The pursuit of contradictory goals is a basic fact of human nature, and the commercial truck industry is no exception. Vehicle OEMs are investing large sums to advance the transition to electric vehicles, even as they lobby governments to water down the emissions regulations that are forcing that transition. Advocates of slowing the transition often… Read more »
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Redwood Materials breaks ground on South Carolina EV battery recycling plant
Redwood Materials, the battery recycling firm run by Tesla alum JB Straubel, recently broke ground on a new facility near Charleston, South Carolina. The plant will complement the company’s Nevada materials location, and will be used to recycle, refine and remanufacture anode and cathode components. Also like Redwood’s Nevada site, the new Battery Materials Campus… Read more »
A wood-burning EV charger?
EV chargers come in all shapes and sizes to fit a variety of use cases, but we’ve never heard of a wood-burning EV charger until now. Florida-based Air Burners, a manufacturer of air curtain burner systems, collaborated with Rolls-Royce and Volvo Construction Equipment to develop a portable machine that turns biomass waste into energy. The… Read more »
The US and EU take different approaches to the threat of Chinese EV imports
Governments in North America and Europe are seriously concerned about China’s growing dominance of the EV industry. Chinese automaker BYD recently surpassed Tesla as the world’s leading seller of EVs, and it’s only one of several Chinese-owned brands that are already selling cars in the US and the EU. However, the world’s #2 and #3… Read more »
Phoenix completes purchase of Proterra’s electric transit vehicle business
Proterra’s filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection took the EV industry by surprise, but the blow was softened by the company’s plan to sell off its business units: Proterra Powered (powertrain and battery technology); Proterra Transit (electric buses); and Proterra Energy (charging infrastructure). In November, the Volvo Group was selected as the winning bidder for Proterra Powered…. Read more »
The heavy-duty electric truck market could break out in 2024
Electrifying heavy-duty trucks is essential if we’re to fight climate change and air pollution, but the pace of the transition has been painfully slow—many, many pilots, but few truly large-scale orders. For example, shipping giant Schneider acquired 92 Freightliner eCascadias in 2023—a good start, but only that, considering that the company currently operates over 10,000… Read more »
Video: Caterpillar goes all in on EVs at CES
Off-road vehicles may turn out to be one of 2024’s top EV stories. The intrinsic advantages of EVs—silence, lack of local emissions, high torque—make them great choices for applications from construction to agriculture to mining. One off-road OEM exhibiting EVs at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show is Caterpillar. The iconic yellow-machine maker’s entire booth at… Read more »
GM’s rosy year-end figures obscure the fact that legacy automakers are in deep trouble
Duplicitous doublespeak has become de rigueur dialect in the auto industry. “We remain committed to an all-electric future,” says GM as it announces a rollback of its electrification plans. “We strongly believe in EVs,” say auto dealers as they support efforts to slow the EV transition. “The greatest responsibility for us as a company is… Read more »
Range Energy’s smart trailers boost electric truck range
Towing has always been a sore point with EVs—towing a trailer inevitably eats into range, and towing a massive semi-trailer requires a tractor with a massive battery pack. But what if the trailer itself could share the burden? That’s the idea behind Range Energy, which is developing a trailer that’s equipped with a battery pack,… Read more »
ICCT report: deploying charging infrastructure in key freight corridors would enable meeting EPA emissions goals
A favorite argument of the anti-EV crowd (or perhaps I should say, the crowd that “loves EVs,” but just wants to delay adoption for a decade or two) is a lack of sufficient charging infrastructure. Recently, truck manufacturers including Volvo and Daimler (big EV fans both) asked the EPA for a three-year delay of the… Read more »