Efficient Drivetrains Inc (EDI), a drivetrain manufacturer with offices in Silicon Valley and China, has launched a Class 3 utility truck with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that it says can reduce emissions and fuel use by up to 80 percent. The new vehicle, which is built on a popular Detroit OEM commercial fleet truck, is… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "heavy-duty charging"
ZeroTruck: Electric fleet vehicles offer compelling cost savings
Medium-duty trucks make perfect candidates for electrification, and the market would seem to be full of opportunities for small companies that build powertrains and components. It’s treacherous territory, however – several startups targeting this space have foundered. ZeroTruck founder Tedd Abramson told Charged about his company’s strategy to hang on for the long haul. Abramson… Read more »
Voltabox begins building Li-ion battery packs in Texas
Three Li-ion battery chemistries, the speed of its software and hardware systems configuration and the automotive legacy of Voltabox make this newly-landed American spin-off company a player in the realm of rechargeable batteries for public transit and heavy industrial vehicles. Austin, Texas is known for many things: music festivals, barbequed ribs, the Texas Longhorns, filmmaker… Read more »
New Flyer’s XE40 electric transit bus
New Flyer Industries, a major manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses, has unveiled a battery-electric version of its popular Xcelsior transit bus. The XE40 electric bus features a Siemens electric drive system, a New Flyer lithium-ion energy storage system, a regenerative braking system and an Eaton en-route conductive charging capability. Battery capacity is scalable between 100… Read more »
Efficient Drivetrains and Greenkraft to develop natural gas/PHEV medium-duty truck
Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI) is partnering with Greenkraft to develop a Class-4 truck that runs on compressed natural gas (CNG) and incorporates a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. The project will fit EDI’s multi-mode PHEV powertrain (EDI-Drive) to Greenkraft’s CNG-powered, 14,500-pound, Class-4 medium-duty truck, which is equipped with a 6.0 L GM engine. The new beast is… Read more »
Charge Ahead California Initiative passes state Senate
The California Senate has passed the Charge Ahead California Initiative (SB 1275) by a bipartisan vote of 27-9. The bill increases the state’s already respectable consumer incentives with the goal of putting one million EVs on the road over the next decade, as well as making it easier for low- and moderate-income motorists to access… Read more »
Odyne’s export power system provides clean stationary electric power
One of the many benefits of a plug-in hybrid work truck is the ability to run power tools without the noise and stink of an idling diesel engine. Wisconsin-based Odyne Systems LLC sells a modular plug-in hybrid drive system for medium- and heavy-duty trucks that can be installed in a new vehicle or as a… Read more »
OLEV Technologies’ dynamic wireless inductive system charges vehicles while in motion
When one thinks of Nikola Tesla and electric vehicles, the obvious connection points to Elon Musk’s favorite part-time project. However, we also have to give the Serbian inventor proper credit for pioneering technology that eventually may become even more important to EVs than battery breakthroughs. Tesla’s obsession with wireless power transmission defined much of his… Read more »
Report: The effects of fuel economy and emissions regulations on the automotive sector
By Jeffrey Wishart, a Senior Project Engineer at Intertek, conducts research and development on products and services in the areas of energy, the environment, and advanced transportation. In addition to his supervisory position at Intertek, Dr. Wishart worked for several years at ETEC LABS (the research and consulting division of ECOtality) and at a utility company… Read more »
Plug-in fleets: small challenges, huge savings
Four plug-in truck companies talk to fleet managers about electrification opportunities Plug-in vehicles are different. Aside from the obvious changes in technology, they present a different financial model for corporate number crunchers. This means some challenges for those pitching EVs and PHEVs to fleet operators. Fortunately for the EV industry and the fleets of the… Read more »