News

Unmanned Systems

Origin of the Species

“I was a vehicle-dynamics engineer my entire career—but maybe not a good one, because they put me in charge of a self-driving car!” jokes Jason Fischer, chief engineer for the Cruise Origin, the autonomous...

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...

News

Test & Measurement

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...

Technical Innovation

Transportation

Magna Fighting COVID-19 with Ozone

An ozone-generating process that kills germs is being evaluated by supplier Magna for potential use in vehicle cabins, as the mobility industry seeks sustainable solutions for protecting passenger health....

News

Green Design & Manufacturing

GM and Honda to Jointly Develop Honda’s Electric Vehicles

General Motors and Honda announced on April 2, 2020 that Honda’s next generation of electric vehicles (EVs) will be jointly developed by the two companies, but will be “based...

Articles

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...

News

Green Design & Manufacturing

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,...

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...

Articles

Materials

Moving Metal AM Forward

The global 3D-printing metals market was estimated to be US $774 million in 2019, according to a recent research report by MarketsandMarkets. The research company projects the market to reach more than US $3.1...

Articles

Power

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...

Editorial

Packaging & Sterilization

ConExpo Excels amid COVID-19

Las Vegas seemed to be in a bubble from March 10-13, the week of ConExpo-Con/Agg & IFPE 2020. Tens of thousands of attendees crowded the halls inside the Las Vegas Convention Center and outside on the new...

Q&A

Motion Control

Topcon Machine Control Solutions Provide Greater Jobsite Connectivity and Automation

Topcon Positioning Group announced advances to its portfolio of machine control solutions during ConExpo/Con-Agg 2020 in March. Tilt rotator functionality for...

Technical Innovation

Automotive

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...

News

Connectivity

New Standard Will Ease Grade-Control Data Sharing Between Construction Machines

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has teamed up with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to create a standard that will...

News

AR/AI

AI Moves into Military Boards and Subsystems

Artificial intelligence (AI) is inching into high-end military markets, according to the suppliers of computer and sensor boards. However, challenges like meshing AI’s rapid advances with...

News

Test & Measurement

Vehicle Cabin-Air Filters Can Combat Coronavirus, but Effort Is Problematic

On February 4, millions of people across China – some sheltering in place – watched the online-only launch of the Geely Icon SUV. As the China-based automaker...

Articles

Electronics & Computers

Shifting Design of Autonomous Architectures

The controls for fully autonomous trucks must deal with inputs from a number of sensors, analyzing this data and taking actions that enable the vehicle to complete its route safely and...

News

Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Aptiv’s Autonomous-Vehicle ‘Air-Traffic Control’

It’s well known that the safe operation of an autonomous vehicle (AV) relies on robust sensing, path planning and compute capability. What’s often overlooked is the role of a...

News

Manufacturing & Prototyping

Porsche to Use 3D Printing to Customize Seats

Porsche is enacting a pilot program that employs 3D printing to create a customized “comfort layer” in a bucket seat that allows the user to select from several levels of support based on...

News

AR/AI

Toyota Improves ‘Little Things’ to Refine 2020 Highlander Manufacturing

Manufacturing the fourth generation of Toyota’s Highlander crossover unfolds in the 4.5 million sq-ft2 Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (TTMI) plant in...

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...

News

Motion Control

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...

News

AR/AI

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...

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...

Technical Innovation

Imaging

New CM Labs Excavator Simulator Training Offers GPS Guidance, HMI Experience

CM Labs Simulations’ (ConExpo-Con/Agg, Booth F100911 in the Festival Hall) new excavator training exercise incorporates an integrated GPS guidance system that...

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...

News

Energy

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,...

News

Materials

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...