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Ford Motor Co.
Ford’s ambitious new patent may be game-changer for drone delivery
It’s been more than a century since Ford Motor Co. pioneered the assembly line, but the automaker still has a few more tricks up its sleeve.
And we’re not talking about electric vehicles or self-driving cars. While those are emerging technologies, Ford (NYSE: F) has something even more ambitious in mind.
The company last week published a patent that outlines a system for “decentralized hybrid air-ground autonomous last-mile goods delivery.” That’s a mouthful, but essentially Ford wants to use...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fords-ambitious-new-patent-may-be-game-changer-for-drone-delivery
Is last-mile startup ELMS on its last legs?
Electric delivery van startup Electric Last Mile Solutions (ELMS) appears near the end of the line with only enough cash to last through the end of the month, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
The ongoing struggles of the company importing bodies from China to marry with electric chassis built in the former General Motors Hummer plant in Indiana continue to worsen.
ELMS is one of many “de-SPACed” startups struggling to survive as investors abandon young companies they...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/is-last-mile-startup-elms-on-its-last-legs
FreightWaves Classics/Fallen Flags: Crown Steel Products pioneered sleeper cabs and other innovations
Overview
Between 1928 and 2001 the town of Orrville, Ohio, was the home of Crown Steel Products, which supplied day cabs, sleeper cabs and quad cabs to many of the nation’s truck manufacturers. It also manufactured “enclosed operator cabs for regional manufacturers of farm and construction equipment and also offered utility boxes and other types of truck equipment and accessories.”
Crown Steel Products was founded in 1940 by Julius Fejes (February 14, 1910 – March 24, 2001) to supply pressed...
Another SPAC scandal: Top ELMS leaders resign over discounted stock buys
CEO James Taylor and Chairman Jason Luo are out at Electric Last Mile Solutions Inc., a startup last-mile van maker, following a board probe into their deeply discounted stock purchases before the company went public via SPAC in December 2020.
Both Luo and Taylor are veteran auto executives. Taylor had a long career at General Motors (NYSE: GM) before running Workhorse Group (NASDAQ: WKHS). Luo is the former president of Ford China.
ELMS is assembling Class 1 delivery vans at a former GM plant...
FreightWaves Classics: Company built early school and transit buses
Trucks, automobiles, motorcycles and bicycles share the roads and highways with school and city buses in communities across the United States.
School bus pioneer Franklin A. “Patch” Patchett was born in San Miguel, California on this date (January 19) in 1881. In 1900, 19-year-old ‘Patch’ landed a job with Benjamin H. Crow pitching hay and gathering wheat in Crows Landing, a small town located in the hub of California’s dairy cream industry. An intelligent and resourceful young man, Patchett...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-company-built-early-school-and-transit-buses
FreightWaves Classics/Pioneers: Edward G. Budd transformed the railroad and automobile industries (Part 2)
In Part 1 of this article, the early life and career of Edward G. Budd was profiled. How Budd revolutionized the automobile industry in the 1900-20 period was also covered.
The article will continue with other examples of the Budd Manufacturing Company’s impact on the automotive industry.
Increasing success during the 1920s
Joseph Ledwinka continued to develop innovations for Budd. “Initially created by welding together...
Borderlands: Mexico’s automotive production hits 9-year low
Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Mexico’s automotive production hits 9-year low; Amazon begins hiring for El Paso fulfillment center; Port Houston appoints first chief business equity officer; and new Arizona distribution center to support e-commerce growth.
Mexico’s automotive production hits 9-year low
Mexico’s monthly auto production and exports for passenger and commercial vehicles continue to be...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/mexicos-automotive-production-hits-9-year-low
Starting over: Workhorse overhaul could lead to more than electric vans
Workhorse Group reported negative revenue and profits in Q3 as new CEO Rick Dauch grounded production of the C-1000 electric delivery van, jettisoned 25% of the hourly workforce, overhauled the executive leadership and dropped a lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service over the company’s unsuccessful bid to build battery-powered mail trucks.
The Loveland, Ohio-based company also acknowledged Tuesday that it is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of...