September 3rd, 2010
The Trucker
California has opened a state-funded research center that will work to develop energy efficient commercial vehicle technologies. The new facility and working group, called the California Hybrid, Efficient and Advanced Truck Research Center (CalHEAT) will conduct research into technologies that both save fuel and lower emissions as well as ways that these technologies can be made more attractive to manufacturers. The program’s goal is to make vehicles 50% more efficient within the next decade.
CalHEAT is a virtual research center with hands-on testing taking place with partners at UC Riverside and Southern California Edison. Future partnerships may include Caltech and JPL as well.
The program was launched with a $3 million grant from California and will be based in Pasadena.
September 2nd, 2010
The Trucker
Saw this on There, I Fixed It and thought it worth sharing:
September 1st, 2010
The Trucker
The New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (NY-MTA) has awarded a contract for up to 475 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to be delivered over the next 18 months. The contract includes 135 40-foot CNG buses and an option for an additional 340 buses.
The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) will take delivery of the buses beginning the second quarter of next year (2011). Two pilot buses will start the order and the rest of the 135 firm orders will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2011 and first quarter of 2012. NY-MTA is the largest public transit authority in the nation and operates throughout New York. Most of the buses being order will be used by NYCTA to reduce smog, emissions, and other metropolitan issues.
New Flyer is the largest bus makers and refitters in North America, operating in both the U.S. and Canada, and the buses to be built for MTA are likely to use the Cummins-Westport CNG engine, which New Flyer uses in other buses already on the road.
New Flyer also builds electric, gas-electric hybrids, diesel electric hybrids, standard diesel, liquefied natural gas, and other drive systems in buses.
New Flyer EMX Transit Bus
New Flyer WMATA Transit Bus
New Flyer XCelsior Transit Bus
August 30th, 2010
The Trucker
Executives from Overdrive/Truckers News, Cummins, Utility Trailer, and Freigtliner held a roundtable meeting at the 2010 Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, Texas. All agreed that future technologies and current trends and technology will make the next decade of trucking much more fuel efficient and cost-effective than it is today.
The SuperSession: Tomorrow’s trucks and trailers roundtable was presented by Shell Lubricants and featured Jack Roberts of CCJ, Overdrive and Truckers News, Jeff Jones of Cummins, Craig Bennett of Utility Trailer, and Ben Smith of Freightliner (pictured left-right).
The various improvements mentioned and discussed were from all major perspectives of trucking: manufacturing, new technology, engines, etc.
To read more about this panel and their discussion, visit ETrucker at this link.
