Trucks
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Cities and school districts are expressing interest in electric school buses, and one such builder sees orders for them perking up.
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Mack plans to send electric trucks to the garbage dump
The New York municipal fleet is testing all-electric Mack trucks for short stop-and-go routes—exactly where diesel trucks are least efficient.
Eric C. Evarts -
Report: Rivian in talks with GM and Amazon
General Motors and Amazon could soon invest between $1 billion and $2 billion into Michigan-based electric vehicle hopeful Rivian, according to a report from Reuters. If the reported talks result in a deal, the two companies could end up with minority stakes in Rivian, as it pushes to get its fully...
Bengt Halvorson -
EPA announces tighter smog regulations on heavy trucks
The EPA has loosened or eliminated a lot of regulations since President Trump took office, but last week the agency announced it would tighten regulations on emissions of nitrogen oxides from heavy trucks such as semis. The EPA notes that smog-forming NOx emissions from heavy trucks fell 40 percent...
Eric C. Evarts -
Toyota introduces second hydrogen fuel-cell powered semi working in Los Angeles
Toyota is going big on fuel cells. Its latest effort expands on the Mirai sedan by converting semitrucks to hydrogen fuel-cell power. The company has been testing a fuel-cell powered semi for more than a year at the Port of Long Beach, California, ferrying goods from the Toyota Logistics facility...
Eric C. Evarts -
EPA reinstates limitations on dirty diesel glider trucks
In a reversal of its reversal, the EPA said Thursday that it would enforce limits on dirty "glider" trucks after all. Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler put the brakes on his predecessor's decision to not enforce an Obama-era rule on dirty diesel big-rigs. CHECK OUT: States join to halt EPA's...
Eric C. Evarts -
Chevrolet announced last week that its upcoming 2019 Silverado full-size pickup will offer a new turbo-4 in place of the base V-6 in some models. Like the V-8s in some of GM's large pickups, the new engine will have active cylinder management that cuts two of the four cylinders during light loads. Earlier this year, GM announced that two of its available V-8 engines, a 6.2- and 5.3-liter V-8, can cut up to seven of their eight cylinders in specific circumstances. The new 2.7-liter turbo-4 will be the first 4-cylinder engine in a modern full-sized pickup, and will be the base engine in...
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1912 electric truck: Take that, Tesla Semi!
Commercial Truck company of Philadelphia built 5-ton electric trucks as far back as 1912. We know because two of these C-T Model A 10 trucks showed up for sale on simultaneously on Hemmings Motor News last month.
Eric C. Evarts -
Fake science: University disavows study EPA cited to approve old dirty diesels in "glider" trucks
Last November, the Environmental Protection Agency said it would rescind a rule that banned companies from fitting outdated, older, and dirtier diesel engines into brand-new "glider" chassis-cab trucks. Among the many regulations to limit emissions and other forms of pollution that EPA...
John Voelcker -
XL Hybrids adds Ford F-250 hybrid to F-150 plug-in hybrid pickups; production to start in March
The idea of a Ford F-Series hybrid pickup truck has now been around since August 2011, but its maker now expects to launch such a truck sometime during 2020. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Boston-based XL Hybrids unveiled both a Ford F-250 Super Duty pickup fitted with its XLH hybrid system and an F-150...
John Voelcker -
Workhorse expands $1,000 preorders for plug-in hybrid pickup from fleets to public for $1,000
After $300 million in claimed fleet preorders for its plug-in hybrid pickup truck, Workhorse will open its order books for everyone to claim a spot in the production schedule. The Workhorse W-15 will be the first publicly available vehicle from a company that began its electrification journey more...
Mark Stevenson -
California OKs more than half a billion dollars to clean up freight trucks, trains, buses
California is using the growing sums of money it receives from its emission cap-and-trade auction for good, including to tackle up some of the state's most egregious transportation polluters. In mid-December, California announced it would invest $663 million in a plan to clean up particularly dirty...
Mark Stevenson -
This time, Elon Musk is not alone. In mid-December, Daimler delivered its first 14 Fuso eCanter electric delivery trucks to customers in Germany, a reminder that while Tesla caught car companies flat-footed in 2012, incumbent truck makers are already preparing their countermeasures. In Daimler’s case, these weren’t even the eCanter’s first deliveries. Customer trials with prototype vehicles began in 2014, and Japanese production began in July for convenience store chain 7-11 (headquartered in Tokyo), which is deploying 25 eCanters. DON'T MISS: Mercedes parent Daimler...
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Wal-Mart, Anheuser-Busch, DHL to test Tesla Semi; now UPS, Pepsi too (more updates)
An Instagram post by an "outdoor living design and construction firm serving the Chicago Southland" seems to confirm at least several hundred reservations for Tesla's new all-electric truck. Elemental Landscapes of Illinois posted a screenshot of its reservation for three Tesla Semi trucks, showing...
Mark Stevenson -
Cummins buys Brammo electric-drivetrain group for future electric semi
Cummins has long been known for its diesel engines, but the company recently revealed its first concept truck using an all-electric powertrain. The Urban Hauler Tractor debuted last month and Cummins said it previewed a production model that could arrive by the end of this decade. Now, the...
Sean Szymkowski -
VW plans for electric trucks and buses, starting production next year
Volkswagen Group has now detailed its aggressive electrification timeline for every part of its vehicle operations, including heavy trucks, setting lofty goals for zero-emission vehicles in the future. While Volkswagen works on the passenger car side of things, VW Group's commercial-vehicle...
Sean Szymkowski -
Bollinger B1 all-electric utility truck: 10,000 signups since launch
The Bollinger B1 electric utility truck, designed by a small startup company in upstate New York and unveiled in late July, appears to have hit something of a chord. The company said Monday it has now received more than 10,000 "pre-orders," or expressions of interest in the tough, all-electric...
John Voelcker -
CA legislators propose $1 billion to remove dirtiest diesel trucks
The state of California has officially launched its legislative push for stricter heavy-duty truck and bus emission regulations. Following calls for the state to use its recently-extended carbon cap-and-trade program to fund updates to fleets of semi trucks and other commercial vehicles, four state...
Sean Szymkowski -
The well-established Cummins company chose an appropriate time to reveal its all-electric semi tractor concept: just before Tesla prepares to reveal its own electric semi next month. The traditional diesel-engine maker debuted its Urban Hauler Tractor, a Class 7 semi truck with a 44,000-pound payload. Notably, the company called the semi truck a concept that previews a production truck Cummins believes could arrive at the end of this decade. DON'T MISS: Tesla semi truck to test self-driving, capable of 'platooning': report If not the truck itself, Cummins is confident the powertrain will be...
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CA should use VW mitigation funds for cleaner diesel trucks to cut NOx: diesel lobbying group
California is set to receive a lump sum of funds from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust following its diesel emission scandal. With $423 million at the state's discretion, groups are lobbying hard to ensure the funds are used to have an immediate and positive impact on the environment...
Sean Szymkowski -
Autonomous electric truck prototype can be controlled remotely
Swedish company Einride has officially unveiled the first full-scale prototype of its futuristic autonomous electric truck. First announced back in April, the T-pod is touted as being more than a simple self-driving electric truck—it’s pitched as an entirely “new transportation...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
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 -
What will happen to diesels for U.S. cars, light trucks by 2025? Poll results
With electric-car battery prices falling faster than predicted even five years ago, carmakers face tough and costly choices in choosing powertrains for the lineups in 2020 and after. Pressed by stiff carbon-emission reduction laws in Europe and heavy regulations to encourage electric cars in China...
John Voelcker -
Bollinger B1 all-electric utility truck revealed
It's square-edged, with flat body panels, large knobbly tires, and a simple interior that can easily be hosed out when dirty. The Bollinger B1 electric utility truck revealed tonight at the Classic Car Club on New York City's Hudson River was designed out in the country, where trucks have to be...
John Voelcker