Vehicles and Performance

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Technical Innovation
Materials

The Economics of Lightweighting in Heavy-Duty Vehicles

Like those in many other industries, truck and off-highway vehicle manufacturers face the challenge of producing quality components and maintaining productive processes while also...

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News
Manned Systems

Hydrogen’s Humming in Power Generation

Not long ago we covered some high-profile struggles hydrogen-technology companies had encountered, including Nikola and Hyzon both deciding to cease operations. But despite legitimate challenges,...

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Technology Report
Green Design & Manufacturing

Orbis Says HaloDrive Axial-Flux Motor Available for In-Wheel, Other Uses

After years of development, Orbis Electric is introducing its HaloDrive axial flux e-motor /generator that it says is “slimmer, lighter, lower cost and more...

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Technology Report
Manned Systems

Industry Vet: Rapid Change Required to Catch up to Chinese EV Maker

Terry Woychowski, CEO of engineering consultancy Caresoft Global, had a stark, sobering message for a meeting in Auburn Hills of the Society for Automotive Analysts in...

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Articles
Power

48V Is Coming, and Not Just for EVs

In every corner of the automotive power engineering world, there are discussions and debates over the merits of 48V power networks vs. legacy 12V power networks. The dialogue started over 20 years ago,...

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News
Power

Natural Gas Infrastructure Is Scaling Fast for HD Fleets

A significant shift is transforming the heavy-duty transportation sector: the rapid advancement of natural gas and renewable natural gas (RNG).

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Articles
Energy

Mercedes-Benz Refurbishes ‘Like-New’ High-Voltage Batteries for Electric Trucks

Remanufacturing engines for medium- and heavy-duty trucks is nothing new to the industry. Reworking high-voltage batteries for reuse in electric trucks is...

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News
Transportation

ACT Expo 2025: Heavy-Duty EVs, H2 Trucks and Tariff Talk Dominate Day One

Opening day of the ACT Expo 2025 in Anaheim, California, was a flood of product announcements and clean-fuel initiative updates. While the trucks and the technology...

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Technical Innovation
Power

Clarios Brings AI to Idle Management for Heavy Trucks

The predominant low-voltage battery maker Clarios today announced that IdleLess, a sensor-and-AI-driven system for heavy-duty trucks that it says can save up to $3,300 per year per...

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Original Equipment
Propulsion

No Fear of Loading: Driving the 2025 Ram Heavy Duty

The desert landscapes of the western United States have changed since Mr. Duke and Dr. Gonzo blazed a trail across them in a drug-infused haze. But their advice to buy the ticket and take...

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News
Energy

Slate and SK Executives on Bringing the Inexpensive EV to Market

In May of 2024, Slate had an idea and a presentation. It knew it wanted to build an affordable vehicle and that the vehicle would be electric. "We were talking to many...

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Q&A
Power

Hydrogen Industry Vet Says Fuel Cells Still a ‘Go’

Tarek Abdel-Baset, Forvia’s chief engineer for hydrogen storage systems, has two decades of experience in alt-fuel transporation development, with all the ups and downs that entails....

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Technology Report
Power

GM Picks LMR as Its Future Affordable Battery Technology

Nearly every automaker with an electric car in its lineup has aimed to bring the price of EVs down to parity with their gas-powered counterparts. Concerns about EV tax incentives...

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News
Manned Systems

Transmission Talk: Eaton Discusses Its Portfolio of Commercial Gearboxes

Last summer, SAE Media was invited to Eaton’s proving grounds in Marshall, Michigan, to test drive an electric truck the company had built in collaboration with BAE...

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Technology Report
Power

Slate Unveils Bare-Bones EV Mini Truck

The American truck market is huge. The trucks, they're also quite large. Pickups went from workhorse machines to enormous luxury vehicles with equally large price tags. Even the Maverick, Ford’s...

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News
Power

ICE and Hybrid-Electric Propulsion Show Staying Power

The internal combustion engine. Hybrid-electric. Full-electric. Plug-in hybrid electric. Pick one, two, or more for the product portfolio.

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News
Energy

Hydrogen Is Hitting Some Headwinds

Nikola announced on February 19 that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and had begun pursuing “value-maximizing sale transactions” for its operations. Also a maker of battery-electric heavy...

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Q&A
Manned Systems

Propane Powers Ahead for Medium Duty Sector

The seemingly constant changing winds of North American emissions regulations have put many alternative propulsion-supplying OEMs on high alert over the first quarter of this year. However, not...

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News
Unmanned Systems

First Drive: REE’s Electrifying P7 Delivery Chassis

At NTEA’s 2024 Work Truck Week, REE Automotive showcased its P7 EV chassis and REEcorners modular suspension system. At the time, the P7 was being offered to North American fleets for...

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Original Equipment
Power

Freightliner Unveils Latest Cascadia Class 8 Truck

Freightliner has unveiled the fifth generation of its Cascadia Class 8 truck. The new version is scheduled to begin production mid-2025 and reportedly offers new advanced safety features,...

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News
Power

Magna to Produce Its First Dedicated Hybrid Drive System for Chinese OEM

With OEMs rushing to create hybrid-drive vehicles amid a drop in EV sales growth, Magna has won a contract to produce what it’s calling a dedicated hybrid drive...

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Technical Innovation
Manned Systems

CATL Expands Battery Range for Heavy-Duty Trucks and Buses

Chinese battery manufacturer CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd.) completed the launch of its TECTRANS battery system for the commercial transport sector at IAA...

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Technical Innovation
Propulsion

Shell’s Starship 3.0 NG Shines a Bright Light on Efficient Powertrain and Aero Tech

Innovation often comes a piece at a time, but what happens when you put all those pieces together at once? That is precisely the question Shell is...

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Original Equipment
Manned Systems

Liebherr Reveals Towering Battery-Electric Haul Truck

Liebherr and Fortescue unveiled their first autonomous battery-electric T 264 haul truck at MINExpo 2024, garnering a steady stream of attendees eyeing and climbing on the giant...

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Articles
Connectivity

Brownout for Commercial-Vehicle Electrification?

The high cost of batteries to electrify on-road commercial vehicles is one thing. But some connected with or studying electrification for the CV sector now are concerned that the cost of...

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News
Green Design & Manufacturing

Truck OEMs Invested in Infrastructure

Truck manufacturers have not sat idly by as charging infrastructure continues to lag behind the growing availability of battery-electric commercial vehicles. Take for example Daimler Truck North...

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News
Software

Q&A: VW Engineering Chief on Wireless Charging at DC Speeds

During the annual Management Briefing Seminars held by the Center for Automotive Research in Traverse City, Michigan, this year, SAE Media sat down with Volkswagen North...

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Q&A
Green Design & Manufacturing

Detailing Kenworth’s Sleek SuperTruck 2

The Kenworth booth at the 2024 Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Las Vegas garnered much interest thanks to the reveal of its futuristic-looking SuperTruck 2. Developed over a six-year...

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Articles
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Volvo Trucks’ Battery Chemistry of Choice: NCA

While Daimler Truck and Paccar are pursuing LFP battery cells, Volvo Trucks employs lithium-ion batteries in which lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) is used as the cathode — for now anyway. The Swedish truck maker is continuously exploring other battery technologies. Read on to learn more.

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