Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) will invest SEK 65 million ($6.3 million) into the production of electric wheel loaders from its plant in Arvika, Sweden. The Arvika factory specializes in the production of medium and large wheel loaders and has already been successful in driving down its carbon emissions. A... Read more →

Global engineering group Cavotec recently launched its ultra-fast Megawatt Charging System (MCS). Providing up to 3MW of power from a single connector, the MCS is a turnkey DC charging solution with grid-to-inlet functionality that supports the decarbonization of industrial vehicles and ships. The MCS consists of: a high-power electronic module,... Read more →

Monarch Tractor, maker of a fully electric autonomous tractor, and its Farm Electrification Consortium partners have received a $3-million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to accelerate electrification of agricultural equipment and demonstrate the ability of batteries in on-farm equipment to keep critical electrical loads running during power outages... Read more →

IDTechEx’s latest master electric vehicle report “Electric Vehicles: Land, Sea & Air 2022-2042” finds 35.7 million electric vehicles (EV) were sold in 2021 and predicts this will rise to more than 74 million by 2030. While electric cars will remain the largest electric vehicle market for the foreseeable future in... Read more →

Neste and Rolls-Royce have agreed to build a strategic partnership on accelerating the use of renewable diesel as a lower-emission solution for diesel engines. Both parties share a common vision of renewable fuels playing a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in off-highway applications, such as construction and power... Read more →

At bauma—the world’s leading construction machinery trade fair—in Munich, Bosch placed particular emphasis on the potential for hydrogen engines and electrification to make the sector significantly more sustainable. According to Bosch studies, more than half a million construction machines in the performance class from 56 to 560 kilowatts will be... Read more →

Komatsu will exhibit a 20-ton-class electric hydraulic excavator equipped with a lithium-ion battery system for the first time at bauma2022. The machine is powered by a 451 kWh lithium-ion battery system from US-based Proterra. Since January 2021, the two companies have been jointly developing electric medium-sized hydraulic excavators, and have... Read more →

Scania and Rio Tinto are developing more agile autonomous haul trucks at a mine in Western Australia’s Pilbara region to pursue potential environmental and productivity benefits. A Scania autonomous truck is loaded at Rio Tinto's Channar iron ore mine in Western Australia's Pilbara region. The two companies have established a... Read more →

Skeleton Technologies, a developer of curved graphene-based supercapacitor and battery energy storage, officially launched its SuperBattery (earlier post), and announced Shell as a partner. Skeleton is joining a Shell-led consortium to offer electrification solutions for mining sites. (Earlier post.) SuperBattery combines the characteristics of supercapacitors and batteries. SuperBattery has been... Read more →

Shell has established a nine-member consortium to create a new pilot offering of electrification solutions for mining sites. Skeleton, Microvast, Stäubli, Carnegie Robotics, Heliox, Spirae, Alliance Automation, Worley and Shell have come together to introduce Shell’s Mining Electrification Solutions for Off-Road Vehicles—an end-to-end and interoperable electrification system that reduces emissions... Read more →

Allison Transmission introduced the eGen Force electric hybrid propulsion system for tracked combat vehicles. Designed for 50-ton tracked vehicles, the eGen Force meets the requirements for the US Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program. The eGen Force is also scalable to 70-ton tracked vehicles, making it capable of meeting... Read more →

Moog has collaborated with Komatsu to build a fully electric compact wheel loader machine. The companies will demonstrate the connected and automation-ready, zero-emission, battery-powered machine at bauma 2022 from 24-30 October at Messe München. Moog’s intelligent machine electrification system includes an electric traction motor, lift, tilt and steering electric cylinders,... Read more →

BHP Group, Caterpillar, and Finning International announced an agreement to replace BHP’s entire haul truck fleet at the Escondida mine—the world’s largest producer of copper concentrates and cathodes located in the Antofagasta Region, northern Chile. This agreement is part of a strategic equipment renewal process developed by Escondida. The new... Read more →

Cummins and Canada-based Buhler Industries, a leading tractor manufacturer under the Versatile brand, signed a letter of intent for plans to integrate the Cummins 15-liter hydrogen engines in Versatile’s equipment to lead the decarbonization of the agriculture market. Cummins M15H Since 1967, Versatile has used Cummins engines exclusively in all... Read more →

Allison Transmission, a leading designer and manufacturer of conventional and electrified vehicle propulsion solutions for tactical wheeled and tracked defense vehicles, and medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, has been awarded a $6.55-million contract by the US Army’s Ground Vehicle Systems Center to design, develop and test an electric hybrid sub-system... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $96-million funding opportunity (Fiscal Year 2022 Vehicle Technologies Office Program Wide Funding Opportunity Announcement) to support decarbonizing the domestic transportation sector. The funding will focus on expanding electric vehicle (EV) charging accessibility, create cleaner non-road vehicles through electrification and the use of... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) opened the second round of its Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project (CORE) today, providing point-of-sale discounts on off-road zero-emission equipment. The project is administered by CALSTART and has $125 million in funding available, more than double the amount allocated to the project when... Read more →

Glencore’s Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations (INO) has ordered a full fleet of Epiroc battery-electric equipment for use at the Onaping Depth Project in Ontario, Canada. The nickel and copper mine is located below the existing Craig mine and is being developed to start production in 2024. The order also includes... Read more →

Cummins and Komatsu, a global provider of equipment and services for the construction and mining industries, have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the development of zero-emissions haulage equipment. Building on a legacy of diesel engine partnership across a wide variety of mining and construction equipment, Cummins and... Read more →

Following the completion of a multi-stakeholder research project aimed at breaking new ground in hydrogen technology, Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has started testing of the world’s first fuel-cell articulated hauler prototype, the Volvo HX04. The results of the project will provide important insights into the possibilities provided by hydrogen... Read more →

SafeAI, a global leader in autonomous heavy equipment, announced a collaboration with Siemens today to create an autonomous, zero emission heavy vehicle fleet for Obayashi Corporation. SafeAI and Siemens will work with Obayashi Corporation, a Japan-based global leader in construction, to create smarter, safer, more sustainable and productive construction sites.... Read more →

Automated Mercedes-Benz trucks are being used in the Brazilian sugar cane harvest since 2019. Mercedes-Benz do Brasil has configured the Mercedes-Benz Axor specifically for automated harvesting operations as part of a development partnership with the Brazilian agricultural technology manufacturer Grunner. By the end of this year, Mercedes-Benz do Brasil will... Read more →

Canada-based dynaCERT Inc. has sold seven of its HydraGEN on-board electrolysis units ( the HG1R, 4C and 6C units) which are to be installed in Peru, Argentina and Brazil in open-pit mines on various equipment, including Caterpillar 793 and 777 Haul Trucks and a large 4.5 MW diesel generator with... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced the second round of its Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project (CORE), tripling the amount of allocated funding from the previous round for equipment used in agriculture, airport, railyard, port, construction, and marine operations. The project is administered by CALSTART, a national clean... Read more →

Anglo American plc unveiled a prototype of the world’s largest hydrogen-powered mine haul truck designed to operate in everyday mining conditions at its Mogalakwena PGMs (platinum group metals) mine in South Africa. The 2MW hydrogen-battery hybrid truck, generating more power than its diesel predecessor and capable of carrying a 290-tonne... 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 →

Benevelli, an Italy-based producer of transaxles, wheel drives and electric motors, has launched the new SMAC Serie 270, a line of IPM (interior permanent magnet) electric motors systems ideal for off-highway and eMobility vehicles. IPM motors feature a rotor embedded with permanent magnets. Compared with the SPM (surface permanent magnet),... Read more →

Nissan Motor unveiled a lunar rover prototype jointly developed with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) at the Nissan Futures event in Yokohama. The JAXA Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center is conducting research on lunar rovers—a key technology for space exploration. Nissan has been working with JAXA on driving controllability... Read more →

Honda and Black & Veatch have successfully tested the prototype Honda Autonomous Work Vehicle (AWV) at a Black & Veatch construction site in New Mexico. During the month-long field test, the second-generation prototype of the fully-electric Honda AWV performed a range of functions at a large-scale solar energy construction project,... Read more →

Gridtractor has launched from stealth to develop charging technology, fleet electrification, and energy management services for electric tractors and heavy farm equipment. Gridtractor will help farmers integrate electric charging and vehicle to grid (V2G) into their operations to strengthen the power grid with its smart energy platform. In addition, the... Read more →

CNH Industrial has entered into an exclusive, multi-year licensing agreement for electrification technologies with Monarch Tractor, a US-based AgTech company specializing in fully electric autonomous tractors. This agreement is the latest development between the two parties, building upon the minority investment stake made by CNH Industrial in March 2021. The... Read more →

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has unveiled the first real-world example of a self-learning concept wheel loader with the brains to make decisions, perform tasks, and interact with humans. It is also the first time a LEGO Technic model has been turned into a real machine. While not commercially available,... Read more →

Proterra and Komatsu, a global leader in construction and mining equipment, announced a new collaboration to electrify next-generation underground mining machines using Proterra’s battery technology. This is the second collaboration between Proterra and Komatsu. The two companies previously announced an agreement in which Proterra supplies its industry-leading battery systems to... Read more →

A thermal management system developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in collaboration with John Deere promises to increase the power density of silicon carbide (SiC) inverters within heavy-duty EV applications significantly. Recent studies indicate that the improved inverter design delivers a 378% increase in power density over the... Read more →

Rio Tinto and Caterpillar have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Caterpillar’s development of zero-emissions autonomous haul trucks for use at one of Rio Tinto’s Western Australian mining operations. The collaboration will see Rio Tinto work with Caterpillar to advance the development of the manufacturer’s future 220-tonne 793 zero-emissions... Read more →

Rolls-Royce and Flanders Electric have agreed to develop a retrofit concept for hybridizing mining trucks that can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 30%. It integrates mtu engines, batteries and hybrid control systems, and Flanders drive train solutions. The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding enabling them to... Read more →

The novel Common Pressure Rail Hybrid system by Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) applied to excavators, which results in significant improvements in energy-efficiency, has received the Volvo Technology Award 2021. The Volvo CE team from Sweden and South Korea has worked closely with Finnish company Norrhydro in the research project, leveraging... Read more →

Tritium, a global developer and manufacturer of DC fast chargers for EVs, and Miller Technology, a supplier of mobile mining equipment for safety and productivity, are partnering to provide fast chargers and light-duty battery EVs for the mining industry. The companies’ inaugural project at the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) mine... Read more →

Nuvera Fuel Cells, LLC, a provider of fuel cell power solutions for motive applications, is teaming with DD DANNAR, LLC (DANNAR) on an integration project to develop hydrogen fuel cell power solutions to markets in need of clean power options that may include municipalities, fleets, military applications, agriculture and mining.... Read more →

Rolls-Royce Power Systems has outlined its road map for climate neutrality: Net Zero@Power Systems. By 2030, the Rolls-Royce business unit is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 35% compared to its 2019 level through the use of new net zero and zero carbon technologies. This near-term target plays a significant... Read more →

Hyzon Motors Inc., a global supplier of hydrogen fuel cell-powered heavy vehicles, signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Sojitz Machinery Corporation of America (SMA) to partner in penetrating new markets and exploring the development of new fuel cell-powered commercial mobility applications. This comes ahead of Hyzon’s proposed business combination with... Read more →

Moscow-based startup Green Scout is developing a 6-wheel electric amphibious all-terrain vehicle (ATV). Development of the all-terrain vehicle began in 2017; an experimental prototype was manufactured in winter 2019, and a presentation model was demonstrated in summer 2020. The ATV is 1.8m wide, with a height of 1.2m; ground clearance... Read more →

Robotic Research, LLC, a leading developer of Automated Driving Systems (ADS), and FPInnovations, a Canadian private non-profit research and development center, are collaborating to develop an off-road truck platooning system for the forest industry. This project will combine Robotic Research’s self-driving technology with FPInnovations’ knowledge in forestry and transportation to... Read more →

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and Mitsui E&S Machinery, Ltd. will begin a joint study to introduce hydrogen-fueled port cargo handling machines. As part of this agreement, MOL’s group company Shosen Koun Co., Ltd. has signed a contract for a new near zero emission (NZE) rubber-tired gantry (RTG) container yard... 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 →

Proterra, a leading innovator in commercial vehicle electrification technology, and Komatsu, a global leader in construction equipment, are partnering to leverage Proterra’s battery technology for the development of Komatsu’s first battery-electric middle class hydraulic excavator. The collaboration represents Proterra’s entry into the off-road vehicle market and the company’s first Proterra... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board announced that the first installment of $35 million in VW Environmental Mitigation Trust funding for Zero-Emission Freight and Marine Projects throughout California is now available via a competitive solicitation. A second solicitation offering an additional $35 million is expected to be released in mid-2022. The... Read more →

Volta Power Systems has partnered with Stellar Industries to provide lithium-ion power systems that reduce idling from fleet utility and work trucks. The auxiliary system stores enough energy to provide all-day power to operate hydraulics, power tools, and multiphase worksite power without idling. Available as an accessory to replace a... Read more →

RISE Robotics, a leader in high-performance and cost-effective electric linear actuation solutions, raised $3 million in additional funding. The funding round was led by The Engine, the venture firm spun out of MIT that invests in early-stage Tough Tech companies. Linear actuators create the push-and-pull movements in the mechanisms of... Read more →

Advanced battery management and intelligence systems provider ION Energy has entered into a strategic partnership with European battery pack manufacturer Wamtechnik to facilitate the deployment of a prototype electric excavator for a leading European construction equipment maker. Wamtechnik undertakes the design and production of dedicated rechargeable and non-rechargeable battery packs... Read more →