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 »
Search Results Found For: "UPS"
How Umicore is ensuring sustainability in the North American EV battery chain
Q&A with Umicore’s Robert Privette Umicore traces its roots to a Belgian mining company formed in 1906. Since then, it has moved on from mining to a variety of high-tech pursuits including refining, recycling and the manufacture of specialized metal products. Today it’s one of Belgium’s largest companies, and has a strong presence in e-mobility,… Read more »
California’s diesel ban is on hold. Should fleets still try to comply?
Under pressure from trucking trade groups, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) decided to delay enforcing some of the registration and reporting provisions of its Advanced Clean Fleets regulation, which had been scheduled to take effect at the end of 2023. Under the rule, drayage fleets and other “high-priority” fleets must register any legacy combustion-powered… Read more »
Mercedes CTO says solid-state batteries may not be necessary
Solid-state battery technology is widely expected to be the next big thing in the EV world, as it promises higher energy density, lower cost and more safety than current Li-ion designs. However, Mercedes Chief Technology Officer Markus Schäfer recently voiced a contrarian view, saying that solid-state batteries “may not be necessary,” thanks to developments in… Read more »
EnviroSpark has installed over 7,800 charging plugs. Here’s what the company has learned.
EnviroSpark runs its own EV charging network and helps others with installations, including Tesla, Volkswagen and Ford. The parlous state of public charging reliability has emerged as a major roadblock to wider EV adoption, and the entire industry is going through a soul-searching phase, trying to identify the roots of the problems and correct them…. Read more »
Voltage surge and transient suppression in EV chargers
Anything powered by an external source of electricity needs to be protected from voltage transients and surges, as it is not a question of whether such hazards will occur, but rather how often they will occur (and of what severity they will be). As might be expected, there are internationally agreed-upon regulations for surge and… Read more »
Canoo begins volume deliveries of its electric commercial van
We’ve seen a number of EV startups that delivered a lot of hype, but few if any vehicles. For a while, we were tempted to place Canoo in that category, but now the company has begun deliveries of its electric LDV130 commercial van, as part of a large order from Kingbee, a national provider of… Read more »
Littelfuse’s new overtemperature detection solution for EV battery packs
Circuit protection specialist Littelfuse has introduced a new overtemperature detection platform for Li-ion battery systems. The new TTape system is designed to help vehicle systems manage premature cell aging effectively while reducing the risks associated with thermal runaway incidents. Littelfuse explains that TTape is suited for a wide range of applications, including EVs, hybrids and… 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 »
Another reason to buy electric trucks: driver recruitment and retention, because drivers love them
The trucking industry has a serious driver shortage, and operators are exploring all kinds of ways to improve driver recruitment and retention. Meanwhile, trucking industry trade groups are fighting tooth and nail against electrification. They might be surprised to learn that deploying EVs could be a major hiring advantage, because drivers love them. In a… Read more »