Commercial vehicle
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The United Kingdom's Royal Postal Service has entered a new era as its first electric mail vans enter service. In total, nine electric postal vans from local company Arrival will enter the Royal Post's fleet, along with another 100 electric vans to be added in December from French brand Peugeot. The Arrival electric vans are capable of traveling 100 miles before charging is required, and the vans being tested come in various sizes and payload ratings. DON'T MISS: Germans to build own unique electric vans for postal service Specifically, the nine trial vans come in four different...
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Tesla semi truck to test self-driving, capable of 'platooning': report
With Tesla, there's always something new coming up to keep owners, buyers, and fans excited. The company's main task over the next year is to get its lower-priced Model 3 electric car into volume assembly at high quality, a process CEO Elon Musk has called "production hell." But there's more to...
John Voelcker -
Several states want far cleaner diesel trucks; EPA to start rulemaking?
Almost one-third of the heavy trucks on U.S. roads now use the most stringent emission-control systems, which radically reduce their emissions of nitrogen oxides, soot, and other pollutants. Commercial trucks log much higher annual mileage than passenger cars, especially the semi tractors that haul...
John Voelcker -
Missing piece in global vehicle emission puzzle: heavy trucks
A global push to reduce vehicle emissions and create cleaner air for future generations has been underway for half a century now. However, while many governments around the world have introduced lower emission and higher fuel-efficiency standards for passenger cars, another large contributor to...
Sean Szymkowski -
Renault Kangoo ZE small electric van now on sale with longer range
French automaker Renault has given its small light commercial electric vehicle a handful of upgrades, including a significantly longer battery range. The Renault Kangoo ZE is now officially on sale with a longer rated range, a more powerful charging system, and a heat pump to keep the little van...
Sean Szymkowski -
Deutsche Post and Ford to build Transit-based electric van
Deutsche Post, the German mail service, has long hoped to replace its fleet of 30,000 internal-combustion delivery vans with electric vehicles. In 2014, it bought the company Street Scooter, which has since built thousands of small car-sized electric delivery vans. Now Deutsche Post has announced...
John Voelcker -
Considerable skepticism remains that passenger vehicles powered by hydrogen will become a major part of U.S. sales any time soon—or ever. Quietly, however, analysts suggest that hydrogen may provide a solution to the different challenges of producing zero-emission heavy trucks and delivery vehicles. Despite growing hoopla over Elon Musk's promise of an all-electric Tesla semi tractor, batteries seem highly unlikely to power long-distance tractor-trailer rigs. DON'T MISS: UPS to spend $90 million more on natural-gas vehicles, fueling stations The Nikola One semi that is in the process of...
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Elon Musk teased Tesla's electric semi truck at a TED talk
It's no secret Tesla CEO Elon Musk is an ambitious man, but he continues to fuel the hype surrounding the company by recently teasing the first Tesla semi truck. In typical Tesla fashion, the semi truck will be all electric. Its goal is to showcase the possibilities of electric range over diesel...
Sean Szymkowski -
Volvo concept truck uses hybrid power to cut fuel use, emissions
Because they cover significantly more mileage than the average passenger car, with much worse fuel economy, large commercial trucks are a major source of emissions. Last year, Volvo Trucks aimed to address this issue with a concept truck that demonstrated ways to improve fuel efficiency through...
Stephen Edelstein -
Plug-in hybrid utility truck keeps lights on during emergencies
California electric utility Pacific Gas & Electric recently took delivery of a pair of new trucks that it hopes will help solve two problems. The first is power outages, whether they are caused by weather or necessary planned maintenance work conducted by utilities. The other is every utility's...
Stephen Edelstein -
Daimler to build large electric semi truck; Urban e-Truck results good so far
Following successful trials, Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler plans to produce a small run of all-electric large commercial trucks for the European market. These trucks will be made available to a small number of European test customers for 12-month trials, with the deliveries slated to begin later...
Stephen Edelstein -
'Near-zero' diesel cheaper way to cut NOx than electric cars, says diesel lobbying group
A prominent lobbying group believes environmental remediation funds from Volkswagen diesel settlements should be spent on new "clean" diesel vehicles. The settlement for 2.0-liter TDI cars approved last year requires VW to pay $2.7 billion into a trust, managed by a third party. Volkswagen agreed...
Stephen Edelstein -
What would you do if a small, knee-high box on wheels with a flag topping its tall antenna whirred toward you electrically on a sidewalk at 4 miles per hour? It turns out three-quarters of the pedestrians in several cities who've seen one didn't stop or even stare as it avoided them and continued on its way. That box is an electric sidewalk delivery robot, and the British company Starship Technologies now has 75 to 80 of them testing in 59 cities in 16 countries, including the U.S. DON'T MISS: Tesla's autonomous-car efforts use big data no other carmaker has A demonstration of the robot...
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Electric Ford Transit van conversion shown by Inventev at Detroit Auto Show
When an automaker doesn't offer a vehicle for a specific market segment, sometimes the aftermarket will fill in the gap. In the U.S., all-electric commercial vans are one of those gaps. Such vehicles are available in other markets, but so far, not on sale from major makers in North America. DON'T...
Stephen Edelstein -
Renault adds new Master ZE larger electric delivery van
French carmaker Renault sells no passenger cars in North America, and hasn't for almost 30 years now. But in Europe, its all-electric Zoe subcompact hatchback has been the best-selling plug-in electric car for months on end. The Zoe is one of three "ZE" (zero emission) vehicles sold by Renault, and...
John Voelcker -
Nikola One hydrogen range-extended electric truck to be unveiled tonight
The Nikola One uses hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity for its massive lithium-ion battery pack.
Stephen Edelstein -
BYD partners with U.S. firm to launch all-electric garbage truck
BYD and Wayne Engineering will sell an all-electric garbage truck.
Stephen Edelstein -
Workhorse range-extended electric pickup truck announced for future
Workhorse plans to launch an extended-range electric pickup truck in 2018.
Stephen Edelstein -
The Volkswagen e-Crafter and Mercedes-Benz Urban e-truck concept debuted at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover, Germany.
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Ford's electric-vehicle strategy: absorb costs in most profitable trucks
Ford's electrification strategy will rely heavily on trucks and commercial vehicles.
Stephen Edelstein -
Nikola unveils how its electric truck works: custom hydrogen fuel cell
Nikola Motor Company now says its Class 8 semi truck will use hydrogen fuel cells.
Stephen Edelstein -
When will the last diesel truck be sold in the U.S.? Our poll results
Diesel now has a dim future at best among U.S. passenger-car buyers, though its prospects continue to look strong for a minority of pickup truck buyers. Heavy-duty commercial vehicles, on the other hand, largely use diesel engines as a matter of course. We asked our Twitter followers when that...
John Voelcker -
Nikola One electric-truck running prototype to be unveiled Dec 2
It's long been assumed that while passenger vehicles may well start to transition to electric drive over the next decade or two, heavy commercial trucks won't. The energy density of liquid hydrocarbon fuel is particularly well suited to moving vehicles that can weigh 10 times the 2-ton weight of a...
John Voelcker -
Road for electric trucks with trolley-like catenary opens in Sweden
Scania, Siemens, and the Swedish government are testing electrified trucks on a stretch of public highway.
Stephen Edelstein