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 More2017 Thor Motor Coach Challenger Recall
Thor Motor Coach (Thor) is recalling certain 2017 Challenger 37YT motorhomes. The exhaust pipe for the onboard gasoline generator may be incorrectly installed or missing completely from the vehicles. CONSEQUENCE: Without a correctly installed generator exhaust pipe, there may be a buildup of carbon monoxide within the interior of the vehicle, increasing the risk of personal injury or death. REMEDY: TMC will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the Challenger…
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 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 MoreKenworth Developing Hydrogen T680 Truck
Kenworth announced it is developing a prototype hydrogen fuel cell version of the T680 day cab for drayage tractor operation at Southern California ports. The project is backed by a $9 million government grant awarded last August. The hydrogen fuel cell is provided by the Canadian company Ballard Power Systems and it will charge batteries on the truck while producing only water as an emission. The T680 day cab tractor…
Read MoreFuel Cell Bus Programs get $35.8M Grant in CA
Sunline Transit, a public agency providing bus service throughout California’s sprawling Coachella Valley, will received a $12.5 million grant from the state Friday to fund five new zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell buses and upgrades to the agency’s existing hydrogen production plant. The buses will operate in a region that is known for the cities of Palm Springs and Indio and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The project, represents one…
Read MoreToyota Unveils Hydrogen Powered Class 8 Truck
Toyota’s family of eco-friendly vehicles gained a supersized sibling this morning in the form of Project Portal, a hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial truck. Along with representatives from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), the zero-emission truck proof of concept will be unveiled today at the Port of Los Angeles where it will take part in “a feasibility study examining the potential usage of fuel…
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…
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