The commercialization of new technologies often follows a trajectory that looks something like this: a startup brings the new tech to market, surprising everyone and catapulting the company to corporate stardom; industry incumbents realize they need to embrace the new tech, but find themselves unable to do so, thanks to the pesky Innovator’s Dilemma; other… Read more »
Swiss electronics company ABB has won a contract from Singapore-based ST Engineering Land Systems to deliver and commission integrated smart charging points for a fleet of fully-electric Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) in Singapore’s new Tuas port. The autonomous vehicles, provided by Dutch manufacturing company VDL, will transport heavy shipping containers at the port terminal. The… Read more »
Tesla’s pickup truck is surely the most eagerly-awaited new vehicle since…well, Tesla’s last vehicle. Pickups are the biggest segment of the US auto market, and electrifying them will be a major, and necessary, turning point for EV adoption. Ford, GM and startup Rivian all have electric pickups in various stages of development, but Tesla is… Read more »
The K11M, BYD’s 60-foot electric articulated transit bus, has passed durability road testing under the Federal Transit Authority’s (FTA) new Pass/Fail guidelines at the Model Bus Testing Program in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It is the first electric transit bus of its size to complete the full 15,000-mile durability test. Once Altoona and the FTA finalize the… Read more »
Public charging stations are proliferating around the world, but many drivers are unaware of them. Curious consumers often cite a lack of charging infrastructure as one of the top objections to buying an EV. A Swedish charging network operator believes a lack of signage could be part of the problem – there are more than… Read more »
Millbrook Revolutionary Engineering has opened a new EV driveline test facility in the San Francisco Bay area. The 25,000-square-foot facility will offer testing of inverters and vehicle-in-loop capabilities, battery simulators and e-machine testing at speeds of 20,000 rpm. The company has installed four electric drive unit test stands with a combined capacity of 2,880 testing… Read more »
Calex Manufacturing has launched the 24S53.19FXW DC-DC converter, the final product in the company’s FXW series of DC-DC converters. The new converter features a power density of 181 W/in³ over a 9-36 VDC input range. The 1,000-watt converter measures 2.5 x 4.7 x 0.52 inches. In a bid to optimize performance, Calex has equipped the… Read more »
Frito-Lay plans to make its Modesto, California manufacturing site, one of the company’s largest in the US, a “near zero-emission freight facility.” A grant from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (aka Valley Air) will cover half of the $30.8-million cost of the project. Frito-Lay will replace all its existing diesel-powered freight equipment… Read more »
Tesla has quietly acquired Ontario-based Hibar Systems, which specializes in battery manufacturing. The California carmaker has made no official announcement, but Electric Autonomy Canada learned from federal lobby registration documents that Hibar became a subsidiary of Tesla sometime between July and October. Hibar Systems was founded in the early 1970s to make small cell batteries,… Read more »
What’s the largest mass transit system in the United States? Is it the public transit network? Nope. Commercial airlines? Guess again. Passenger rail? Not even close. Here’s a hint: the vehicles are colored yellow. Give up? It’s school buses, and in terms of sheer numbers this fleet is 2.5 times larger than all other forms… Read more »
