Isuzu Motors

ChargePoint’s latest downsizing intended to help stop the bleeding

ChargePoint Holdings is laying off more than 200 employees – 15% of its workforce – in its second downsizing this year. The manufacturer of electric vehicle chargers cut 12% – about 198 jobs – from its global workforce in January.

ChargePoint has been making inroads into commercial trucking and vehicle connectivity. But the financial picture of the company that went public during the SPAC frenzy remains bleak. ChargePoint shares are down more than 35% year to date through Thursday..

The latest...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/chargepoints-latest-downsizing-intended-to-help-stop-the-bleeding

Electrolyzers only scratch the surface of midcentury hydrogen demand

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Even as manufacturing of electrolyzers grows, the hydrogen-making devices barely address the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/electrolyzers-only-scratch-the-surface-of-midcentury-hydrogen-demand

Truck Tech: ‘Into the Groove’ edition

This week, Tesla’s Elon Musk gets happy feet in Berlin while Navistar executives resist the temptation in San Antonio; Nikola gets some love after an analyst day in the Sonoran Desert; and an educated guess on where TuSimple and Navistar will build their autonomous truck.

Happy feet

“You can dance … For inspiration. Come on. I’m waiting.” — “Into the Groove” by Madonna

Opening a new assembly plant is a joyous occasion. It might even give you happy feet, as Tesla’s Elon Musk broke out in dance...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-tech-into-the-groove-edition

High-priced technology pushes trucking rivals into unusual alliances

Battery-electric trucks. Hydrogen-powered fuel cells. Hybrid technologies. Diesel-powered semis. Self-driving trucks. All share a common theme: They are too expensive to develop alone.

Rival truck manufacturers will scrap for every fleet contract. But they increasingly take a pragmatic approach to technology partnerships. 

“We’ve seen it in the past. And it generally works out pretty well,” said Mike Ramsey, a Gartner Inc. vice president and automotive and smart mobility analyst. “Ford and GM...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/high-priced-technology-pushes-trucking-rivals-into-unusual-alliances

Volvo partners with Aurora for hub-to-hub autonomous trucking

Volvo Group (OTC: VLVLY) will partner with Aurora Innovation OpCo Inc. for hub-to-hub autonomous trucks in North America, aligning with the same startup working with rival PACCAR  Inc. (NASDAQ: PCAR).

The Swedish truck maker is the last major manufacturer to pick a technology partner for autonomous operations. Volvo and Aurora quietly worked on a software system beginning in early 2018. They created a prototype truck late that year.

“Despite our early progress, our shared values and our common...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/volvo-partners-with-aurora-for-hub-to-hub-autonomous-trucking

Truck Talk: Decoding messages on stressed supply chains

This week, we decode warnings about what stressed supply chains mean to truck makers; share some social commentary from Cummins and Wabash National; and look at a busy round of business tie-ups. You can get Truck Talk delivered via email by subscribing at https://www.freightwaves.com/truck-talk.

May the chain be unbroken

Messages from truck makers and major suppliers in their earnings reports this week suggest downtime and production delays impacting the light-vehicle industry may be closing in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-talk-decoding-messages-on-stressed-supply-chains

Volvo Group reports lower 2020 sales but strong profit margins

From the depths of a pandemic-impacted second quarter, Sweden’s Volvo Group (OTC: VLVLY) finished 2020 with lower sales but a strong profit margin. New truck orders surged between the third and fourth quarters.

“We demonstrated that we have significantly improved our volume and cost flexibility, which were crucial factors behind our earnings resilience in 2020,” President and CEO Martin Lundstedt said.

Volvo revenues fell 22% — almost SEK 100 billion ($11.8 billion) — compared to a year earlier....

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/volvo-group-reports-lower-2020-sales-but-strong-profit-margins