As an Engineering Director at Tesla, Joe Mardall led the development of a heat pump system that has been lauded as one of the most innovative new features of Model Y. Now Mardall has resigned his position at the California carmaker to become Head of Engineering at Zipline, a drone maker and aerial delivery service… Read more »
Tag: The Vehicles
Octillion Power Systems to supply batteries for Lightning and ABC electric buses
Tier 1 battery supplier Octillion Power Systems will provide battery packs for electric motorcoaches and city transit buses offered by ABC Companies and Lightning eMotors. Lightning will provide its electric powertrains, including Octillion’s batteries, to convert popular models including Van Hool T2145e highline touring coaches and TD double-deck coaches. The electric motorcoaches are on sale… Read more »
Phoenix Motorcars delivers two electric Class 4 utility trucks to Port of Oakland
Phoenix Motorcars, which was recently acquired by SPI Energy, a provider of photovoltaic and EV solutions, has delivered two all-electric Z500 Class 4 utility trucks to the Port of Oakland, one of California’s largest ports. The Z500 utility trucks were built at Phoenix’s Ontario, California facility. They are based on the Ford E-450 chassis with… Read more »
Miami middle-school student inspires school board to electrify its school bus fleet
Electric school buses seem like a no-brainer at this point—although they cost two to three times more up front than diesel buses, at about $230,000 each, they save money in the long run, as fuel and maintenance costs are about 80 percent lower. They’re also prime candidates for future vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications, which could generate… Read more »
Volkswagen brand triples deliveries of pure EVs in 2020
EV sales soared in Europe in 2020, and at least two legacy automakers, Daimler and Volkswagen, appear on track to meet the EU’s stringent emissions targets for the year. For the Volkswagen brand (part of the larger Volkswagen Group, which also includes Audi and Porsche), 2020 was “a turning point [and] a breakthrough in electric… Read more »
BNSF Railway and Wabtec begin battery-electric locomotive pilot in California
BNSF Railway and Wabtec, a provider of equipment, systems and services for freight and transit rail, have collaborated to develop a battery-electric locomotive. Now they have begun testing the technology in revenue service between Barstow and Stockton, California. The battery-powered locomotive will be situated in a consist [a sequence of locomotives and/or cars] between two… Read more »
Connecticut DOT orders up to 75 New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE electric buses
Bus manufacturer New Flyer has won a contract for 12 Xcelsior CHARGE battery-electric transit buses from the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), with options to purchase up to 63 more over five years. The purchase was supported by Federal Transit Administration funds. CTDOT, which owns and operates nearly all public transportation services in Connecticut, representing… Read more »
Electrify America collaborates with EVNoire to promote EV access in California African-American communities
Fast charging network operator Electrify America has announced a collaboration with EVNoire Mobility Intelligence Consulting Group in a campaign to increase awareness of EVs in African-American communities throughout California. EVNoire’s market research shows many African-American communities in California and nationally have a growing interest in adopting electric vehicles. EA’s investment will support EVNoire’s development of… Read more »
Lightning eMotors wins $45-million powertrain order from ABC Companies
Commercial EV builder Lightning eMotors has received a $45-million order for its zero-emission powertrain systems from Minnesota-based motorcoach supplier ABC Companies. The order includes new vehicles manufactured by Lightning, as well as new Lightning-developed powertrains that will be upfitted by ABC into customers’ existing vehicles. In addition to Class 8 motorcoaches, the order includes Class… Read more »
Dennis Eagle’s new electric refuse trucks hit the streets, earn rave reviews
Commercial truck OEM Dennis Eagle’s electric 26-ton refuse collection vehicle has gone into service with customers around the UK, and early customers are giving it glowing reviews. The eCollect is based on Dennis Eagle’s Elite 6×2 rear-steer chassis with Olympus 19-cubic-meter body and Terberg automatic split bin lift. This is the company’s best-selling vehicle configuration,… Read more »
