Navistar

Battles over California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule rage far beyond state line

With slightly tightened restrictions under the California Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule having gone into effect at the start of 2025 and the prospect of numerous states following the Golden State’s lead, the regulatory world has been awash in dueling communications on the subject.

On a microeconomic level, the ACT has led to the halting of some truck sales in Oregon. But a bigger battle is taking shape across multiple states.

Unlike its sister regulation, the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) rule,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/battles-over-californias-advanced-clean-trucks-rule-rage-far-beyond-state-line

What does proposed China component ban mean for autonomous trucks?

Autonomous trucking developers knew the Commerce Department was on the cusp of slamming the door on certain Chinese components. In fact, this week’s preliminary rule came later than expected. Now they have to sort out what it means.

So far, they don’t have much to say. Of the leading driverless trucking companies – two of which could launch before the end of the year – only one, Plus, offered substantive comment. Others demurred or pointed to a less-than-substantive statement from the Autonomous...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/what-does-proposed-china-component-ban-mean-for-autonomous-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

Sitetracker: Speeding electric truck charging behind the scenes

Announcements of new charging depots for electric trucks seem to come almost weekly. Some are more promises than ready-to-go power. Sitetracker, a SaaS business rooted in telecommunications, is providing a cloud-based backbone to move things along.

Sitetracker has been around since 2008. In four rounds of fundraising, it has brought in $183 million, including $66 million in a Series D round in 2022. The Montclair, New Jersey-based company has doubled its head count while seizing opportunities in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/sitetracker-speeding-electric-truck-charging-behind-the-scenes

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

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

Switcheroo: EV Realty secures electricity before launching charging sites

Startups, real estate giants and others developing electric truck charging sites tend to pick locations before being certain they can get electricity in a timely fashion. Startup EV Realty prioritizes having the juice available when it buys a property.

‘Buying by the acre and monetizing by the megawatt’

Patrick Sullivan is like a lot of his peers developing electric infrastructure for fleet charging. He knows how the electric power business works, what it takes to develop and what can frustrate...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/switcheroo-ev-realty-secures-electricity-before-launching-charging-sites

Aurora’s driverless trucks show they are for real

After numerous rides in autonomous trucks monitored by safety drivers in case of a mishap, I found it almost surreal to climb into Aurora Innovation’s Class 8 driverless truck, buckle up, hear the engine rumble to life and the air brakes disengage, and feel the truck move under its own power — with no one in the driver’s seat.

While two of three Americans still fear autonomous vehicles, according to AAA’s latest survey released Thursday, my three-quarter-mile ride around an Aurora test facility...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/auroras-driverless-trucks-show-they-are-for-real

Diesel distancing propels alternative fuel options

Renewable natural gas, battery-electric and hydrogen-powered trucks all target fleets switching from diesel ahead of coming regulations requiring costly additional emissions after-treatment. Which alternative will win? Possibly all of them.

Vouchers make first Nikola fuel cell trucks ‘cheaper than a diesel’

Back in 2018, Anheuser-Busch placed an initial order for up to 800 Nikola fuel cell trucks. Ever so slowly, that is becoming a reality.

After numerous missteps and setbacks, Nikola produced 42...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/diesel-distancing-propels-alternative-fuel-options

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