Electrifying in-bound logistics continues to expand globally

Volvo Trucks North America started using zero-emission electric trucks for in-bound logistics in 2021. It told fleets that to qualify to bring parts to Volvo plants, they would need VNR Electric trucks.

Freight forwarders complied. Watsontown Trucking Co. and Camrett Logistics ordered Class 8 VNR Electric trucks in October 2021. They began round trips to NRV in December of that year. Ryder System Inc. likewise leased seven VNR Electric trucks to transport pallets of components for heavy-duty...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/electrifying-in-bound-logistics-continues-to-expand-globally

Dueling approaches to AI in autonomous trucking

Autonomous trucking pioneer Chris Urmson and relative latecomer Raquel Urtasun see AI as critical to making autonomous trucking successful. But they do not see eye to eye on the best way to apply it.

Urmson led Google’s Self Driving Car Project that eventually became Waymo. He co-founded Aurora Innovation in 2017.

When Uber sold its Advanced Technologies Group to Aurora in January 2021, Urtasun was Uber ATG chief scientist and head of research and development. She and Urmson know each other’s...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dueling-approaches-to-ai-in-autonomous-trucking

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

3 trucking majors combine to advance electric infrastructure

googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot(‘/21776187881/FW-Responsive-Main_Content-Slot1’, [[728, 90], [468, 60], [300, 100], [320, 50]], ‘div-gpt-ad-b1-i-fw-ad-3’).defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());
gptAdSlots.push(gptSlot);
});

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-b1-i-fw-ad-3’); });

Three of the nation’s largest medium- and heavy-duty truck makers snagged the apropos acronym PACT...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/3-trucking-majors-combine-to-advance-electric-infrastructure

Electric trucks should shake off setbacks in 2024

googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot(‘/21776187881/FW-Responsive-Main_Content-Slot1’, [[728, 90], [468, 60], [300, 100], [320, 50]], ‘div-gpt-ad-b1-i-fw-ad-1’).defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());
gptAdSlots.push(gptSlot);
});

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-b1-i-fw-ad-1’); });

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

Is Nikola counting too much on California for salvation?

Nikola Corp.’s ability to escape near-death experiences is being tested by shouldering the $61.8 million cost of repairing its fire-prone battery electric trucks. But California’s generous incentives for electric trucks may be a path to survival as the startup’s latest peril plays out.

“California is a state on the cutting edge of technology and has big tailwinds for the transition to zero-emissions trucking with both carrots and sticks from government incentives and regulations,” Nikola CEO...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/is-nikola-counting-too-much-on-california-for-salvation

White Paper: Solving Power Procurement Challenges for EV Charging

When it comes to fleets’ electrification at scale, charging infrastructure is the hardest part, and power procurement is a particular challenge. Voltera faces the same challenges a fleet would, but we’re uniquely equipped to solve them.

The challenges that affect power procurement for a multi-megawatt EV charging facility are not new; they’ve always affected large-scale developments that require significant amounts of power. But for fleets and others new to the process of procuring...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/solving-power-procurement-challenges-for-ev-charging

How Voltera is reducing risks to fleet electrification

The popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) has grown so much in recent years that, for the first time, a fully electric automobile was the world’s top-selling car during the first quarter of 2023, just 15 years after the same manufacturer released its first electric vehicle. When it comes to the electrification of commercial fleets, however, real-world examples are just starting to emerge as the path toward implementation becomes clearer.

One of the biggest roadblocks that the industry is...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-voltera-is-reducing-risks-to-fleet-electrification