Autonomous software developer Embark Trucks is coordinating HP Inc.’s use of BYD Class 8 battery-electric trucks (BETs) to pick up and drop off loads of computer products where Embark’s supervised autonomous trucks can take over for freeway transit.
The pilot project is an extension of Embark’s work with HP, which in May began sending a load of printers a week from Los Angeles to Phoenix, the middle miles by human-supervised autonomous truck. The weekly drop-and-hook BET runs cover about 50...
A reporter’s notebook from the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach, California
Like coins dropped into a jar at the end of the day, the number of heavy-duty electric trucks continues to grow by nickels, dimes and quarters. But measuring success requires more than counting up pocket change.
Peterbilt Motors General Manager Jason Skoog gave a math lesson about battery-electric and hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric trucks during a keynote address Tuesday.
“Today’s diesel trucks are...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/act-expo-peterbilts-math-lesson-and-volvos-big-day
LONG BEACH, Calif. — NFI Industries, a leader in helping manufacturers test their battery-electric Class 8 trucks, is investing nearly half of a total $38 million to create the largest ultrafast-charging electric installation in the U.S.
Working with Electrify America, a $2 billion entity created by Volkswagen as part of billions in fines and settlements paid in the aftermath of its Dieselgate emissions cheating scandal, NFI will install 34 direct current (DC) fast-chargers in Ontario,...
Indicted Nikola Corp. founder Trevor Milton is continuing to reduce his stake in the company, selling 7 million more shares over the past week, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Friday.
Sales over the three days brought nearly $77 million on top of $71.5 million for another 7 million shares sold six days before his July 29 indictment on federal fraud charges.
The government alleges Milton tried to enrich himself by inflating the value of company shares through false and...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/whittling-away-indicted-nikola-founder-dumps-7m-more-shares
Welcome back to Truck Talk. This week, we look behind the numbers at recent SPAC financial reports, including a potentially long wait for some Nikola fuel cell truck customers. Also, who reigns supreme in engine-making, Xos mobile energy refueling and more.
Behind the numbersAs young companies begin public trading once their sponsors recede to the background, investors begin to see how aligned their projections of success are with reality. Losses, sometimes really big red numbers in net and...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-talk-risky-business-edition
Tesla Inc. has again delayed production of the battery electric-powered Semi, endangering its first-mover advantage as established truck makers begin delivering zero-emission Class 8 models that Tesla’s 2017 announcement prompted them to make.
“I never actually believed they had much of a first-mover advantage because I never believed they would deliver it in the time frame that they announced,” Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst at Guidehouse Insights, told FreightWaves.
“They had a...
Nikola Corp. (NASDAQ: NKLA) is showing its battery-electric Class 8 Tre prototype to fleets, seeking launch customers who want more than one or two trucks to test.
The Phoenix-based startup is sticking with its estimate of delivering 50 to 100 Class 8 battery-electric trucks in the fourth quarter. But CEO Mark Russell, speaking on a Q1 earnings call Friday, said supply constraints for a variety of parts could reduce that number. Microchips and touchscreens are particular concerns.
“We’ve...