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Technology Report
Manned Systems

Cummins, Tula Test ‘Dynamic’ Cylinder Deactivation for Diesels

Tula Technology has supplied the control software for “dynamic” cylinder deactivation in gasoline engines since 2018, launching in General Motors’ 5.3- and 6.2-L...

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What We’re Driving
Unmanned Systems

What We’re Driving: 2020 Kia Telluride

The 2020 Kia Telluride is one of the classic lightning-in-a-bottle models an automaker enjoys maybe once every couple of decades. Assertive-but-not-obnoxious styling combine with a vast cabin trimmed...

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News
Power

What We’re Driving: 2020 Ford Expedition

I’m dubious of “off-road” option packages. Decals, chunky-tread tires and tow hooks usually are more about enhancing a vehicle’s profit margin than its performance, off-road or on. So when...

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News
Regulations/Standards

New Best Practice Establishes Commonly Defined Terms, Conceptual Framework for ADS ODD

The Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium (AVSC), an industry program of SAE Industry Technologies Consortia (SAE ITC), released a new best practice in...

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Original Equipment
Communications

Caterpillar Reveals Seven New Next-Gen Excavators, Increases Push for Remote Control

Caterpillar began launching its next-generation hydraulic excavators in late 2017, and the rollout continues two years later with the introduction of...

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News
Energy

John Deere Power Systems Expands Lineup, Introduces New 13.6- and 18-Liter Engines

John Deere Power Systems (JDPS) showcased an expanding engine lineup and electric drivetrain solutions during a press event at ConExpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas,...

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News
Green Design & Manufacturing

Kubota Enters Stand-On Track-Loader Segment with New SCL1000

Kubota took the wraps off its first-ever entrant into the stand-on track-loader market at the 2020 ConExpo-Con/Agg tradeshow in Las Vegas. The new SCL1000 is the smallest machine...

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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 side...

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Technical Innovation
Propulsion

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
Energy

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
Manufacturing & Prototyping

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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Original Equipment
Materials

JLG Develops Self-Leveling Boom Lift

What started as a scale-model prototype shown at Bauma 2016 to explore the viability of a lift with a “smart” suspension has become reality for JLG Industries. At ConExpo-Con/Agg 2020, the...

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News
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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Original Equipment
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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Articles
Power

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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News
Power

Nissan's 2020 Frontier Gets New Powertrain

More transmission gears and greater engine horsepower should enliven the 2020 Nissan Frontier midsize pickup truck. “We’re launching a new transmission and new engine in the current Frontier,...

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Articles
Software

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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News
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Solving the “Telehandler Problem”

A common challenge engineers face in the application of counterbalance or overcenter valves is machines with a high degree of load dynamics. Vehicles with slender booms, multiple booms, wear pads with...

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News
Power

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
Materials

2019’s Best Automotive Plastics Innovations

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) annual Automotive Innovation Awards Competition, now in its 49th year, is considered the “Oscars” for those developing polymer and...

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News
Sensors/Data Acquisition

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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News
Connectivity

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
Manned Systems

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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News
Power

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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News
Transportation

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
Green Design & Manufacturing

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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Technical Innovation
Power

Leak Testing of Commercial-Vehicle AC Systems Critical as Move to HFO Refrigerants Looms

Passenger car and light-truck makers in the U.S. already have switched to more environmentally friendly hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) refrigerants from...

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Technical Innovation
Green Design & Manufacturing

How Battery Technology Will Drive Truck Electrification

The past three years have seen a major shift in the perception around electrified commercial vehicles, including trucks, driven by a variety of factors that have come together at this...

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