirements of the Janus Electric exchangeable prime mover battery packs. Janus Electric has developed a system to convert diesel powered prime mover fleets to electric... Read more →

In the US, diesel freight trains emit 35 million metric tons of CO2 annually and produce air pollution that leads to $6.5 billion in health costs, resulting in an estimated 1,000 premature deaths each year. Now, researchers from the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), collaborating... Read more →

The US Army’s Project Manager Transportation Systems (PM TS), part of Program Executive Office for Combat Support & Combat Service Support (PEO CS&CSS), has partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to prototype a hybrid conversion kit for tactical vehicles. The effort will initially focus on integrating an idle-reduction capability... Read more →

The technology group Wärtsilä will commercially launch its Two-Stroke Future Fuels Conversion platform during the first quarter of 2022. This innovative and patented engine combustion technology platform will enable the fast and cost-effective conversion of two-stroke main engines to operate on clean-burning future fuels. This is seen as a major... Read more →

Universal Hydrogen Co. (earlier post) has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with ACIA Aero Leasing (ACIA), a regional aircraft lessor with offices in Ireland, France, Canada, Mauritius, and South Africa. ACIA expects to place 10 firm orders for Universal Hydrogen’s ATR 72 conversion kits with additional purchase rights for... Read more →

Lightning eMotors and ABC Companies, a leading provider of motor coach, transit and specialty passenger transport equipment, announced the sale of the largest battery-electric double-decker motor coach to All Aboard America! Holdings, the fourth-largest motor coach operator in the US. The first delivery to Lux Bus America in Anaheim, CA... Read more →

In Las Vegas for SEMA, Ford revealed the all-electric F-100 Eluminator concept—a zero-tailpipe-emissions demonstration truck powered by the all-new Ford Performance Parts Eluminator electric crate motor that customers can now buy online. Based on a heritage 1978 F-100 pickup, the F-100 Eluminator concept features all-wheel drive via two powerful electric... Read more →

Hydra Energy, the Hydrogen-as-a-Service (HaaS) provider for commercial fleets looking to reduce emissions and costs with limited risk and no up-front investment (earlier post), has delivered its first hydrogen-converted, heavy-duty truck to paying fleet customer Lodgewood Enterprises. Hydra offers a proven hydrogen-diesel, co-combustion retrofit approach; the retrofitted engines can run... Read more →

The technology group Wärtsilä and Norwegian ship owner Eidesvik Offshore ASA have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at converting an offshore supply vessel (OSV) to operate with an ammonia-fueled combustion engine with required fuel supply and safety system. This project will be the first of its kind and has a... Read more →

TWAICE, a provider of predictive analytics software that optimizes the development and operation of lithium-ion batteries, and pepper motion GmbH (formerly etrofit), a company offering solutions for the electrification (retrofitting) of used and new commercial vehicles such as trucks in distribution transport, buses in local public transport (LPT) and municipal... Read more →

Wrightspeed and Matthews Specialty Vehicles are teaming up to develop, convert, and deliver battery-powered and range-extended electric buses, trucks, and specialty vehicles with industry-leading performance, efficiency, and total cost of ownership. The companies are currently fulfilling their first order from Allen Global Enterprises (AGE) to develop and produce 30 tactical... Read more →

XL Fleet Corp. is now offering its hybrid electric drive system for Ram 2500 and 3500 heavy duty pickup trucks. The XLH system represents the company’s first electrification product to be available for Ram Commercial, Stellantis’ line of commercial pickup trucks. XL Fleet’s newest product represents the fourth OEM platform... Read more →

Ricardo has received UK Government funding to create a retrofit hydrogen fuel cell bus demonstrator for the UK’s first hydrogen transport hub in the north-east of England. To demonstrate progress with its national hydrogen strategy, the UK Government launched the Tees Valley Hydrogen Hub, and initiated the Hydrogen Transport Hub... Read more →

Micro Bird Holdings, a Blue Bird and bus distributor Girardin joint venture and North American market leader in the Type A school bus market, has acquired a controlling interest in the EV drivetrain integrator and supplier GranTuned Automobiles (Ecotuned). This strategic acquisition firmly positions Micro Bird for substantial growth in... Read more →

Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) announced it will be working together with Sierra Northern Railway, Gas Technology Institute (GTI), and other technical experts to develop and test a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell engine for a switcher locomotive. (Earlier post.) Switcher locomotives are a type of engine for trains that carry... Read more →

XL Fleet Corp. and ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc., one of the world’s leading independent global bus manufacturers, have announced a partnership to electrify ARBOC Freedom low floor buses with the XL Hybrid (XLH) electric propulsion system. The wheelchair-accessible buses are built on the GM 4500... Read more →

Surf Air Mobility Inc., has signed a purchase agreement with Textron Aviation for up to 150 Cessna Grand Caravan EX single-engine turboprop aircraft, with an initial fleet order of 100 aircraft and an option for 50 more. The Cessna Grand Caravan EX is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc.,... Read more →

De Lijn, the public transport operator (PTO) in the Flemish part of Belgium, is ordering 44 new articulated plug-in e-hybrid buses; further, the operator confirmed the upgrade of 280 if its current hybrid buses into e-hybrids. Their extended zero-emission range will contribute significantly towards improving air quality in the cities... Read more →

Universal Hydrogen (earlier post) has signed LOIs with Icelandair Group (Iceland), Air Nostrum (Spain), and Ravn Air (Alaska) for aftermarket conversion of aircraft to hydrogen propulsion and for the supply of green hydrogen fuel using Universal Hydrogen’s modular capsules. Rendering of regional airplane with conversion kit and fuel capsules. Icelandair.... Read more →

XL Fleet Corp. announced that its XL Hybrid electric drive system is now available as an upfit solution for the new Isuzu NPR-HD. The electrification system is XL Fleet’s newest product release and enables Isuzu customers to electrify one of its newest and most popular medium-duty low cab forward vehicles,... Read more →

VivoPower International has entered into a binding Letter of Intent with Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Limited to create a program for the electrification of Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles using conversion kits designed and manufactured by VivoPower’s wholly-owned electric vehicle subsidiary, Tembo e-LV B.V. The binding LOI sets out the terms... Read more →

UK-based ULEMCo signed an exclusive MoU with ENGV Pty Ltd to collaborate on developing a market for its hydrogen dual fuel technology in Australia. The scope of the agreement extends across Australia and into commercial vehicles, particularly heavy-duty applications like refuse collection, urban trucks, buses and prime movers. By using... Read more →

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) will convert 200 new Ford F-250 service pickup trucks to run on renewable natural gas (RNG). The service trucks will be outfitted with the newest Landi Renzo Eco Ready equipment, a California Air Resource Board (CARB)-certified ultra-low emissions vehicle system. Equipping these 200 service vehicles... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems will provide fuel cell modules to Sierra Northern Railway—the freight division of privately-owned Sierra Energy Corporation, operating in Northern California—to power a zero-emission switching locomotive. A purchase order for the fuel cell modules is expected to be issued by Sierra by mid-year 2021. The pilot program will... Read more →

Commercial vehicle manufacturers Lightning eMotors and REV Group, Inc. are co-developing all-electric ambulances with Leader Emergency Vehicles, a REV Group subsidiary. Available to government agencies, municipalities, commercial operators, hospitals, and non-profit organizations, delivery to customers will be at the end of this calendar year. The new Leader ambulances will be... Read more →

Apex Clean Energy has ordered 19 electrified Ford F-series pickup trucks from XL Fleet, including ten plug-in hybrid electric and nine hybrid electric systems for pickups in its service fleet, for delivery in the second quarter of 2021. Apex is a leading clean energy company that develops, constructs, and operates... Read more →

Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS)—the UK SME leading the Project Fresson consortium—will exploit recent advances in hydrogen fuel cell technology to develop a commercially viable, retrofit powertrain solution for the nine-passenger Britten-Norman Islander aircraft. Following a rigorous assessment of hydrogen technology innovators, CAeS welcomes Ricardo UK Ltd and Innovatus Technologies Ltd... Read more →

The California Energy Commission has awarded GTI and Sierra Northern Railway nearly $4,000,000 to fund the design, integration, and demonstration of a hydrogen fuel cell switching locomotive to support the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Demonstrations in Rail and Marine Applications at Ports (H2RAM) initiative. The locomotive will show the potential of... Read more →

Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with OCI N.V. (OCI) and MAN Energy Solutions (MAN) to develop methanol and ammonia as marine fuels to support industry-wide decarbonization and environmental preservation efforts. The partnership involves using select conventional vessels from EPS’ existing tanker fleet that use MAN... Read more →

Continuing to speed up the adoption of hydrogen in long-haul transportation, Hydra Energy—the first Hydrogen-as-a-Service provider for commercial fleets—announced a strategic partnership with Chemtrade. The long-term contract is a pillar of Hydra’s Hydrogen-as-a-Service (HaaS) business model and includes Hydra capturing, cleaning, and compressing hydrogen sourced from Chemtrade. In exchange for... Read more →

Développement Effenco Inc., a Canada-based company specializing in the design of electric propulsion systems for heavy-duty vocational vehicles, has launched an all-electric system at the same purchase price as diesel alternatives. Using ultracapacitors and high-power wireless charging stations, Effenco’s solution optimizes on-board energy without sacrificing vehicle vocation and performance. This... Read more →

Bombardier Transportation (now part of Alstom) introduced a variety of green innovations to reduce CO2 emissions and pollution in the railway sector. One of our first sustainable mobility solutions was a dual-mode Autorail à Grande Capacité (AGC) train, designed and developed by its Crespin site in France; the AGC was... Read more →

Moscow-based NPP ITELMA, a leading developer and manufacturer of vehicle and transportation electronics, has presented a full powertrain system for electric bus manufacturers. The system will also make it possible to upfit any modern bus to an electric bus, the company said. The developers promise to reduce energy consumption of... Read more →

Toyota Australia has partnered with BHP to trial a battery electric (BEV) LandCruiser 70 Series at a WA mine site. The small-scale trial involves a LandCruiser 70 Series single-cab ute that has been converted to a battery-electric vehicle by Toyota Australia’s Product Planning and Development division in Port Melbourne. The... Read more →

Lightning eMotors, a leading provider of commercial electric vehicles for fleets, announced a $45-million order for its zero-emission powertrain systems from Faribault, Minnesota-based motorcoach supplier ABC Companies. The first zero-emission motorcoach was delivered in December. The T2145e electric motor coach undergoing final testing in Colorado. The order includes a mix... Read more →

Scottish Enterprise, Transport Scotland and the Hydrogen Accelerator, based at the University of St Andrews, have appointed Arcola Energy and a consortium of industry leaders in hydrogen fuel cell integration, rail engineering and functional safety to deliver Scotland’s first hydrogen powered train. A key objective of the project is to... Read more →

Lightning eMotors has announced a new model of its Class 3 Lightning Electric Transit Van. The new, longer-range Lightning Electric Transit Van is the fourth generation of its battery-electric and fuel cell electric platform, based on the Ford Transit 350HD chassis. The Gen 4 powertrain, with new battery technology and... Read more →

XL Fleet announced that Essential Utilities, Inc. one of the largest publicly traded water, wastewater and natural gas providers in the US, serving approximately 5 million people across 10 states under the Aqua and Peoples brands, is launching a pilot program to electrify its two most popular commercial GM vehicle... Read more →

Optimal Electric Vehicles and Olathe Ford, one of the nation’s largest Ford Commercial Vehicle Centers (CVCs), announced a new partnership in the sales and distribution of Optimal-EV’s E1 series battery-electric cutaway chassis platform. Under the partnership terms, Optimal will supply Olathe E1 Battery Electric Chassis for sales and distribution to... Read more →

Lunaz, a creator of electric classic cars, announced the first tranche of production availability for classic electric Range Rovers. The company, based in Silverstone, England will create an initial run of 50 of the luxury SUVs built in the ‘classic era’ between 1970 and 1994. Prices for classic electric Range... Read more →

XL Fleet announced that Farmbro Inc., an Ontario-based upfitting solutions service provider specializing in commercial and work vehicles, expects to double its sales volume from approximately 1,000 XL unit installations in 2020 to more than 2,000 in 2021 to meet the increasing demand for fleet electrification in Canada. As part... Read more →

XL Fleet announced that the Company’s XLP plug-in hybrid electric drive technology is being expanded for use across a range of fleet vehicles from General Motors. The platform is expected to begin shipping on select configurations of the Chevrolet and GMC Silverado / Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD pickup... Read more →

Motiv Power Systems announced a renewal of its partnership with Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU), the largest bakery in the United States. This follows a successful 12-month pilot of five Motiv-powered electric trucks that performed flawlessly on real-world delivery routes. (Earlier post.) BBU and Motiv are now strengthening their partnership, with... Read more →