TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS WORLDWIDE
* Holland - Duracar Delivers with Eco-Trucking
A Dutch startup has found a promising niche: fleets of battery-powered light commercial vehicles for short-range city deliveries
Amsterdam,Holland -Business Week (USA), by Mark Scott -16 June 2008: -- Soaring gas prices have focused attention as never before on electric cars... A Dutch startup called Duracar is pursuing an ingenious plan to sell an eco-friendly light commercial vehicle roughly the size of a Mini that could be used for deliveries and other short-range travel in Europe's bustling city centers... Analysts figure that 330,000 new light commercial vehicles (defined as those weighing less than 3,850 pounds) are sold each year in Europe—a market worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Replacing even some of the gas-powered vehicles with electric models would cut noise, pollution, and carbon emissions in cities. And with oil topping $140 per barrel, it also would save money for fleet operators—whether government agencies, field service operations, or delivery firms such as FedEx... Duracar will officially unveil its electric car, dubbed the Quicc, at the Paris Motor Show this fall, but the Dutch company already has big plans for the pint-sized vehicle... Hopes to sell more than 13,000 units over the next three years... The startup has recruited an impressive lineup of managers, investors, and partners to help hit its targets ... Chief Technology Officer it's John Lodge, an auto industry veteran of 25 years who worked previously for Mitsubishi and Volvo, and Johann Tomforde, the developer behind Mercedes Benz's miniature Smart car, who consults eight days a month for Duracar...
* USA - Truckmakers embrace hybrid revolution
USA -Financial Times (UK), by By Bernard Simon (Toronto,ONT,CAN) -Originally Published, March 31 2008: -- ... A growing number of diesel-electric trucks are set to appear on North American roads in coming months... International Truck and Engine, owned by Illinois-based Navistar, expects to sell about 1,000 medium-sized hybrid trucks this year... Peterbilt and Kenworth, two brands owned by Paccar, based near Seattle, are set to launch their first hybrid models in coming months... A prototype heavy-duty hybrid truck, developed by Navistar in partnership with Cummins, an engine maker, and ArvinMeritor, a maker of axles and brake systems, is targeted to be on the road by the end of the year... Still, Bob Weber, Navistar’s chief heavy-trucks engineer, says that, for an industry with thin profit margins at the best of times, “the payback has to be pretty quick. We’re not there at five years or under yet”... Mr Weber also admits that truckmakers are struggling to nail down reliable supplies of lithium-ion batteries in the face of growing demand from, among others, cars, cell phones and laptop computers...
* Canada - Sterling hits the quarter million mark
St. Thomas,ONT,CAN -Truck News -19 June 2008: -- Sterling's 250,000th truck has rolled off the assembly line at the company's plant here... The milestone truck was built for Con-Way Freight. It's a Set-Back 113-inch BBC A-Line. Executives from Con-Way were invited to a special ceremony at the St. Thomas plant on June 10, where they received the keys to the new truck as well as a special plaque... Con-Way is a significant customer of Sterling's, operating more than 7,200 Sterling trucks today...
* Daimler posts podcast to explain benefits of SCR
Portland,OR,USA -Truck News (CAN) -17 June 2008: -- With the next series of EPA regulations quickly approaching, Daimler Trucks North America has begun explaining why it will use SCR on its Detroit Diesel engines... According to DTNA research, both testing and real-world operations in Europe are show a 3-5% improvement in fuel economy... DTNA senior vice-president of marketing Mike Delaney has already hailed BlueTec to be "The ultimate solution" in an economy where fuel economy is increasingly critical...
* USA - Wal-Mart places large order of Freightliner Cascadias with DD15
Portland,OR,USA -Truck News (CAN) -19 June 2008: -- Wal-Mart's fuel-conscious private fleet in the US has placed an order for 300 Freightliner Cascadias with the Detroit Diesel DD15 engine... Daimlers Trucks North America announced Wal-Mart placed the order after testing two Cascadias within its fleet...
Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide
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