The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its final rule, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3,” that sets stronger standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty (HD) vehicles beginning in model year (MY) 2027. The new standards will be applicable to HD vocational vehicles (such... Read more →

Greenlane announced its first commercial EV charging corridor with more than 100 chargers, modern amenities designed to increase the comfort of drivers, resilience for high uptime and ultimately moving freight more efficiently. Greenlane is a joint venture between Daimler Truck North America LLC, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, and BlackRock (through... Read more →

Autocar, LLC, a manufacturer of severe-duty vocational trucks, is collaborating with Rocsys, a developer of hands-free charging solutions for electric vehicles, to bring hands-free charging capabilities for Autocar’s electric terminal tractors. This alliance marks a first with the operational deployment of terminal tractors powered by hands-free charging at distribution centers,... Read more →

Cummins Inc. has commissioned a diesel-hybrid mining truck in partnership with one of China’s leading rigid mining truck manufacturers, North Hauler Joint Stock Co., Ltd. (NHL). The hybrid NHL NTH260, a 220 metric ton payload mining truck, rolled off the production line in January and is headed to Baiyun Iron... Read more →

ABB E-mobility and MAN Truck & Bus have demonstrated a prototype of the Megawatt Charging System (MCS); a MAN eTruck was charged with more than 700 kW and 1,000 A at an MCS charging station from ABB E-mobility. (Earlier post.) Especially in national and international long-distance transport or in loading... Read more →

2024-03-18 Volvo Trucks has received an order for 100 electric trucks from logistics company DFDS. With this latest order, DFDS has almost doubled its Volvo electric truck fleet to 225 trucks in total—the largest company fleet of heavy electric trucks in Europe. DFDS, one of the largest shipping and logistics companies... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company and Iveco Group signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) reinforcing their partnership with a facing view towards electric heavy-duty truck solutions, including both battery-electric trucks and fuel-cell-electric trucks, for European markets. Since initiating their partnership in March 2022, Hyundai Motor and Iveco Group have achieved a series... Read more →

bp pulse, bp’s electric vehicle charging brand, has acquired the freehold of one of the largest truck stops in Europe, Ashford International Truckstop in Kent, as part of its strategic drive to create a Europe-wide network of electric truck (EV) charging infrastructure. Strategically located off Junction 10 and 10a of... Read more →

The Volvo Group has signed an agreement according to the previously announced Letter of Intent with Westport Fuel Systems Inc to establish a joint venture to accelerate the commercialization and global adoption of Westport’s High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI) fuel system technology for long-haul and off-road applications. (Earlier post.) The... Read more →

Daimler Truck North America, LLC (DTNA) announced a comprehensive Battery-Electric Vehicle (BEV) Dealer Certification Program that builds on the foundations of the Elite Support program—a certified network of Freightliner dealers committed to delivering superior customer experience throughout all areas of dealership operations. With the heavy-duty Freightliner eCascadia and medium-duty Freightliner... Read more →

Hyster Company will provide APM Terminals with 10 battery-powered terminal tractors for their location at the Port of Mobile in Alabama. The electric terminal tractors, which are scheduled to be delivered in 2024, are part of a $60-million investment in port equipment electrification pilots by APM Terminals. The electric terminal... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks handed over the first airport refueling vehicle based on an electric series truck from Daimler Truck. The procurement is an important step in the electrification of the ground-handling fleet for the refueling service provider Skytanking at Stuttgart Airport. In cooperation with the tank body specialist Esterer, the... Read more →

Skanska, a leading construction and development firm, has completed a 90-day pilot program using the Volvo EC230 Electric excavator on the Purple (D Line) Extension Transit Project in Los Angeles, at the South Yard of the La Brea station. Skanska’s use of the zero-emissions equipment was among the first to... Read more →

Electrify America and NFI , a leading North American third-party logistics provider, announced the grand opening of NFI’s state-of-the-art DC fast charging facility in Ontario, CA. Supporting NFI’s fleet of 50 heavy-duty electric trucks, the project advances the electrification of drayage operations between the Ports of Los Angeles and Long... Read more →

In 2024 and 2025, MAN Truck & Bus will establish battery repair centers in Italy, Denmark/Norway, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Poland and UK, with further countries in Europe being planned. Millions will be invested in these centers over the next two years. Two battery repair centers are already in operation... Read more →

Volvo Construction Equipment and Mack Trucks, both Volvo Group companies, recently delivered on- and off-road electric equipment to Florida-based Coastal Waste & Recycling. The company, based in Boca Raton, Florida, is piloting a 23-ton EC230 Electric excavator from Volvo CE and took delivery of a Mack LR Electric Class 8... Read more →

Volvo Penta and Swedish backup power solutions company Aiab Energy are strengthening their collaboration to provide an integrated battery energy storage solution (BESS) that meets the specific needs of Aiab Energy’s customers. Volvo Penta will supply Aiab Energy with a high-performance BESS subsystem, consisting in part of energy-dense battery systems... Read more →

Hyzon Motors Inc. and privately held New Way Trucks announced a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to develop a fuel cell powered refuse vehicle for the North American market. Hyzon and New Way plan to start the advanced phases of truck development, with the initial base FCEV prototype ready for refuse... Read more →

Volvo launched its first truck model developed only with electric drive. With capacity for heavy loads and excellent visibility for the driver, FM Low Entry is an electric truck optimized for safe and efficient driving in city areas. This zero-emission truck is a great addition to our electric range, perfectly... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced 27 projects to receive $71 million to develop innovative and equitable clean mobility options, including $10.5 million for three projects focused on research, development, and demonstration of hydrogen combustion engines. These selections are part of a larger $131 million announcement by DOE’s... Read more →

Volvo Trucks is introducing a new engine for its FH16 truck. With up to 780 hp and 3800 N·m, the new 17-litre engine delivers outstanding fuel efficiency and durability. The new engine is certified to run on biofuels. The new engine comes with three power levels; 600 hp, 700 hp... Read more →

TMA Bolaget AB, a leading Swedish road safety enterprise, has recently added two fully electric eEconic special-purpose vehicles to its fleet. The Mercedes-Benz eEconic is based on the tried-and-true Econic and was specifically developed as an all-electric alternative for locally CO2-neutral use in urban environments. Primarily used for waste management... Read more →

The first limited edition models of the new MAN eTruck for 2024 are already sold out, apart from a very small number of vehicles. A total of 700 orders and order requests have been received, the majority of which are for large-scale production, which will start at the MAN plant... Read more →

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar, the UAE’s clean energy powerhouse, and Daimler Truck Holding AG signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the feasibility of liquid green hydrogen exports from Abu Dhabi (UAE) to Europe by 2030. The MoU was signed in Abu Dhabi by Fawaz... Read more →

Building materials producer Holcim plans to order 1,000 units of the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 electric truck to implement its sustainability strategy. Most of the vehicles are intended for the transport of building materials such as cement with silo trailers. The volume represents the largest planned single order to date for... Read more →

Volvo Trucks has launched a completely new Volvo VNL in North America. Optimized aerodynamics and new technologies have improved fuel efficiency by up to 10%. The new Volvo VNL is based on an all-new platform for all upcoming technologies, including battery-electric, fuel cell and internal combustion engines running on renewable... Read more →

The European Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on new measures to strengthen CO2 emission reduction targets for new heavy-duty vehicles. Negotiators agreed on CO2 emissions reduction targets of 45% for the period 2030-2034; 65% for 2035-2039; and 90% as of 2040, applying for large trucks (including vocational vehicles,... Read more →

Accelera by Cummins, the zero-emissions business segment of Cummins Inc., Daimler Trucks & Buses and PACCAR have selected Marshall County, Mississippi, as the future site of advanced battery cell manufacturing for their planned joint venture. (Earlier post.) The joint venture will localize battery cell production for commercial electric vehicles and... Read more →

Daimler Truck increased its unit sales worldwide in 2023 despite supply bottlenecks in important regions, selling 526,053 trucks and buses (2022: 520,291 units). The company sold 3,443 units of battery-electric vehicles, 277% more than in the previous year (914 units). The Trucks North America segment increased its unit sales by... Read more →

Researchers from Ghent University in Belgium have assessed the applicability of five different pressure-based knock metrics for use with methanol fuel in heavy-duty engines. Their findings, published in a paper in Fuel, highlight the need for dedicated, fuel-specific, knock threshold values. The heavy-duty industry typically uses a high cetane fuel... Read more →

MAN Truck & Bus and ABB E-mobility have signed an exclusive cooperation agreement. The aim of the strategic partnership is to work even more closely together, particularly in the area of development. Cooperation in the area of research and development is rather rare in our industry. Together with ABB E-mobility,... Read more →

Siemens AG has completed the acquisition of Heliox, a provider of DC fast charging solutions, serving eBus and eTruck fleets and passenger vehicles. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Heliox employs approximately 330 people. The acquisition complements Siemens’ existing eMobility charging portfolio, adding products and solutions ranging from 40 kW to megawatt... Read more →

Daimler Truck has selected Aeva as the supplier of long- and ultra-long range LiDAR for Daimler’s series production autonomous commercial vehicle program. Under the production collaboration, Aeva will supply its latest Aeva Atlas automotive grade 4D LiDAR technology to Daimler Truck and collaborate with Torc Robotics, an independent subsidiary of... Read more →

Continental and Aurora have finalized the design and architecture of the future fallback system and hardware of the Aurora Driver—an SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Level 4 autonomous driving system—that Continental plans to start production of in 2027. The finalized hardware design comes less than a year after the companies... Read more →

Mesa, Arizona’s all-electric fire truck is officially in service. The pumper truck, stationed at Fire Station 221 in southeast Mesa, will reduce toxin exposure for firefighters as part of the Mesa Fire and Medical Department’s commitment to implementing cutting-edge health and safety practices. The truck, manufactured by E-ONE, a subsidiary... Read more →

Nikola Corporation in 2023 produced 42 and wholesaled 35 Class 8 Nikola hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Of the seven trucks produced but not wholesaled, three are being used in an extended field test with a fleet partner, two are in continued validation and engineering and two are being... Read more →

Volvo Trucks has now delivered its first heavy-duty electric trucks to Latin America, with the vehicles going to customers in Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. With that, Volvo has now delivered electric trucks to customers on six continents and in 45 countries. Brazil is an important market for Volvo Trucks; in... Read more →

Daimler Truck is building a first customer-trial fleet of Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Trucks (earlier post). Amazon, Air Products, INEOS, Holcim and Wiedmann & Winz will take part in first customer trials, expected from mid-2024, to gain initial experience in CO2-free long-distance transport with fuel-cell trucks. The five semi-trailer tractors will be... Read more →

Partners of the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative (JETSI) project announced that Schneider has deployed all 50 of its battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia trucks funded through the project, making the company one of the largest zero-emission Class 8 fleet operators in the nation. The JETSI project—an initiative that will ultimately deploy... Read more →

Westport Fuel Systems has been awarded a development program by a global heavy truck manufacturer to adapt Westport’s Next Generation LNG HPDI fuel system to meet the Euro 7 emissions requirements for heavy-duty vehicle applications. The value of the development program is estimated to be US$33 million and will be... Read more →

BC Hydro announced Canada’s first vehicle-to-grid pilot project for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The bidirectional charging trial project for medium-sized vehicles such as buses, and heavy-duty vehicles like transport trucks, is the first of its kind in the province, and the country. BC Hydro is working with testing and research... Read more →

Uber Freight, a leading enterprise technology company powering intelligent logistics, and public electric commercial truck charging network service provider Greenlane, a $650-million joint venture between Daimler Truck North America, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC and BlackRock (through a fund managed by its Climate Infrastructure business) (earlier post), announced a collaboration aiming... Read more →

Westport Fuel Systems announced the successful completion of a heavy transport demonstration with KAJ Inrikes and others, of WFS’ H2 HPDI fuel system-equipped prototype truck hauling a trailer filled with IKEA home-furnishing products in Älmhult, Sweden. This is the second validation of the H2 HPDI system (earlier post) in a... Read more →

General Motors and Komatsu will co-develop a hydrogen fuel cell power module for Komatsu’s 930E electric drive mining truck, the world’s best-selling ultra-class haul truck. GM, a leader in hydrogen fuel cell technology, and Komatsu, a global manufacturer of mining and construction equipment, will jointly design and validate the technology.... Read more →

SafeAI, a developer of autonomous vehicle technology for heavy industry, and Obayashi Corporation, a leading construction company, unveiled a retrofit zero-emission, autonomous haul truck. The Caterpillar 725 is the first haul truck retrofitted with autonomous and electrification technology. (Earlier post.) While autonomy and electrification have been implemented independently, this is... Read more →

General Motors and Autocar have signed a joint development agreement to create a range of zero tailpipe emissions vocational vehicles powered by GM’s HYDROTEC power cubes. (Earlier post.) Autocar, a market leader in customized vocational trucks, views this initiative as an important expansion in offering robust, zero tailpipe emissions solutions... Read more →

Rio Tinto will replace its entire fossil diesel consumption with renewable diesel at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah from 2024. Kennecott’s fleet of 90 haul trucks and all heavy machinery will begin to transition to renewable diesel in the first quarter of 2024, along with consumption from the concentrator,... Read more →

Stäubli Electrical Connectors, a leading global manufacturer of electrical connector solutions, has completed its agreement with SSA Terminals, LLC, a joint venture with Matson Navigation Company, to provide EV automated charging connections for 33 terminal tractors at the Port of Long Beach, California. (Earlier post.) Stäubli’s QCC Automated Connection Device... Read more →

Forum Mobility, a leading freight electrification provider, announced a new heavy-duty truck charging depot in the Port of Long Beach. This new depot will provide high-speed charging infrastructure for hundreds of drayage trucks per day, supporting the transition of the state’s drayage fleet to zero-emission. Drayage carriers are already reserving... Read more →

Series production of the Renault Trucks has begun series production of the heavy-duty electric E-Tech T and C trucks at the Bourg-en-Bresse plant. The site has been assembling the brand’s trucks for 60 years. Dedicated to regional distribution and urban construction, these vehicles are the latest addition to the manufacturer’s... Read more →