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…
Read MoreBYD Supplies 20 Electric Buses to UC Irvine
BYD California’s truck and bus facility isn’t much to look at – an elderly concrete tilt-up in a mostly still unbuilt industrial center in Lancaster, a high-desert community about 70 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. But things are changing for the electric vehicle maker, a unit of China’s giant BYD Co. BYD has started a factory expansion on a 200,000-square-foot lot in front of the former recreational vehicle assembly…
Read MoreMIT Engineers Turn Yeast into Diesel
MIT engineers have genetically reprogrammed a strain of yeast so that it converts sugars to fats much more efficiently, an advance that could make possible the renewable production of high-energy fuels such as diesel. The researchers, led by Gregory Stephanopoulos, the Willard Henry Dow Professor of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at MIT, modified the metabolic pathways of yeast that naturally produce large quantities of lipids, to make them about 30…
Read More2017 Ford F-250 & F-350 Super Duty Recall
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks manufactured August 10, 2016, to September 17, 2016. The frame reinforcement bracket may not have been attached to the front fuel tank strap, allowing the fuel tank strap to separate from the frame. CONSEQUENCE: A fuel tank strap that separates and allows the fuel tank to contact the ground may cause a fuel leak, increasing…
Read MoreEPA Says Chrysler Cheated Diesel Emissions
The US Environmental Protection Agency has accused a second major car company, Fiat Chrysler, of cheating on its diesel emissions testing by using secret software applications in multiple models. The company’s Jeep Cherokee and Dodge Ram vehicles used “management software” that “increases air pollution” from nitrous oxide for three years, the EPA alleged in a notice of violation issued Thursday. Fiat Chrysler said it was “disappointed” in the citation, and…
Read MorePaccar Updates MX Engines & Drive Axles
Available in Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks in January will be new power, torque and fuel efficiency enhancements to Paccar MX-13 and MX-11 engines for North America. Nearly 50% of Peterbilt and Kenworth heavy-duty trucks currently are produced with Paccar MX engines, according to Sproull. Paccar increased the MX-13 engine’s output to 510 hp and 1,850 lb-ft of torque and increased the MX-11 engine’s output to 430 hp and 1,650 lb-ft…
Read More2013-2017 Freightliner Cascadia PDM Recall
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC. (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles manufactured September 24, 2012, to May 27, 2015 and equipped with compressed natural gas (CNG) engines. The affected vehicles have a Power Distribution Module (PDM) that is mounted near the CNG fuel tank. Due to its location, the PDM may be sprayed with water and contaminants from the road, possibly causing the PDM to short…
Read MoreGillig Low Floor Transit Bus Brake Recall
Gillig LLC (Gillig) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Gillig 29-foot Low Floor transit buses manufactured November 20, 2014, to February 11, 2016. These buses, equipped with disc brakes, have rear brake hoses that can rub chassis components and fray. CONSEQUENCE: A frayed hose may leak air, causing the rear brake(s) to lock up unexpectedly, or fail to operate when the brakes are applied. Either scenario increases the risk of…
Read MoreDaimler Trucks New Electric Urban E-Truck
Daimler Trucks announced this week at the IAA 2016 commercial vehicle show in Hannover, Germany, its future urban transportation strategy, which includes the company’s first electric truck, the Urban eTruck. After introducing its electric drivetrain concept in July, Daimler continued the project with the introduction of the Urban eTruck, an all-new electric truck concept for short-radius, zero-emissions goods distribution. The eTruck has a 200-km range, or approximately 125 miles, on a single charge…
Read MoreVolvo’s Electric Bus Charges in 3 Minutes
Sales-Lentz, one of the largest public transport operators in Luxemburg, is a forerunner in the introduction of alternative drive technologies. It was the first company to buy Volvo Hybrids in Europe as early as in 2009. Today, they have 24 Volvo hybrids and 12 Volvo electric hybrids in their fleet. Sales-Lentz now takes the next step in electrification with the purchase of four Volvo 7900 Electric buses. The buses will…
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