Daimler Truck North America

Will Nikola’s best year ever be good enough?

Nikola broke a nine-day stock price losing streak a week ago when it posted record second-quarter revenue. CEO Steve Girsky still enthusiastically believes 2024 will be the best year in company history. Yet, the electric truck maker has only enough cash on hand to last through the end of the year without further diluting investors by converting more shares.

Sweeping away the underbrush

Nikola no longer talks about convicted founder Trevor Milton, who recently dropped his $1 billion suit against...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/will-nikolas-best-year-ever-be-good-enough

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

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

Dueling approaches to AI in autonomous trucking

Autonomous trucking pioneer Chris Urmson and relative latecomer Raquel Urtasun see AI as critical to making autonomous trucking successful. But they do not see eye to eye on the best way to apply it.

Urmson led Google’s Self Driving Car Project that eventually became Waymo. He co-founded Aurora Innovation in 2017.

When Uber sold its Advanced Technologies Group to Aurora in January 2021, Urtasun was Uber ATG chief scientist and head of research and development. She and Urmson know each other’s...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dueling-approaches-to-ai-in-autonomous-trucking

‘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

Nikola stats show H2-powered trucking is for real

Nikola has delivered 75 hydrogen-powered fuel cell trucks to customers. It has an order bank that should begin to produce meaningful revenue. Now it is producing statistical evidence that hydrogen-powered trucking is not just for show.

At two industry conferences this week and in data shared first with Truck Tech, Nikola revealed it has:

  • Completed 1,666 hydrogen fill-ups at three mobile refuelers in Coolidge, Arizona, as well as Ontario and Long Beach, California.
  • Dispensed 60.54 tons of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/nikola-stats-show-h2-powered-trucking-is-for-real

Tesla to trucking industry: Step up your electric game

LAS VEGAS — The Advanced Clean Truck Expo is a come-all event. Until this year, Tesla has passed on attending.

The ACT Expo has outgrown the art deco charm of Long Beach and the “Disney-fied” atmosphere of Anaheim, California. This year, it moved to convention mecca with exhibitors filling the North Hall of the sprawling Las Vegas Convention Center. It returns to Anaheim in 2025, occupying both halls of the convention center in 2025.

Dozens of battery electric, fuel-cell electric and alternative...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tesla-to-trucking-industry-step-up-your-electric-game

Unraveling the mystery of electric trucks’ residual values 

The regulation-driven purchase of commercial electric trucks carry a lot of unknowns. One of the biggest is their residual value, or how much they will be worth as trade-ins.

Rich Mohr, senior vice president of North America ChargePoint, said the past is a prelude for what is happening with first-generation electric trucks.

Depreciating electric trucks to scrap value

“Three years ago, the biggest risk around fleets adopting electric vehicles was the residual value and the [anticipated] life of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/unraveling-the-mystery-of-electric-trucks-residual-values

Could autonomous trucks help save the planet?

It’s understood that autonomous trucks boost fuel efficiency compared to human-driven big rigs.

But the potential energy efficiency gains could be far greater.

In a white paper released Tuesday, Aurora Innovation looked at immediate, medium- and longer-term opportunities and found some obvious and not-so-obvious savings.

The headline factoid: Autonomous trucks could achieve 13%-32% net energy efficiency improvement per loaded mile compared to human-driven miles. It is a lot to digest. 

Aurora makes...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/could-autonomous-trucks-help-save-the-planet

Biden’s electric truck effort grilled on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers officially kicked off efforts to mitigate — if not derail — the Biden administration’s latest push to electrify the trucking industry during a hearing on Capitol Hill designed to spotlight challenges to powering up an electric grid capable of meeting the zero-emission timeline unveiled by federal regulators in late March.

The hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s highway subcommittee on Tuesday prefaced a Congressional Review Act joint...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/bidens-electric-truck-effort-grilled-on-capitol-hill

+ More
Join Our Newsletter
Enter your email to receive a weekly round-up of shipping news.
icon
By subscribing, you agree with our privacy policy and our terms of service.