This week’s news roundup for electrified vehicles and automation technology features a lot of activity in the commercial vehicle sector.
Wrightspeed and the Ratto Group are introducing a range-extended electric refuse (garbage) truck. This ER-EV will enter the market as a test fleet of fifteen trucks over the next year. Wrightspeed is a leading ER-EV maker in the heavy-duty commercial realm and Gatto is a recycling and refuse collection company in California. Read the press release here.
The Cummins engine company is working on two plug-in hybrid commercial vehicle projects. These are in partnership with Ohio State University, truck-maker PACCAR (Kenworth, Peterbilt), and government laboratories. This project is to develop a Class 6 commercial plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that reduces fuel consumption by at least 50 percent. the second project is for a plug-in hybrid bus and is being developed in Europe. Read about those here.
In vehicle automation news, General Motors has demonstrated eight safety applications for it’s intelligent, connected vehicle technologies. Shown in China, these are the culmination of 10 years of development at GM’s labs in the United States. Read about those technologies in this press release.
Aaron is an automotive journalist living in Wyoming, USA. His background includes technology, mechanics, commercial vehicles, and new vehicle evaluations. Aaron is a member of several automotive media groups and writes for many well-known publications.