Volvo Trucks North America

Of floor mops, M&M coatings … and battery packs 

What do coatings for M&M chocolate candies, O-Cedar floor mops and battery packs for electric trucks have in common?

All three come from German industrial conglomerate Freudenberg Group. The company operates many other seemingly incongruous businesses from filtration to home cleaning products.

A history of handoffs

Freudenberg’s battery business is an appropriate Truck Tech topic. But not as tasty than M&Ms, for which it makes the hard shell coatings through its Capol business unit. 

The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/of-floor-mops-mm-coatings-and-battery-packs

Behind Climate United’s historic $250M electric truck buy

Climate United’s plan to spend $250 million to purchase 500 Class 8 electric trucks makes a great headline. But beyond the benefit to owner-operators and small fleets, the impact involves the future of zero-tailpipe-emission freight hauling.

More than cleaning up the ports

Climate United is stewarding a $6.97 billion grant of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency. The immediate goal is to help clean up the nation’s ports, where older and dirtier trucks...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/behind-climate-uniteds-historic-250m-electric-truck-buy

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

Freightliner adds nifty changes to fifth-generation Cascadia

YPSILANTI, Mich. – The fifth-generation Freightliner Cascadia from Daimler Truck North America features some nifty changes to the market-leading Class 8 over-the-road truck.

But a major makeover, it isn’t. 

Coming to market about five years after the current-generation truck – called the New Cascadia when introduced in 2019 – the fifth-gen tractor is scheduled for production in mid-2025. It claims a modest 1.9% improvement in fuel efficiency over the current model, part of a lineage that covers...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightliner-adds-nifty-changes-to-fifth-generation-cascadia

It’s all in the numbers for Nikola

Three numbers tell the desperate state of fuel cell truck maker and hydrogen fuel provider Nikola. Dozens of others apply, but these three suggest the clock is ticking faster on whether the company can survive.

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By the numbers …

Nikola’s notable numbers: 135, 29.07% and 88.

135

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/its-all-in-the-numbers-for-nikola

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

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

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

Electric trucks find a sweet spot with inbound logistics

Using electric trucks for short, repeatable trips to assembly plants is expanding as more OEMs require suppliers to shush the noise and eliminate the diesel exhaust that accompany delivering incoming parts and components.

How did inbound logistics become a thing in an industry where change most often meets resistance? For their own reasons, stakeholders from sustainability-conscious shippers to regulators and OEMs like inbound logistics as a use case for electric trucks.

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