World’s largest EV never has to be recharged

Kuhn Schweitz Elektro Dumper electric mining truckA quarry in Biel, Switzerland, is operating the world's largest electric vehicle, a 110-ton dump truck, to haul lime and marl off the side of a mountain to a cement factory. Perhaps best of all, it consumes no energy doing it. How is that possible, you ask? The dump truck, at 45 tons, ascends the 13-percent grade and takes on 65 tons of ore. With...

Toyota and Kenworth to build 10 fuel-cell semis for LA port duty

Kenworth T680 powered by Toyota hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain, at 2019 Consumer Electronics ShThe word "drayage" isn't commonly used, even among green-car fans, but it's used by the shipping and logistics industries to refer to the transport of goods over short distances. Drayage turns out to be the sweet spot for early efforts to put zero-emission heavy trucks on the road, including a joint project between Toyota and PACCAR's Kenworth...

UPS adds battery energy storage for 118 electric vans in UK

Prototype plug-in electric delivery van with fuel-cell range extender to be tested by UPS in 2017Electric vehicles are not only zero-emission and quieter and more pleasant to drive, they also clearly lower emissions of the carbon dioxide linked to climate change under most circumstances. For fleet operators who recharge large fleets of electric vehicles overnight, however, the load on electric grids and consequent demand charges pose a...

New Mercedes-Benz eSprinter electric van set for European debut

2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter e-Sprinter electric version (European model)The 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter commercial van launched today, the later generation of the successful delivery vehicle, and an electric version will enter production in 2019. It will debut initially in European markets, and might possibly make its way to North America—maybe. The eSprinter will borrow the electric powertrain from the eVito...

Awake at the wheel: Tesla is far from alone in electric trucks

Tesla SemiThis time, Elon Musk is not alone. In mid-December, Daimler delivered its first 14 Fuso eCanter electric delivery trucks to customers in Germany, a reminder that while Tesla caught car companies flat-footed in 2012, incumbent truck makers are already preparing their countermeasures. In Daimler’s case, these weren’t even the...

U.S. Postal Service urged to choose electric delivery trucks

U.S. Postal Service Grumman The current fleet of delivery trucks used by the United States Postal Service have stood the test of time, but their high maintenance costs mean it's time to retire the iconic boxy vehicles. The USPS began soliciting bids in 2016 and five finalists now remain in the running: they are Workhorse/Hackney, AM General, Karsan, Mahindra, and Oshkosh...

Workhorse N-Gen electric parcel van comes with optional drone delivery

Workhorse N-Gen electric delivery van Workhorse, best known for its forthcoming W-15 range-extended electric pickup truck, today revealed its newest vehicle. The N-Gen electric van will tackle the important "last-mile" delivery segment, performed by vehicles that deliver parcels over relatively short distances. Not only makers like Workhorse but also their fleet customers have come to...

Mercedes parent Daimler launches E-Fuso electric truck sub-brand

E-Fuso Vision One conceptDaimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz and Smart, also owns the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation—which it used last week to preview major shifts coming to its Daimler Trucks business. It all took place at the reveal of E-Fuso, a new sub-brand of Daimler's Fuso operation that will focus on electrified and electric trucks and buses...

VW plans for electric trucks and buses, starting production next year

Volkswagen e-DeliveryVolkswagen Group has now detailed its aggressive electrification timeline for every part of its vehicle operations, including heavy trucks, setting lofty goals for zero-emission vehicles in the future. While Volkswagen works on the passenger car side of things, VW Group's commercial-vehicle division, Volkswagen Truck & Bus, said in a company...

VW plans for electric trucks and buses, starting production next year

Volkswagen e-DeliveryVolkswagen Group has now detailed its aggressive electrification timeline for every part of its vehicle operations, including heavy trucks, setting lofty goals for zero-emission vehicles in the future. While Volkswagen works on the passenger car side of things, VW Group's commercial-vehicle division, Volkswagen Truck & Bus, said in a company...

Nissan e-NV200 electric van gets longer-range battery; still no U.S. plans

2018 Nissan e-NV200 electric delivery van (European version)While U.S. buyers eagerly await the arrival of the 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car at dealerships early next year, the company has updated another of its electric vehicles as well. Unfortunately, it's one that the company has no current plans to sell in North America. That's the new longer-range version of the Nissan e-NV200 small delivery van...