Toyota Motor Corp

Public autonomy: Aurora Innovation reportedly next in line for SPAC

Though the frothy excitement of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) is going flat in the face of federal scrutiny, autonomous-vehicle software maker Aurora Innovation is reportedly close to a merger with a blank-check company started by one of its investors.

Aurora, led by autonomous driving pioneer Chris Urmson, could agree to a business combination with Reinvent Technology Partners Y (NASDAQ: RTPYU), the third SPAC launched by LinkedIn co-founder and Aurora investor Reid Hoiffman,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/public-autonomy-aurora-innovation-reportedly-next-in-line-for-spac

Lyft had visions of building an autonomous car. What happened?

Lyft explains decision to sell self-driving car business

When Lyft (NASDAQ: LYFT) launched Level 5 in 2017, it had grand plans for the autonomous vehicle (AV) division.

“This is too strategic an area for us not to be a player,” Luc Vincent, the Google executive tapped to lead Lyft’s efforts, said at the time. “We want to take an active role.”

Lyft’s decision to start Level 5 came shortly after competitor Uber (NYSE: UBER) launched its own autonomous driving project. In December 2020, Uber sold that money-losing division to Amazon-backed Aurora. As part...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/lyft-had-visions-of-building-an-autonomous-car-what-happened

Toyota subsidiary to acquire Lyft’s self-driving vehicle division

Woven Planet Holdings has agreed to acquire Level 5, the self-driving vehicle division of Lyft (NASDAQ: LYFT). Woven will pay $550 million in total cash for the division, founded in 2016 at Open Platform. The sale price includes $200 million in upfront cash and $350 million in additional cash payments over five years.

The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. It is expected to close in Q3 2021.

Woven Planet Holdings is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp.

“T...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/toyota-subsidiary-to-acquire-lyfts-self-driving-vehicle-division

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

Is heavy-duty fuel cell trucking almost ready for prime time?

Here’s what we know about hydrogen-powered fuel cells for heavy-duty trucking:

  • They are not in commercial production.
  • Onboard hydrogen storage is far less efficient than battery-powered trucks.
  • Heavy-duty truck fuel cell adoption is projected to be just 2.5% by 2030.
  • Battery-electric truck proponents call fuel cells unflattering names.

.None of that has changed. Yet, something seems different. 

For starters, car and truck makers and Tier 1 suppliers are investing billions of dollars in fuel cell...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/is-heavy-duty-fuel-cell-trucking-almost-ready-for-prime-time?

Kenworth delivers first — and last — natural gas-electric hybrid trucks

Kenworth recently delivered its first two natural gas-electric hybrid trucks to drayage and warehouse supplier Total Transportation Systems Inc. in Southern California. But the state’s   regulatory shift from lower to zero emissions means they likely will be the last.

The prototypes were developed over four years, funded by a California Air Resources Board (CARB) grant. They share components that Kenworth, a PACCAR Inc. (NASDAQ: PCAR) brand, is using in a fleet of hydrogen-powered fuel cell...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/kenworth-delivers-first-—-and-last-—-natural-gas-electric-hybrid-trucks

Truck Talk: Technology ramblings edition

This week, we share musings from Rusty Rush, CEO of the nation’s largest network of truck dealerships and answer three questions posed to PACCAR CEO Preston Feight on autonomous partner Aurora. Of course, we have some of the people moves and partnerships you may have missed. You can get Truck Talk delivered via email by subscribing at https://www.freightwaves.com/truck-talk.

If you don’t want to know, don’t ask

Rusty Rush will never be accused of giving a short answer when a long one will do. The...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/truck-talk:-technology-ramblings-edition

Navistar, GM and J.B. Hunt collaborate on fuel cell trucks

Navistar International Corp. is leading a four-way collaboration to get long-haul fuel cell electric trucks and hydrogen into production by 2024 with test vehicles being piloted in late 2022.

A Class 8 International RH Series day cab from Navistar (NYSE: NAV) is the platform with a target range of more than 500 miles and 15-minute refueling.

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) will use two Hydrotec fuel cell power cubes as the power plant replacing the RH Series diesel engine. Each power cube contains...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/navistar-gm-and-jb-hunt-collaborate-on-fuel-cell-trucks

8 questions with Nikola head of manufacturing Mark Duchesne

The first two acts in Mark Duchesne’s manufacturing career came at buttoned-down Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM): 22 years adhering to process-driven, box-checking principles. Then came five freewheeling years at Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) where every day was an adventure.

“We didn’t necessarily know what we were doing from one day to the next,” he said of life in Elon Musk’s world of robots named for comic book heroes and a parking lot assembly tent to meet demand and expectations for electric...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/8-questions-with-nikola-global-head-of-manufacturing-mark-duchesne

Toyota equips Kenworth Class 8 truck with updated fuel cell

Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) is using second-generation fuel cell stacks from its 2021 Mirai passenger car for internal testing in production-intent Kenworth Class 8 trucks. Meanwhile, the Japanese automaker is handing off heavy-duty fuel cell trucks revealed in 2019 to customers for demonstration use.

The new fuel cell electric system adapts a Kenworth T680 chassis for a more compact hydrogen storage cabinet containing six hydrogen tanks behind the cab. A more powerful lithium-ion battery...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/toyota-equips-kenworth-class-8-truck-with-updated-fuel-cell

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