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Power

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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Articles
Manned Systems

Eaton and BAE Gear up a New Electrified Truck

One of the advantages that OEMs have long touted for battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) has been the elimination of components like the transmission. The instant torque that an electric motor...

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News
Manned Systems

Volvo Trucks’ Battery Chemistry of Choice: NCA

While Daimler Truck, Paccar and Accelera by Cummins are pursuing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells with technology partner EVE Energy, Volvo Trucks employs lithium-ion batteries...

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Articles
Manned Systems

Hydrogen ‘Inevitable’ for Commercial Vehicles

With the perception of diesel engines as bad actors in the worldwide transportation-emissions crackdown, the commercial-vehicle sector is racing to identify and develop propulsion...

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News
Manned Systems

CES: VinFast Previews Wild Concept Truck

VinFast used its third appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to introduce three new electric vehicles, including a midsize pick-up truck concept and a small CUV bound for the...

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Technology Report
Manned Systems

Tenneco Opens Engineering, Simulation Center in Poland

Suspension- and powertrain-components specialist Tenneco recently opened a new 9,600 sq.m (103,334-sq.ft.) European engineering center at Gliwice in Poland to serve its European...

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News
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
Manned Systems

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
Power

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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News
Manned Systems

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
Unmanned Systems

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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Editorial
Manned Systems

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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Technical Innovation
Energy

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
Energy

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
Power

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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Editorial
Connectivity

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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News
Power

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
Lighting

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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News
Energy

Battery Leasing Spurs VinFast’s EV Offensive

VinFast, Vietnam’s first automotive startup, clearly takes its name seriously. Barely two months after introducing its first two electric vehicles (EVs), the automaker pulled the wraps...

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Original Equipment
Green Design & Manufacturing

Mellor Bus Stresses Lightweight Construction for New Midsized Battery-Electric Buses

U.K.-based bus manufacturer Mellor Bus has recently launched a completely new range of battery-electric midsized buses under the Sigma brand name.

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Technical Innovation
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

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
Regulations/Standards

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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Editorial
Manned Systems

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
Manned Systems

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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News
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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