Volvo’s Alternative Powertrain Hybrid Trucks

Volvo's New Alternative Power Train Hybrid Truck

Volvo Trucks has looked into the future of long-haul big rigs and sees a hybrid. The Swedish manufacturer, which owns the Mack brand in the U.S., is testing its first hybrid alternative powertrain truck to see how much fuel it will save on long-haul deliveries. The vehicle is expected to produce 30 percent less CO2 emissions than a comparable diesel powered traditional truck. The hybrid is part of a growing movement within the trucking industry to design more fuel efficient and…

Read More

MIT Engineers Turn Yeast into Diesel

MIT Engineers Turn Yeast into Diesel Fuel Oil

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 More

2016-2017 Daimler Trucks RV Chassis Recall

Daimler Trucks North America Chassis Frame Recall

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 FCCC XBR, XCL, XCM, and XCR recreational vehicle chassis manufactured January 1, 2016, to October 12, 2016, equipped with Cummins ISL engines. The power steering hose on the affected vehicles may be routed incorrectly, and, as a result, the hose may rub against the power stud on the starter motor, possibly causing electrical arcing and a power steering…

Read More

2013-2017 Freightliner Cascadia PDM Recall

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 More

2014-2017 Winnebago Itasca ATS Switch Recall

Winebago Itasca VIN Report

Winnebago Industries, Inc (Winnebago) is recalling certain model year 2014-2017 Itasca Cambria, 2015-2017 Winnebago ERA, Travato, Fuse, Aspect, and Vista recreational vehicles, and 2015-2016 Itasca Sunstar recreational vehicles manufactured May 6, 2014, to April 22, 2016. The affected vehicles have a power cord connection to the automatic transfer switch (ATS) that may not be properly tightened. CONSEQUENCE: A loose power connection may cause a build up of heat at the…

Read More