Of floor mops, M&M coatings … and battery packs 

What do coatings for M&M chocolate candies, O-Cedar floor mops and battery packs for electric trucks have in common?

All three come from German industrial conglomerate Freudenberg Group. The company operates many other seemingly incongruous businesses from filtration to home cleaning products.

A history of handoffs

Freudenberg’s battery business is an appropriate Truck Tech topic. But not as tasty than M&Ms, for which it makes the hard shell coatings through its Capol business unit. 

The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/of-floor-mops-mm-coatings-and-battery-packs

A diesel reality check and a rebranding

The scrappy Diesel Technology Forum quietly rebranded itself as the Engine Technology Forum (ETF) 10 months ago, acknowledging that despite fighting the good fight for the long-established truck fuel, its name wasn’t helping its cause.

A necessary change

A Google search found exactly one story and the forum’s press release from October about the name change. Truck Tech doesn’t regularly cover diesel. We flat-out missed the name change. An ETF spokesperson wondered how that happened since its news...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/a-diesel-reality-check-and-a-rebranding

Split-off gain masks some cracks in Cummins’ financial armor

Cummins Inc. recorded a massive one-time gain from the split-off of its filtration business. But first-quarter revenue dropped as weakening business conditions impacted the engine maker and power distribution giant.

The Tier 1 supplier of truck engines and power systems for data centers and other businesses reported Q1 revenue of $8.4 billion. That was down 1% from a year ago. The number missed analyst estimates by $50 million. Sales in North America were flat. International revenues fell 1% due...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/split-off-gain-masks-some-cracks-in-cummins-financial-armor

Will natural gas payback beat EV adoption?

The confluence of a new, bigger engine, net-zero carbon emissions from renewable natural gas (RNG) and pressure from shippers for their carriers to operate sustainably add up to a bright picture for natural gas adoption.

But a new study from the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) points to a couple of cautions. First is methane leakage from the source of the RNG. Methane escaping into the atmosphere is a huge contributor to planet-warming greenhouse gas.

Second, and most...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/will-natural-gas-payback-beat-ev-adoption

Cummins CEO moves company forward after record civil emissions fine

COLUMBUS, Ind. — Cummins Inc. CEO Jennifer Rumsey is moving the engine-maker and power distribution company forward after paying a record civil fine for emissions cheating that she said brought some over-the-top federal criticism.

Cummins in December settled a 4 ½-year-old case by paying a civil fine of $1.675 billion to the Environmental Protection Agency. About 1 million engines in Ram pickup trucks — Cummins’ biggest-selling engine program — contained data-defeating emissions software. The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cummins-ceo-moves-company-forward-after-record-civil-emissions-fine

Can Karno technology generate a buyer for Hyliion?

Unwinding the powertrain business at Hyliion Holdings was uncomfortable, especially for 175 employees who lost their jobs in November. But the leaned-out startup is making some progress in its pivot to energy distribution through a fuel-agnostic power generator.

Whether the plan is sufficient to generate revenue and perhaps attract a buyer for the once high-flying special purpose acquisition company are the big unknowns.

The Karno generator, which Hyliion purchased from GE in August 2022 for its...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/can-karno-technology-generate-a-buyer-for-hyliion

Emissions-rigging fine takes huge bite from Cummins’ Q4 earnings

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An emissions-rigging settlement wiped nearly $14 per share from fourth-quarter profits at Cummins...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/emissions-rigging-fine-takes-huge-bite-from-cummins-q4-earnings

Megawatt grants electrify truck charging corridors

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Startup electric truck infrastructure developer WattEV won’t say how much money it has raised from...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/megawatt-grants-electrify-truck-charging-corridors

Cummins, Daimler and Paccar pick Mississippi for $2B battery joint venture

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Accelera by Cummins, Daimler Truck and Paccar Inc. followed the incentives in choosing northern...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cummins-daimler-and-paccar-pick-mississippi-for-2b-battery-joint-venture

Cummins will pay California $175M over emission-rigged engines

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Cummins Inc. will pay $175 million to California over emissions-rigging of Ram truck diesel engines....

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cummins-will-pay-california-175m-over-emission-rigged-engines