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 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 MoreUber Freight Launches for Commercial Drivers
Uber Freight is a new service from the ride hailing company that pairs up trucking companies, including independent operator truck drivers, with loads that need to be hauled from one place to another. The app looks a lot like the main Uber app, but it’s targeted towards vetted and approved drivers, who can browse for nearby available loads, see destination info, distance required and payment upfront and then tap to…
Read MoreVolvo Testing Self-Driving Refuse Truck in Sweden
Could garbage collection be handled by robotic vehicles? That’s the question Volvo Trucks is looking to answer as it tests out a self-driving garbage truck in Sweden. The truck company has a venture with Swedish waste management company Renova to learn how autonomous refuse vehicles can improve safety, make trash collection more efficient and reduce driver injury. “Driving a heavy commercial vehicle in an urban residential area with narrow streets and…
Read MoreAutomated Commercial Vehicle Webcast April 24
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will hold a public listening session to collect comments and information on autonomous truck technology, or what it calls “highly automated commercial vehicles,” at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Workshop in Atlanta on April 24th. They hope to solicit information on issues relating to the design, development, testing, and deployment of HACVs. FCMSA will webcast the entire session to allow for increased viewing and participation for…
Read MoreFord Recalls 48k F250 Trucks due to Rollaway
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty trucks equipped with 6.2L Gasoline engines and six-speed automatic transmissions. These transmissions may have a damaged park rod actuating plate that can result in unexpected rollaway even though the transmission has been shifted to ‘Park.’ As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, “Transmission Shift Lever Sequence/Starter Interlock/Transmission…
Read MoreIsuzu Issues Recall Involving 21,000 Trucks
Isuzu Technical Center of America, Inc. (Isuzu) is recalling certain 2015-2017 NPR HD, NPR XD, NQR and NRR trucks. During manufacturing, the stamping equipment may have created burrs on the frame crossmember that the transmission is mounted to. These burrs may cause the transmission mounting studs to break. CONSEQUENCE: If the studs break, the transmission may not be properly supported, preventing it from shifting correctly and increasing the risk of…
Read MorePG&E Plug-In Electric Class 6 Hybrid Truck
Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Efficient Drivetrains Incorporated (EDI) unveiled the utility industry’s first plug-in electric hybrid (PHEV) Class 6 truck featuring technology that has the potential to fundamentally change how the utility manages planned and unplanned outages. The vehicle, developed by EDI in partnership with PG&E, features a plug-in electric hybrid (PHEV) drivetrain that combines up to 50 miles of all-electric driving with 300 more miles of driving…
Read MoreElectric Buses Now Cheaper than Diesel/CNG
Transit vehicles today are mostly powered by gasoline, diesel, and CNG, while electric batteries only represent about 1% of the market. It is currently a small part of the industry, but it’s also the fastest growing fuel source in the sector and it’s starting to become highly competitive and cheaper. Electric bus maker Proterra is ramping up production and currently claims to be cheaper than diesel and CNG. It leads CEO…
Read MoreKenworth Predictive Cruise Increases MPG
Kenworth has updated its Predictive Cruise Control functionality for T680 and T880 trucks equipped with the 2017 Paccar MX-11, MX-13, and Cummins X15 engines to improve fuel economy and overall MPG. The update was made with the launch of 2017 emission engines and provides up to a 1% improvement in fuel economy over the current versions with Predictive Cruise Control, according to Patrick Dean, Kenworth chief engineer. Kenworth’s Predictive Cruise…
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