The California Public Utilities Commission has approved $738 million in transportation infrastructure electrification projects for the state’s three largest utilities —Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Southern California Edison. The approved projects aim to help speed the transition to electrified transportation for consumers and fleets. These projects include: San Diego Gas & Electric’s (SDG&E) Residential Charging Program ($137 million): SDG&E will provide rebates to residential customers…
Read MoreBosch to Supply Nikola Electric Powertrains
Nikola Motor Co. and parts supply company Bosch will jointly develop powertrain systems for the Nikola One and Nikola Two, hydrogen-electric Class 8 semi-trucks scheduled to reach the market by 2021, the companies announced Tuesday. Separately, Nikola confirmed that the trucking startup completed a $110 million funding round in late June to bring its total to $900 million. Under the powertrain agreement, Bosch will supply Nikola with its eAxle technology that houses…
Read MoreCummins Unveils New All Electric Tractor Trailer
Cummins, a leading maker of diesel and natural gas engines for commercial trucks, unveiled a Class 7 heavy-duty truck cab Tuesday featuring an advanced 140 kWh battery pack that it will sell to bus operators and commercial truck fleets starting in 2019. The 18,000-pound tractor cab, dubbed AEOS after one of the four-winged horses driving the chariot of the Sun God, Helios, across the sky in Greek mythology, is just…
Read MoreNavistar to Pay $30.8M in MaxxForce Lawsuit
Navistar Inc. disputes allegations that it didn’t thoroughly test its MaxxForce EGR engines — allegations that surfaced in a lawsuit where a jury last week awarded $30.8 million in damages — including testimony about the engine program by former executive Jim Hebe that the company “did not test sh*t”. The Tennessee jury found that Navistar committed fraud and violated the Tennessee Consumer Practice Act in connection with the sale of 243 Navistar…
Read MoreMitsubishi Fuso Begins Electric Truck Production
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus has announced the start of small-scale series production of its electric medium-duty truck, the Fuso eCanter. All eCanter trucks for U.S. and European markets will be produced at the production plant in Tramagal, Portugal, in line with conventional diesel Fuso trucks. Mitsubishi Fuso introduced the eCanter at the Work Truck Show earlier this year, saying that it would be made available in the U.S., Europe, and…
Read MoreCummins Plans for Electric Class 8 Powertrains
Diesel Engine maker Cummins expects to start building and selling electric powertrains for transit bus applications in 2019, with a “longer-range version” available by 2020, as the OEM believes electricity will become a key commercial vehicle power source in the near future. “We know things about electrification that maybe others don’t,” explained Julie Furber, executive director of electrification business development for Cummins, explained in an hour-long conference call with reporters…
Read MoreDriveWyze CA Weigh Station Bypass Service
Drivewyze has announced that it has been awarded the contract to operate its Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass service in California. The company is working to install its service with existing weigh-in-motion scales, underway at 37 locations where the state has chosen to operate bypass services. Drivewyze expects the service to be fully operational in the state within 60 days. The 37 sites supporting PreClear are located on many of…
Read MoreTexas Legislators Pass Autonomous Vehicle Bill
Legislators in Texas passed a bill to establish a basic regulatory framework for autonomous vehicle operation in the state, including allowing vehicles without humans present in the vehicle to operate on the state’s roadways. The Texas House passed the bill, SB 2205, May 21, a few weeks after the state’s Senate approved the legislation. The bill now heads to Texas Gov. Rob Abbott’s desk to sign into law, which he’s…
Read MoreGM Sued Over DuraMax Diesel Emissions
Two owners of diesel-powered General Motors vehicles are accusing the car maker of producing an engine that exceeds U.S. standards for pollutant emissions under normal driving conditions, in a lawsuit that targets more than 700,000 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Truck Models equipped with 6.6L Duramax Diesel Engines. The class-action lawsuit accuses GM of using “at least three separate ‘defeat devices’ to increase engine power and efficiency” in its Duramax…
Read MoreUSDOJ Sues Fiat Chrysler Over Diesel Emissions
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Fiat Chrysler America (FCA), alleging that some of its Dodge Ram Diesel Pickup Trucks and Jeep SUVs are cheating on emissions tests. The lawsuit filed Tuesday by the government marks the second time the D.O.J. has gone after an automaker alleging use of software on diesel engines that allows them to emit more pollution on the road than during Environmental Protection Agency lab…
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