Latest Stories

Technical Innovation
Power

EVs Are Coming, but Challenges, Alternative Fuels Will Slow Turnover

Regulatory attacks on petroleum are sparking heavy investments in battery power, but alternative fuels continue to spar for growth. As vehicles move slowly from diesel to...

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News
Connectivity

Lightyear One: 20 Miles of Daily Solar Driving Range

It’s been more than a decade since Toyota first developed a photovoltaic system for the roof of a Prius hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV). Those solar cells, available on Japan-based...

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Original Equipment
Energy

Hyundai Reveals Compact Electric Excavator Prototype

Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas (HCEA) demonstrated a working prototype of its electric-powered compact excavator at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2020 in Las Vegas, March 10-14. The R18E...

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Technical Innovation
Power

FPT Reveals Compact F28 Off-Road Diesel, Hybrid Variant

Seemingly everything at the ConExpo-Con/Agg 2020 is big – from the show’s footprint to the seemingly endless number of construction machines on the grounds. But FPT Industrial...

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News
Energy

Case Unveils Fully-Electric Backhoe Loader, Begins Delivery This Year

Case Construction Equipment’s move toward alternative propulsion took another step forward at March’s ConExpo-Con/Agg Show when it revealed “Project Zeus,” also...

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News
Electronics & Computers

New Ultium Battery System Underpins GM’s EV Future

General Motors on March 4 gave media, investors and key dealers the first look at the electric-vehicle (EV) onslaught it is readying for production, along with related propulsion,...

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News
Manufacturing & Prototyping

British HFQ Process May Enhance Aluminum’s High-Volume Future

With this year’s end stage of a major collaborative R&D project, the longstanding competition between steel and aluminum for high-volume vehicle production is set to...

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Articles
Software

CES 2020: Toyota to Build a City of the Future

There’s hardly a region on Earth that Toyota doesn’t reach. At the 2020 CES conference, the company announced a visionary project of similar scope, saying it intends to build a...

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News
Automotive

Quadricycle AV Pod Pops Open in London

Mobility “pods” regularly pop up in the automated-driving universe and the latest is a quadricycle prototype called MOTIV, claimed by its creators to “break the mold for future mobility...

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News
Power

SAE Symposium Covers New Approaches in Thermal Management

Vehicle thermal management, once almost exclusively about safely rejecting powertrain heat, continues to evolve to dealing with two extremes in operation of battery electric...

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Articles
Manned Systems

Continental's Lidar in a Flash

A precise three-dimensional profile of a vehicle’s surroundings is a fundamental prerequisite for automated driving. A new high-resolution 3D flash lidar (HFL) sensor developed for use at close range – 50...

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Articles
Power

Modeling Electric Motors

This article looks at an example of using some of the latest software technology to design a traction-drive motor for a medium-duty delivery truck.

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Technical Innovation
Transportation

Prodrive, Volta Trucks Develop Electric Truck for Urban Driving

Working with Swedish start-up Volta Trucks, Prodrive is helping to engineer what promises to be a unique 16-tonne (17.6-ton) heavy goods vehicle (HGV).

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News
Connectivity

Engine Developers Increase Efforts to Decrease Fuel Usage

Engineers are leaving no stone unturned in their unceasing drive to improve fuel economy, leveraging electronics, monitoring airflow and using data from outside the vehicle....

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News
Test & Measurement

ConExpo & IFPE 2020: Go Big or Go Home

My inbox has been inundated with notifications of press conferences and exciting new construction equipment, power systems, and other advanced technologies to be revealed at the rapidly approaching...

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News
Manned Systems

Volvo CE Showcases 100-Ton EC950F Excavator, New Hybrid Assist That Cuts Fuel Use by 15%

The entrance to Volvo Construction Equipment’s ConExpo-Con/Agg exhibit (F3432), through what the company has dubbed “excavator alley,” will lead...

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Technical Innovation
Manned Systems

Self-Driving Trucks Cut Fuel Consumption by 10%

Enhancing safety and helping combat driver shortages are two benefits that heavy-duty autonomous-truck proponents have preached during development. You can now add significant fuel savings to...

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News
Propulsion

Engineering the World’s Fastest Tractor

For farmers in a hurry, JCB’s Fastrac series agricultural tractors are capable of speeds up to 43 mph (69 km/h) in stock form. But the British company believes in challenging its engineers to...

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Q&A
Energy

Parker Takes Electro-Hydrostatic Approach for Electric Machines

Off-highway industrial machines require multi-function implement operation with dynamic duty cycles. In many cases, machine implements demand short bursts of full engine power...

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Technical Innovation
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Isuzu Simplifies Fuel Changeovers

Isuzu is making it easier for equipment owners to switch fuels from natural gas to liquid propane, letting users switch by merely sending a signal to the engine. Released in October 2019, the dual-fuel...

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Articles
Connectivity

SAE Publishes On-Route Mechanized Conductive EV Charging Systems Recommended Practices

SAE International published SAE J-3105 Electric Vehicle Power Transfer System Using Conductive Automated Connection Devices Recommended Practice in...

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Articles
Power

Autonomy Already Influencing Vehicle Interior Design

Just about everyone’s seen a recent rendering of future vehicle interiors, but high-function driver assistance, automated driving and mobility as a service (MaaS) are new dimensions...

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News
Energy

New GM, LG Chem Joint Venture to Build EV Battery Plant in U.S.

General Motors and longtime battery partner LG Chem announced the companies are forming an equally-owned joint-venture (JV) company to mass-produce lithium-ion batteries for...

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Technical Innovation
Energy

Commercial-Vehicle Battery Producer Sets up in U.S. as Electrification Takes Hold

Projecting the market for full-electric and hybrid-electric commercial vehicles will continue to expand, Germany-based lithium-ion battery specialist Akasol...

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News
Propulsion

Mahle and Partners Develop Super-Efficient Engine for Stationary Power

Mahle Powertrain, with partners Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Kohler Co., Louthan Engineering and Intellichoice Energy, has developed a prototype single-cylinder...

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Articles
Manned Systems

Narrower Focus, Bigger Payoff for Commercial EVs

Government regulations are prompting a changeover to electric powertrains, with early growth coming in commercial vehicle applications where range and recharging are more easily managed....

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News
Green Design & Manufacturing

Caterpillar Launches Next-Gen Mini Hydraulic Excavator, Skid Steer and Compact Track Loaders

Covering about 2.5 million ft2 and including roughly 2,800 exhibitors, the triennial ConExpo-Con/Agg event boasts an even-larger footprint for...

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News
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Insights into Heavy-Duty Engine Design

Engine developers face numerous challenges in their work. When building the new clean-sheet design C3.6 engine, Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems considered several factors including customer...

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Articles
Manned Systems

Air Exchange System Shows Potential to Reduce Winter BEV Range Loss

Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) range loss from winter use of PTC (positive temperature coefficient) heating has become a source of major concern as the industry works to...

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