Hyundai Motor Co. has an ambitious plan to wean the global trucking industry from fossil fuels by creating green commercial trucks with the same power and range as their diesel counterparts, choosing hydrogen over electricity. The South Korean automaker unveiled the cornerstone of its strategy in Atlanta last month by showing the concept of its planned HDC-6 Neptune hydrogen fuel cell truck. Styled like a 1930s Art Deco steam locomotive,…
Read MoreGM Sued for Selling Duramax Motors that Can’t Run Diesel # 2
General Motors Co. has been hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging it equipped 2011-2016 GMC and Chevrolet diesel trucks with 6.6-liter Duramax engines that are not compatible with American diesel fuel, also known as Diesel # 2. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Detroit, alleges GM sold “hundreds of thousands” of diesels with high-pressure fuel injection pumps designed by German auto supplier Bosch that pumped metal shavings into the fuel…
Read More2016 – 2019 Volvo VNL Trucks Fuel Screen Recall
Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Volvo VNL trucks equipped with Cummins ISX15 diesel engines. In certain driving conditions, such as on a long down-hill grade, the fuel line may burst if the fuel pump cooling circuit screen becomes restricted. CONSEQUENCE: If the fuel line bursts, fuel may leak onto the road resulting in a roadway hazard for other motorists. The engine may also stall without warning,…
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 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 X15 Diesel Fuel Pump Recall Alert
Cummins, Inc. (Cummins) is recalling certain X15 heavy duty diesel engines used in trucks, fire trucks and recreational vehicles. The affected engines have a fuel pump whose drive gear may slip on its drive shaft, resulting in a loss of fuel pump function. CONSEQUENCE: Failure of the fuel pump will result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash. REMEDY: Cummins will notify the vehicle manufacturers that purchased…
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…
Read MoreIdle Free Electric Truck Stop Testing To Start
A Duke Energy project to fund electrification at a North Carolina truck stop is projected to save 25,000 gallons of truck fuel annually due to not having to idle. Big Boy’s Truck Stop in the town of Kenly, will soon have 24 truck electrification stations where drivers can pay to plug in their vehicles, offering an economical way to provide electricity and hot or cold air during overnight stays that avoids…
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 MoreTennessee & California Increase Diesel Taxes
Governors in Tennessee & California recently signed legislation into law that will increase diesel fuel taxes in those states later this year. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed in late April the “IMPROVE Act,” which will raise diesel fuel taxes by 10 cents over the next three years. The excise tax on diesel will jump on July 1 by 4 cents from 18.4 cents per gallon to 22.4 cents per gallon.…
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