Heavy-duty engine specialist Cummins (NYSE: CMI) has announced plans to acquire Silicon Valley-based Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI), a producer of hybrid and electric powertrain solutions for commercial vehicles that has often been featured in Charged. Cummins has been investigating the possibilities of electrification for a decade, but has been turning up the voltage over the… Read more »
Tag: The Vehicles
Dutch city of Leiden to get 23 Volvo electric buses
Volvo Buses has secured an order for 23 fully electric buses from multinational public transport company Arriva, which has operations in 14 countries across Europe. The new e-buses will operate in the city of Leiden in the province of South Holland. Deliveries will take place between Q1 and Q3 in 2019. Volvo is selling the… Read more »
Colorado moves to join 13 Advanced Clean Car states, automakers howl in protest
As the EPA proceeds to weaken federal emissions standards, Colorado has become the latest state to implement the LEV regulations included in California’s Advanced Clean Car Standards. Alphabet soup department: The California Air Resources Board (ARB [and sometimes CARB]) adopted the Advanced Clean Cars (ACC) program in 2012. The components of the ACC program are:… Read more »
London to add 68 electric double-decker buses to its fleet
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced that 68 new electric double-deck buses will join the capital’s fleet. Two routes operated by Metroline from Barnet to central London will be exclusively served by e-buses. Leeds-based Optare will supply 31 double-deckers, which will go into service next summer on Route 134, running from North Finchley bus station… Read more »
VW electric racer breaks records at Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Since 1916, automakers have been subjecting their new vehicles to arduous slopes and punishing high-altitude conditions in the annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb race. The “Race to the Clouds” climbs 4,720 feet in a little over 12 miles. Several EVs, which of course don’t have the problems with thinner air that fossil fuel racers do,… Read more »
Is Daimler missing the boat by adapting legacy trucks to electric drive?
Daimler is the world’s largest truck manufacturer, and it’s encouraging to see the company developing electric vehicles, such as the Fuso eCanter light-duty electric truck. However, Hamish Ainsley, writing in LinkedIn, finds it disappointing that Daimler seems to be focusing on electrifying legacy truck models rather than designing EVs “from the ground up.” “Mercedes Benz… Read more »
Faraday Future raises $2 billion in first-round funding, secures US government approval
Faraday Future (FF) has confirmed that it raised $2 billion in first-round equity funding following approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). FF is headquartered in Los Angeles, and has a manufacturing facility in Hanford, California, but a substantial amount of its funding comes from Chinese investors, so it needed… Read more »
Tesla could maximize federal tax credits for its customers, but at what cost?
Some of Tesla’s customers could soon be victims of the company’s success. The $7,500 federal tax credit for EV purchases is designed to sunset when a particular automaker sells over 200,000 EVs, and Tesla is nearing that bittersweet milestone. Ironically, thousands of affluent buyers of Models S and X received the credit, while most future… Read more »
Nine-state coalition releases updated ZEV action plan
The Multi-State ZEV Task Force, which coordinates the ZEV regulations of nine Northeast and West Coast states, has released a new ZEV Action Plan for 2018-2021. The current “ZEV states” are California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and recent entrant New Jersey. (Colorado’s governor just signed an executive order committing the… Read more »
Chicago gets charged with 20 Proterra electric buses, Boring Company airport link
The Chicago Transit Board has awarded a $32-million contract for the purchase of 20 Proterra electric buses. Proterra, which has manufactured e-buses for over 60 transit agencies and other clients across the US, won the contract following a competitive bid process. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has been testing two electric buses since 2014 –… Read more »
