Vehicles and Performance
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Manned Systems

VW Introduces Singular ID.Buzz in Three-Row Layout

As automakers keep rolling out new EV models, a kind of sameness has crept into the proceedings. Put a four-door sedan or crossover on a skateboard platform with a 90-kWh-or-so battery,...

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Articles
Test & Measurement

Constructing Lightweight Bus Structures with Stainless Steel

The weight of a typical bus could be reduced by up to 35% – more than 1,000 kg (2,205 lbs.) – by using high-strength stainless steel to replace tubular bus-frame elements...

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Articles
Manned Systems

Volta’s Electric Truck Is U.S. Bound

Volta Trucks has been operating its all-electric Volta Zero delivery trucks in Europe for three years. Now, the map is expanding. Fleet operators soon will be able to get behind the wheel of a...

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News
Energy

WCX 2023: Battery Leaders Say Manufacturing Prowess Needs to Advance

Batteries are an incredibly complex subject, so it’s not surprising that in a panel at SAE’s WCX 2023 conference in April titled “Battery: Today, 2030 and...

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Articles
Transportation

The Olfactory Factor in AV Interiors

Whether they’re riding in an autonomous shuttle, a transit bus, a train or a rental car, passengers often face cabin air full of “mal odors” — bad smells — including cigarette and vape...

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News
RF & Microwave Electronics

Autonomous Transit Bus Nears Its First Year of Operation

Since May 2022, Michigan State University students, faculty and staff have been able to ride within campus boundaries on an autonomous electric bus, one of the largest...

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News
Manned Systems

May Mobility Starts ADA-Compliant AV Transit for Rural Area

Automated-driving system developer May Mobility confirmed in late September that it launched what it called the first public-transit project to deploy American Disability Act...

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News
Materials

Engineering Sustainability

Watching a junked school bus being fed into a mammoth hammer mill, which loudly pummeled the bus into fragments of metal, rubber, and plastic, was a sight I’ll never forget. I was visiting Huron Valley...

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News
Regulations/Standards

Lightning EMotors Adapts to Changing Electrification Market

A growing number of commercial truck fleets are moving to electric vehicles, driven partially by government mandates and support funding. For suppliers like Lightning eMotors,...

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Technology Report
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Wireless Road Charging for EVs to Debut in 2023

Roadway-embedded wireless charging for electric vehicles is coming to a stretch of urban highway in Detroit, marking a pilot-program first on a U.S. public road. “Our electric vehicle...

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News
Manned Systems

Funding, Mandates Fuel Commercial-Vehicle Electrification

Government funding and electrification mandates are providing strong tailwinds for electric vehicle (EV) suppliers. But to optimize their transitions, fleet operators will have...

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News
Manned Systems

VinFast Continues Assertive Expansion Plan

If the name VinFast seems unfamiliar, that’s no surprise. The Vietnamese automaker has been around for barely half a decade, its first product going on sale in its home market in 2019. But as...

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News
Power

Alternative Fuels, Propulsion Poised for Growth in U.S. Fleets

Fuel prices are soaring. Not breaking news, I know, yet the almost-daily alerts citing new record highs for gasoline and diesel prices are still unsettling. Consumers and...

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Technical Innovation
Manned Systems

WAVE Inductive Charging Purpose-Built for Large EVs

The largest all-electric transit bus fleet in the U.S. serves as a vivid example of commercial vehicles ditching diesel fill-ups. “WAVE’s wireless charging solution is...

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News
Energy

Lightning EMotors Announces EChassis for Commercial EVs

Lightning eMotors has announced the availability of the Lightning eChassis platform for commercial EV applications. The platform, which was co-developed with Metalsa, will be...

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Original Equipment
Sensors/Data Acquisition

Quantron Launches 12-M Battery-Electric Bus; Fuel-Cell Variant to Follow

New European bus manufacturer Quantron has launched its first product, the Cizaris, a 12-meter (39.4-ft) long electrically powered bus. The German company was...

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Technical Innovation
Transportation

ABS Ramps up Commercial-Vehicle Battery-Pack Assembly

American Battery Solutions (ABS) is preparing for a big uptick in business with the increasing electrification of buses, medium- and heavy-duty trucks. “In order to be ready for...

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The Navigator
Manned Systems

C-2VX Is Finally Gaining Momentum in the U.S.

Vehicle to everything (V2X) communications has had a rough go in North America. After more than a decade of development on the Wi-Fi-based dedicated short-range communications (DSRC)...

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News
Transportation

Mega Push for Heavy-Duty EV Charging

The number of zero-emission (ZE) heavy-duty trucks in the U.S., Canada, China and Europe is expected to increase nearly 80% between 2020 and 2023, from 40 available or announced models to 71....

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Executive Viewpoints
Energy

Batteries Not the Only Route to EV Efficiency

Much of the talk around the switchover to electric power in commercial electric vehicles (EV) focuses on batteries, whether it be their range, weight, energy and power density, or expected...

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Articles
Unmanned Systems

Riding on Air: Activated Carbon Aims at Autos

Activated carbon may seem an esoteric piece of science in the automotive space, but it is quietly playing a key role in Audi A6 and A7 air-suspension systems. The technology also is...

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Technical Innovation
Manned Systems

Valeo Equips Buses with COVID-Killing Air-Sterilization System

The coronavirus pandemic has changed how we live our daily lives as we take various safety precautions to social distance and protect ourselves and others from the virus....

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News
Energy

GM Nikola Tie-Up Sparks Worldwide Hydrogen Fuel Cell Interest

More than 20 years have passed since hydrogen-fuel-cell electric vehicles (HFCEVs) looked to be the future zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) solution. About that time, this editor...

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News
Manned Systems

Startups Emerge as Accelerators for Commercial-Vehicle Technologies

Speed has become a more critical factor as the commercial vehicle (CV) industry races to meet global market demands and stricter emissions regulations. The need for...

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Articles
Connectivity

Autonomy Is Coming to Commercial Vehicles

Despite a pandemic that continues to punish global economic markets, not to mention vehicle manufacturers’ and suppliers’ product plans, many heavy-duty truck makers are not relaxing on...

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News
Green Design & Manufacturing

Zeroing in on Zero Emissions

Electrification is inevitable for commercial vehicles. That is the takeaway from a quick succession of zero-emission commercial vehicle (ZECV) initiatives announced by various groups since the summer...

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Articles
Connectivity

Building Geofences to Speed AV Adoption

Vehicle and system developers have always pushed to get the most from every component and material, but design teams focused on autonomous vehicles are increasingly adopting a less-is-more...

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Editorial
Manned Systems

Clean Is the New Safety Paradigm for AV Development

Privately-owned vehicles were never so safe as they are today. Nor have they made so much sense. That thought hit me between the nostrils recently, as I sprayed a pungent disinfectant...

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News
Manned Systems

Next Steps Toward Battery-Electric Class 8 Trucks

Volvo LIGHTS, Volvo Group’s pilot project in California to introduce battery-electric semi tractors to the U.S., is moving both incredibly fast and frustratingly slow. On the speedy...

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