For 16 months, GTI and its partners have been designing and assembling fuel cell-electric terminal tractors in a project called Zero Emissions for California Ports (ZECAP) that will assess vehicle operation in a demanding, real-world cargo-handling application. (Earlier post.) Performance verification is nearing completion, and the first-of-a-kind pilot project is... Read more →

J&M Sanitation, a family-owned business serving Kuna, Idaho, has deployed two all-electric Class 8 refuse trucks, the first such battery-electric, zero-emission vehicles in Idaho. The trucks are replacing two current diesel vehicles. J&M is the first company in Idaho to own and operate electric refuse trucks and now operates two... Read more →

Daimler Truck AG and the Volvo Group completed the transaction to form the previously announced fuel-cell joint venture. (Earlier post.) The Volvo Group has acquired 50% of the partnership interests in the existing Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG for approximately SEK 6.3 billion (approximately €0.6 billion) on... Read more →

A model-based analysis by Westport Fuel Systems and AVL indicates that H2-HPDI (High Pressure Direct Injection with pilot ignition)—a combustion approach for hydrogen in engines—has the potential to achieve fuel economy close to that of a fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) for heavy duty applications, due to its high efficiency at... Read more →

DHL Freight, one of the leading road freight providers in Europe, and Volvo Trucks have partnered to speed up the introduction of heavy-duty electric trucks to be used for regional transport in Europe. DHL Freight and Volvo Trucks have initiated a project focusing on electric longer distance heavy transports. So... 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 →

Hyzon Motors Inc. and New Zealand’s Hiringa Energy signed a vehicle supply agreement, with Hyzon commissioned to build and supply Hiringa with zero-emission Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV). (Earlier post.) The hydrogen fuel cell-powered trucks, to be assembled at Hyzon’s facility in Winschoten, The Netherlands, will be manufactured in full compliance... Read more →

Torc Robotics has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS), Inc. as its preferred cloud provider to handle the scale and speed needed for data transfer, storage, and compute capacity as the company prepares to deploy its fleet of next-generation self-driving test trucks in New Mexico and Virginia. With the growth in... Read more →

Hyliion Holdings, a provider of electrified powertrain solutions for Class 8 commercial vehicles, instroduced its next generation battery module which integrates Toshiba’s LTO cells with Hyliion’s technology to achieve longer battery life, higher charging rates and improved safety. Building on Hyliion’s proprietary battery system, the battery module will be incorporated... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Chart Industries, Inc.—a leading diversified global manufacturer of highly engineered equipment for the industrial gas and clean energy industries—for the joint development of integrated system solutions that include a fuel cell engine with onboard liquid hydrogen (LH2) storage and... Read more →

Plus (formerly Plus.ai), a provider of self-driving truck technology, completed a $200-million round of funding led by new investors Guotai Junan International, CPE, and Wanxiang International Investment. Existing investors including Full Truck Alliance (FTA) also participated. Plus plans to use the new funds to accelerate the global commercialization and deployment... Read more →

Knorr-Bremse, a leading provider of braking systems and of other systems for rail and commercial vehicles, is bundling its know-how in the field of e-mobility in a new, in-house development unit, eCUBATOR. Up to 60 internal and external experts are to work on future solutions at the Knorr-Bremse locations in... 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 →

XL Fleet Corp. has entered into a strategic partnership with Curbtender, a market leader in Under CDL (vehicles that do not require a Commercial Drivers License) refuse trucks and a pioneer in automated side-loader collection. Under the terms of the agreement, XL Fleet and Curbtender will jointly develop a series... Read more →

A European consortium consisting of 25 organizations in the hydrogen sector has formed to define, develop and test the first European standard for fuel-cell modules for heavy-duty applications. The consortium—“StaSHH” (Standard-Sized Heavy-duty Hydrogen)—comprises 11 fuel cell module suppliers, 9 original equipment manufacturers and 5 research, test, engineering and/or knowledge institutes.... Read more →

Battery maker Octillion Power Systems will supply advanced lithium-ion batteries to Brazilian manufacturer FNM (Fábrica Nacional de Mobilidades) for the production of 1,000 electric trucks for beverage maker Ambev. Octillion and FNM announced their partnership in October 2020. (Earlier post.) Ambev will use the electric trucks to deliver beverages throughout... Read more →

Leclanché SA has developed a modular, all-in-one, high-performance battery system optimized for powering new and retrofit hybrid and fully electric commercial vehicles. INT-39 Energy HV pack (INT-39 Energy) is a fully integrated product comprising Leclanché’s advanced M2 battery modules, powered by its high density and high life cycle 60 Ah... Read more →

New Flyer of America unveiled the Xcelsior AV automated transit bus, now in motion at Robotic Research, LLC in Maryland. The Xcelsior AV unveiling follows New Flyer’s launch of its Automated Technology Program first announced in May 2019, and the subsequent announcement of partnership with artificial intelligence and automation leader... Read more →

Dana Incorporated has introduced an expanded family of Dana TM4 SUMO HP electric motors and inverters, including the HV1000 and HV2500. The TM4 SUMO family is specifically designed for battery-electric, range-extended, and fuel-cell vehicles. These high-performance motors and inverters are engineered to offer maximum flexibility, enabling direct-drive, series-hybrid, or parallel-hybrid... Read more →

The Volvo Group has created the new business area Volvo Energy to strengthen the Volvo Group’s business flow of batteries over the life cycle as well as the customer offer for charging infrastructure. Volvo Energy will be a business area with full profit and loss responsibility. It will have both... Read more →

Achates Power was recently awarded a $5-million contract from the US Army to expand the family of opposed-piston engines for military vehicles. The project, awarded in late-2020, builds upon the success of the Advanced Combat Engine (ACE). (Earlier post.) The US Army, after seeing the demonstrated capability of the Advanced... Read more →

In collaboration with General Motors and OneH2, Navistar, Inc., a subsidiary of Navistar International Corporation, is introducing a complete solution for customer implementation of a zero-emission long-haul system, which will be initially piloted by J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc., a subsidiary of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. Navistar plans to make... Read more →

Aeva, Inc., a developer of FMCW 4D lidar systems (earlier post), is partnering with TuSimple, a global self-driving technology company, to deploy Aeva 4D lidar on TuSimple’s self-driving trucks. TuSimple is in a global partnership with VW’s TRATON Group to develop an autonomous system for heavy-duty trucks and is co-developing... Read more →

Westport Fuel Systems will begin a research project with Scania to apply an HPDI 2.0 fuel system with hydrogen to the latest Scania commercial vehicle engine. Preliminary test results are expected in the second half of 2021. Our specialty is working with gaseous fuels. Hydrogen use in an internal combustion... Read more →

Trucking company U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. has invested in TuSimple, a self-driving technology company bringing to market an autonomous solution for long-haul freight transportation (earlier post). In addition to a significant financial investment, U.S. Xpress is actively testing the technology on select shipping lanes and President & CEO, Eric Fuller... Read more →

Velodyne Lidar, Inc. and Beijing Trunk Technology Co., Ltd. (Trunk.Tech) will collaborate in developing next-generation autonomous heavy trucks and to accelerate commercialization of driverless trucks in China’s logistics market. Velodyne and Trunk.Tech will cooperate on lidar-enabled products that meet the demanding requirements of high-speed transportation logistics. These solutions will strengthen... Read more →

PACCAR and Aurora have signed a global, strategic agreement to develop, test and commercialize autonomous Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks. This collaboration will integrate PACCAR’s autonomous vehicle platform with the Aurora Driver to enhance the safety and operational efficiency of PACCAR’s customers. Autonomous Peterbilt 579 Test Vehicle with Aurora Driver. In... Read more →

A new, broad measure of “energy transition investment”, compiled by BloombergNEF (BNEF), shows that the world committed a record $501.3 billion to decarbonization in 2020, beating the previous year by 9% despite the economic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. BNEF’s analysis shows that companies, governments and households invested $303.5... Read more →

MAFI Transport-Systeme GmbH has released the T 230e, an electric version of its popular diesel T 230 terminal tractor. MAFI first announced the T 230e in September 2020. MAFI’s distributor, Eastern Lift Truck Co., Inc. said the truck will be available in Spring 2021. The new electric T 230e yard... Read more →

Via its subsidiary Pierburg GmbH of Neuss, Germany, the Rheinmetall Group plans to supply hydrogen recirculation blowers to Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG, the company which bundles all of Daimler AG’s activities in the field of fuel cell technology. The deal represents sales volume in the two-digit... Read more →

Swiss haulier Rhyner Logistik has just acquired a Renault Trucks 26-ton D Wide Z.E. electric truck to supply Denner supermarkets. As part of this approach, the Swiss haulier has also fitted solar panels onto the body of its electric truck to power the refrigeration unit. The truck is now supplying... Read more →

Ideanomics signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of privately held Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification, Inc. (WAVE) for cash and stock consideration. Founded in 2011, and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, WAVE is a provider of inductive (wireless) charging solutions for medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles (EVs). Embedded in... Read more →

Heritage Environmental Services, a provider of environmental and recycling services, and battery-maker Romeo Power launched a program to select fleet electrification partners to execute on HES’ fleet electrification strategy. HES and Romeo Power intend to select commercial Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) value chain participants such as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs),... Read more →

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a consent order with Daimler Trucks North America following an investigation that found the company failed to recall vehicles in a timely fashion and to comply with other reporting requirements. The consent order includes a total civil penalty of $30 million. The consent... Read more →

Earlier this month, Achates Power announced that its innovative 3-cylinder, 10.6L opposed-piston (OP) heavy-duty diesel engine achieved Ultralow NOx (ULNOx) performance results. (Earlier post.) A key element of the achievement is the low engine-out NOx from the opposed-piston engine, which reduced the requirements for the aftertreatment system (ATS). The original... Read more →

Nikola Corporation and Republic Services have discontinued their collaboration on refuse truck development (earlier post). The goal of the collaboration was to design and build an industry-first fully integrated refuse truck based on a zero-emissions battery-electric drive platform and body while also integrating multiple new systems into a new state-of-the-art... Read more →

The EU plans to extend its climate goal of reducing CO2 emission of new vehicles by 37.5% until 2030 to heavy-duty vehicles. In 2019, 409,801 commercial vehicles were registered in Germany, of these, 38,620 semitrailer trucks. So far, they have not been subject to any CO2 reduction requirements. Within the... Read more →

Achates Power’s innovative 3-cylinder, 10.6L opposed-piston heavy-duty diesel engine has achieved performance results that comply with pending 2027 requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California to reduce sharply emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). Engine and aftertreatment system development and performance assessments were conducted at the Achates Power... Read more →

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) released its latest Guidance Report, Making Sense of Heavy-Duty Hydrogen Fuel Cell Tractors. Almost every day there is a new announcement about hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks. Even with all the information, there are a lot of unanswered questions. We published this... Read more →

Europe’s truck manufacturers have concluded that by 2040 all new trucks sold need to be fossil free in order to reach carbon-neutrality by 2050. It will be possible to meet this target provided the right charging/refueling infrastructure is built and a coherent policy framework is put into place, including comprehensive... Read more →

Daimler Truck AG, IVECO, OMV, Shell and the Volvo Group have committed to work together to help create the conditions for the mass-market roll-out of hydrogen trucks in Europe. The partners signed a collaboration agreement—H2Accelerate—under which the participants will work together to: Seek public support to fund early pre-commercial projects... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board approved $28 million in Air Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) funding to support two popular statewide incentive programs aimed at bringing the cleanest vehicle technologies to low-income and underserved communities. California’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) provides incentives to purchase the... Read more →

Toyota’s next generation fuel cell electric technology is now powering a new set of Class 8 heavy-duty trucks. Using the same fuel cell system as the all-new 2021 Mirai sedan that goes on sale this month, the engineers at Toyota Motor North America Research and Development have developed a set... Read more →

Plug Power Inc., a provider of hydrogen engines and fueling solutions, and Gaussin are collaborating to bring a commercial suite of ProGen-powered Gaussin transportation vehicles to market in 2021 as a solution to decarbonize the logistics ecosystem. Gaussin designs, assembles and sells products and services in the transport and logistics... Read more →

Velodyne Lidar, Inc. is collaborating with Ford Otosan on product development and testing of autonomous heavy commercial trucks. Ford Otosan is testing and planning to use Velodyne Velarray H800 solid-state lidar sensors to enable safe navigation and collision avoidance in next generation vehicles. Velodyne Lidar’s Velarray H800 solid state lidar... Read more →

Volvo Trucks North America announced the commercial introduction and sales start of its zero tailpipe emission, battery-electric vehicle to the North American market. The Class 8 Volvo VNR Electric truck model has a scheduled production start of early 2021. The Volvo VNR Electric offers the same state-of-the-art agility and visibility... Read more →

Daimler Truck AG and Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd. jointly announced that both partners will produce and distribute Mercedes-Benz tractors for an advanced market segment in China. Based on Daimler Trucks’ global platform strategy, the companies’ joint venture Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive Co., Ltd. (BFDA) will localize new heavy-duty tractor... Read more →

Volvo Group Venture Capital AB has invested in Flock Freight, a technology company based in Solana Beach, California, that pools shipments to fill unused trailer space. The company uses algorithms to match multiple LTL (less than a truckload) shipments into one shared truckload that eliminates all terminals and hubs, improving... Read more →

Renault Trucks is broadening its all-electric lineup. There is a now wider choice of batteries for medium-duty electric vehicles: the Renault Trucks D and D Wide Z.E can now accommodate 66 kWh battery packs. Furthermore, the Renault Trucks Master Z.E. utility vehicle has just been released in a 3.5-tonne model.... Read more →

Empa, together with FPT Motorenforschung AG Arbon, Politechnico di Milano, lubricant manufacturer Motorex and other partners, is exporing the use of DME as a fuel for heavy-duty engines. A DME test engine has been in operation on a dynamometer in Empa’s Automotive Powertrains Technologies Laboratory. The scientists intend to provide... Read more →