SEC smackdown and SuperTruck news overwhelm convention dispatches  

The annual Work Truck Week and American Trucking Associations Maintenance & Technology Council pile on stakeholder-specific dispatches each March. But this week bigger stories originated outside the convention halls in Indianapolis and New Orleans.

The Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington is as good a starting point as any.

Lordstown Motors gets an SEC comeuppance

Nearly three years after Hindenberg Research set its sights on Lordstown Motors Corp., accusing the former special purpose...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/sec-smackdown-and-supertruck-news-overwhelm-convention-dispatches

The Whac-A-Mole reality of autonomous trucking regulations

If you thought last year’s veto of a Teamsters-backed ban on heavy-duty autonomous trucking in California put the issue to rest, think again. While 23 states allow at least testing of driverless trucking, emerging challenges resemble the arcade game Whac-A-Mole.

Early-stage commercialized driverless trucking on Interstate 45 in Texas looks likely later this year. The state embraced the technology in 2017. Yet a move to stop driver-out operations percolated in the Texas Legislature last year.

“That...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/the-whac-a-mole-reality-of-autonomous-trucking-regulations

No signs of panic as Nikola gets 2nd Nasdaq delisting warning

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Nikola Corp.’s languishing share price prompted the Nasdaq to threaten the electric truck maker with...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/no-signs-of-panic-as-nikola-gets-2nd-nasdaq-delisting-warning

Electric trucks should shake off setbacks in 2024

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Meaningful volume growth eluded heavy-duty electric trucks last year for several reasons: Charging...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/electric-trucks-should-shake-off-setbacks-in-2024

Ree Automotive: Business life during wartime

Startup Ree Automotive builds its drive-by-wire electric powertrains in the United Kingdom. Its future customer base is mostly in the U.S. But its headquarters is in Tel Aviv, where the Hamas-Israel war takes an emotional toll on employees and their families called to fight.

Israel-based businesses count on some portion of their workforces serving in defense of the country surrounded by enemies sworn to destroy it.

When war comes calling, as it did during the Oct. 7 surprise bombing of Israel by...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ree-automotive-business-life-during-wartime

Volvo Group wins bid for bankrupt Proterra battery assets

Swedish truck maker Volvo Group will pay $210 million for the battery-making and charging assets of bankrupt Proterra Inc.

Volvo Battery Solutions was selected as the winning bidder for the business and assets of Proterra Powered, one of two auctions for the electric bus, battery and energy company that filed for bankruptcy protection in August. 

“We entered into the Chapter 11 process with a mission to maximize the potential of each of our product lines. Today, we have taken an important step...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/volvo-group-wins-bid-for-bankrupt-proterra-battery-assets

Whatever became of those splashy electrification startups?

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As third-quarter earnings roll in, it is a good time to check the state of electrification startups....

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/whatever-became-of-those-splashy-electrification-startups

Bankrupt Proterra delays auctions of electrification businesses

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Bankrupt electric bus, battery and infrastructure developer Proterra Inc. has delayed the auction...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/bankrupt-proterra-delays-auctions-of-electrification-businesses

Who wants a piece or two of Proterra?

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Those surprised by Proterra Inc.’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing earlier this month probably should...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/who-wants-a-piece-or-two-of-proterra

Another electric transportation startup may hang a ‘For Sale’ sign

Lightning eMotors is asking shareholders to agree to authorize 20% more stock to boost its dwindling supply of cash. Otherwise, the bus, shuttle van and work truck maker may put itself up for sale or be forced into bankruptcy.

“We continue to explore all options and have been working with financial advisers to support a recapitalization and/or sale of the business,” co-founder and CEO Tim Reeser said on a second-quarter earnings call with analysts Monday.

Shareholders vote Aug. 24 on whether to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/another-electric-transportation-startup-may-hang-a-for-sale-sign

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