Cummins

Succeeding with renewable natural gas for heavy-duty trucks

On a recent episode of Truck Tech, Alan Adler interviewed natural gas technology leaders Hexagon Agility, Cummins, and Kenworth who have partnered for more than a decade to ensure RNG heavy-duty trucks are spec’d right for duty cycle and operation, resulting in diesel-like performance. 

In the debut podcast, Alan Adler sits down with Sarah Abernethy of Kenworth, Puneet Jhawar of Cummins, and Eric Bippus of Hexagon Agility to explore how others in the heavy-duty truck space can make RNG Class 8...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/succeeding-with-renewable-natural-gas-for-heavy-duty-trucks

Building an electrification business in reverse

When most fleets think about the electric grid, it’s about how much power they can get and when. Seed-stage startup Synop has another idea – making money by helping return unneeded power to utilities.

Seed-stage startup Synop found its niche in bidirectional charging. (Image: Synop)
Giving back (electricity) as a business

When Gagan Dhillon worked for Volvo Trucks North America, he saw an opportunity to create a TMS for electric trucks. No one was interested. Then he and longtime friend Andrew...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/building-an-electrification-business-in-reverse

After ELMS bankruptcy, James Taylor resurfaces as CEO of Bollinger Motors

James Taylor, the former CEO of Electric Last Mile Solutions, kept a low profile following the bankruptcy sale of the company’s assets to Mullen Automotive. This week, he resurfaced as CEO of Mullen-controlled Bollinger Motors, a maker of electric trucks.

Longtime automotive executive James Taylor (center) became CEO of Bollinger Motors on Tuesday. Siva Kumar (left) became chief strategy officer. Bryan Chambers (right) became president and chief operating officer. (Photo: Bollinger Motors)

Was...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/after-elms-bankruptcy-james-taylor-resurfaces-as-ceo-of-bollinger-motors

Hyzon focuses on US fuel cell market for survival

In its brief four-year history, Hyzon Motors has experienced far more stormy than sunny days. As it struggles to survive, the commercial fuel cell manufacturer is focusing on the U.S., where it sees hydrogen and zero-emission refuse trucks worth pursuing.

Chasing the SPAC money

A spinoff of Singapore-based Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies, Hyzon went public in July 2021 in a reverse merger with special purpose acquisition company Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corp. It received $550 million in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/hyzon-focuses-on-us-fuel-cell-market-for-survival

Can wireless EV charging become an infrastructure player?

Wireless charging of electric vehicles — literally parking a vehicle over a concrete-embedded charging plate and magnetically connecting to a vehicle — is a niche mostly restricted to transit buses and yard tractors that pull containers around a distribution yard. 

But as the rollout of plug-in charging is slowed by infrastructure buildout and lack of timely energizing, the underground solution also known as inductive charging could expand to other uses.

Expensive approach with a swift payback

“We...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/can-wireless-ev-charging-become-an-infrastructure-player

‘Picky’ Gatik nearing mass-produced autonomous trucks

The struggles of autonomous truck makers to move beyond the testing stage are well chronicled. Seven-year-old Gatik, which owns the short-haul pickup-and-delivery “middle mile,” is an exception. By all indications, it has the money, the partnerships and the runway to reach mass production in 2027.

After discussing Gatik’s technology progress with Apeksha Kumavat, co-founder and chief engineer, on this week’s Truck Tech podcast, I caught up with CEO Gautam Narang. That followed Monday’s...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/picky-gatik-nearing-mass-produced-autonomous-trucks

Workhorse on the bubble, or is it worse?

Less than three months after my generally upbeat visit to Workhorse Group’s refurbished plant near the Ohio-Indiana border, the electric truck maker’s situation appears dire.

Layoffs and furloughs

Workhorse has laid off 20% of its workforce. Much of the rest is on unpaid furlough and could be called back to work. 

The company is choked with inventory. It has less than $7 million in cash on the books and accounts payable for more than twice that amount. At a projected burn rate less than Q1’s $5.5...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/workhorse-on-the-bubble-or-is-it-worse

Opposition grows to speedy electric truck transition

The Advanced Clean Transportation Expo, a generally upbeat event for battery electric, hydrogen and other emission-friendly technologies, takes place next week in Las Vegas amid a growing and widespread backlash to the regulation-driven transition to electric trucks.

Nearly every stakeholder — from the trucking industry and driver organizations to state attorneys general — is weighing in with dire estimates of crippling costs to a cyclical industry. Ryder System Inc. is the latest, dissecting...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/opposition-grows-to-speedy-electric-truck-transition

Really cold hydrogen could bring driving range parity with diesel

The time it takes to fuel a hydrogen-powered fuel cell truck is already on par with diesel. But there is still a yawning gap when it comes to comparable driving range. A new hydrogen storage system that packs more energy density might change that.

The goal of hydrogen and battery-electric trucks is to reduce the 12% of greenhouse gas emissions attributed to heavy-duty trucking.

Chill out: Verne goes deep into minus celsius for cryo-compression

San Francisco-based startup Verne is named after 19th...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/really-cold-hydrogen-could-bring-driving-range-parity-with-diesel

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