XOS

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

Workhorse on the bubble, or is it worse?

Less than three months after my generally upbeat visit to Workhorse Group’s refurbished plant near the Ohio-Indiana border, the electric truck maker’s situation appears dire.

Layoffs and furloughs

Workhorse has laid off 20% of its workforce. Much of the rest is on unpaid furlough and could be called back to work. 

The company is choked with inventory. It has less than $7 million in cash on the books and accounts payable for more than twice that amount. At a projected burn rate less than Q1’s $5.5...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/workhorse-on-the-bubble-or-is-it-worse

Will natural gas payback beat EV adoption?

The confluence of a new, bigger engine, net-zero carbon emissions from renewable natural gas (RNG) and pressure from shippers for their carriers to operate sustainably add up to a bright picture for natural gas adoption.

But a new study from the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) points to a couple of cautions. First is methane leakage from the source of the RNG. Methane escaping into the atmosphere is a huge contributor to planet-warming greenhouse gas.

Second, and most...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/will-natural-gas-payback-beat-ev-adoption

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

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

Truck electrification is much more than picking a charger

You can buy a charger for an electric vehicle from any number of suppliers. But it’s an incomplete purchase without knowing when the charger is operating, how much juice it can put out at a given time and whether or not it’s occupied.

“The last conversation I’m having is ‘Let’s pick the right hardware, how to deploy it cost effectively, and let me help you operate it so you get the SLA (service life agreement) you want,” Rich Mohr, ChargePoint Holdings Inc. senior vice president for North...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-electrification-is-much-more-than-picking-a-charger

Q&A: Merchants Fleet CEO on electrification, keys to fleet sustainability

Fleet management company Merchants Fleet made plenty of news in 2021, announcing agreements that gave it access to new capital, a series of electric vehicle (EV) reservations, and new fleet electrification tools to help its customers decide when and how to make the switch.

Founded in 1962 as a single automotive dealership in New Hampshire under the name Merchants Motors, Merchants Fleet has grown into one of the largest fleet management companies in North America. Modern Shipper spoke with CEO...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/qa-merchants-fleet-ceo-on-electrification-keys-to-fleet-sustainability

Truck Tech: Rare earth alternative edition

This week, Tula Technology Inc. thinks it has a better idea for electric motors that could ease worries about the availability of rare earth materials; a pilot project using B100 biodiesel exceeds 600,000 miles; and Aurora Innovation and Proterra Inc. get new leadership in the C-suite.

Is this the next semiconductor shortage?

The energy density of batteries gets a lot of attention in the electric vehicle space. The more energy a battery can hold, the longer the driving range and the less...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-tech-rare-earth-alternative-edition

The Daily Dash: Independent truck repair and zero-emission trailers

truck maintenance

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what is happening in the freight ecosystem. In today’s edition, voters in Massachusetts will be voting on a bill that would allow independent repair shops to access otherwise proprietary vehicle repair data. Plus, refrigerated trailers are looking for zero-emission solutions and Xos is one of the suppliers to the new Hino-Toyota fuel cell truck.

Right to repair and your truck

A ballot initiative in Massachusetts could break the logjam that is proprietary...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/the-daily-dash-independent-truck-repair-and-zero-emission-trailers

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