Vehicle autonomy is a trend that’s proceeding in parallel with electrification, so it’s no surprise to learn that Tesla is working on the technology. This week, Elon Musk outlined an ambitious plan, saying that the company hopes to produce a car that can run on “auto-pilot” within the next three years. Tesla’s autonomous car will… Read more »
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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 »
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 »
Cola EV wars: Daimler delivers Freightliner eCascadias to California Coca-Cola Bottler
Daimler Truck North America has delivered 20 electric Freightliner eCascadia Class 8 tractors to Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling (RCCB). These are the first electric tractors to be added to the Downey, California, fleet of the West Coast and Midwest bottler and distributor of Coca-Cola brands. (Meanwhile, competitor Pepsico is going with the Tesla Semi.) To ensure… Read more »
Volta Trucks becomes the latest electric truck maker to file for bankruptcy
Electric truck makers are having a rough time these days, as rising interest rates make fundraising harder. The German company B-ON, maker of the Streetscooter, filed for insolvency in September. In the latest chapter of Lordstown Motors’ colorful history, a bankruptcy court approved the sale of the company’s assets to its founder. Arrival is undergoing… Read more »
Clearing the roadblocks to electrification of heavy-duty trucks
Q&A with electric truck expert Rustam Kocher Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles make up a small fraction of the vehicles on the road, but they generate a disproportionate amount of pollution. Therefore, electrifying them is critical to reducing emissions. Furthermore, the case for electric trucks and buses would seem to be an easy one to make…. Read more »
Megawatt Charging System will kill hydrogen trucks once and for all, says electric truck expert
The sales figures make it increasingly plain that fuel cell passenger cars have no future, but hydrogen fans still have high hopes for applications like long-distance trucking, in which long range and fast refueling times are important. The endless articles churned out by anti-EV interests tend to have a lot to say about hydrogen, along… Read more »
Amazon to invest a billion euros to electrify its fleet in Europe
Amazon is moving full speed ahead to electrify its European vehicle fleet. The delivery diva will invest a billion euros ($975 million) over the next five years in electric vans, trucks and low-emission package hubs in Europe. Amazon said the plan is to expand its electric van fleet in Europe from the current 3,000 vehicles… Read more »
WattEV aims to operate 12,000 electric Trucks-as-a-Service and a charging network to support them by 2030
Electrifying commercial vehicles is a critical part of reducing emissions, so it’s frustrating that the pace of fleet electrification has been so slow. Viable commercial EVs have been around for years, but fleet operators insisted on conducting years-long pilots to prove their reliability. Now that phase is over, and companies are starting to place substantial… Read more »