In Switzerland, it’s not just the Alpine meadows that are green: every corner of the country can be reached by public transport, solar panels are ubiquitous, and recycling programs are strong. When it comes to automobiles however, it’s a different story. The Swiss love their cars every bit as much as Americans do, and in… Read more »
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Is Daimler missing the boat by adapting legacy trucks to electric drive?
Daimler is the world’s largest truck manufacturer, and it’s encouraging to see the company developing electric vehicles, such as the Fuso eCanter light-duty electric truck. However, Hamish Ainsley, writing in LinkedIn, finds it disappointing that Daimler seems to be focusing on electrifying legacy truck models rather than designing EVs “from the ground up.” “Mercedes Benz… Read more »
Ryder orders additional 500 Chanje electric vans
Fleet management specialist Ryder System (NYSE: R) has reserved 500 new Chanje Energy medium-duty electric panel vans, which will be delivered as lease agreements are finalized. This is in addition to the 125 trucks Ryder ordered last year. Ryder is the exclusive sales channel and service partner for Chanje, and is offering truck leasing and… Read more »
UPS buys 950 electric delivery vans from Workhorse
Fleet operators are beginning to make the transition from pilot EV programs to serious orders, and UPS is leading the way. Big Brown has just ordered 950 N-GEN electric delivery vans from Cincinnati-based Workhorse. In February, UPS announced plans to deploy a test fleet of 50 N-GEN trucks, so the latest purchase brings its N-GEN… Read more »
New UCS report indicates automakers have lost interest in reducing emissions
The Union of Concerned Scientists has issued a new report that ranks the environmental performance of global automakers. It’s no surprise that Tesla topped the rankings by a wide margin. (Yes, the report considers the full lifecycle of vehicles, including emissions associated with manufacturing and the production of fuel.) However, EV fans may be surprised… Read more »
Robert Bollinger is building unique EVs, and a one-of-a-kind EV company
Bollinger Motors is not following the typical EV startup formula. Instead of building a luxury sedan, it’s building a rough and ready work truck. It has no strategy to evolve into a mass-market automaker, but intends to find a niche as a low-volume brand. As far as we know, the company has no former Tesla… Read more »
Target to expand EV charging program to 600 spaces at 100 sites
Target will be working with Electrify America to expand its EV charging program to over 600 parking spaces at 100 sites across 20 states over the next two years. Target began adding charging stations to its parking lots in 2012, in partnership with ChargePoint. In 2017, it teamed up with Tesla to add Supercharger sites…. Read more »
Bob Lutz laments the end of the automotive era
Quintessential car guy Bob Lutz, the father of the Chevy Volt and one-time Tesla admirer turned harsh critic, had some bad news for an audience of engineers at SAE International’s recent annual meeting in Detroit. Once vehicle autonomy reaches its logical conclusion, humans will be reduced to passengers in standardized, soulless automated vehicles. People who… Read more »
European emissions levels climb even as tougher standards are on the way
As emissions standards tighten around the world, and the threat from EVs grows, shouldn’t automakers be making their cars cleaner? Somehow, they don’t seem able to do so. According to a recent report from JATO Dynamics (via Automotive News Europe), European emissions actually increased by a small amount in 2017, reversing a decade of steady… Read more »
Auto consultant Munro gives Model 3 thumbs-down for build quality, thumbs-up for electronics and handling
Sandy Munro takes cars apart for a living. Specifically, Munro & Associates, the Detroit consulting firm of which he is the CEO, performs teardowns. Munro and his team dismantle cars and analyze each part in minute detail (what’s it made of, what supplier made it, and how much did it cost?) and write up their… Read more »