Trucks

TRUCKS

CREDIT: EPA

CURRENT NEWS

Startups with electric vans race to fill demand for zero-emissions delivery

By Nick Carey and Lisa Baertlein 09/18/23
A clutch of European and U.S. delivery company startups is racing to serve the growing market for offering zero-emission, electric last-mile deliveries in cities to retailers and consumers before giant shippers do the same.1
Read more

US Trucking Lobbyist Ignores Climate Change, Fights Electrification In Congress

By Michael Barnard 09/03/23
Two pieces of news crossed my screen recently, one a great piece of news about the current reality of batteries for transportation, and the other a bravura performance by Andrew Boyle, first vice chair of…
Read more

How Dallas became the proving ground for autonomous trucks

By Joann Muller and Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi 08/07/23
On any given day, Dallas motorists traveling along I-20 or I-45 are likely to be sharing the road with a self-driving truck that has the equivalent of a learner's permit.
Read more

Ford slashes the price of the F-150 Lightning EV pickup

By Matt Burns 07/17/23
The Ford F-150 Lightning is now a bit less expensive. The automaker announced today significant price cuts to its electric pickup, citing improved manufacturing efficiencies as the cause of the lower price.
Read more

U.S. truckmakers reach deal to phase out polluting diesel big rigs

By Timothy Puko 07/06/23
Some of the largest manufacturers of heavy trucks and engines in the country have agreed to accept a California plan to ban sales of new diesel big rigs by 2036 under a deal aimed in…
Read more

The Case for the Hydrogen Truck

By Andrew Moseman 06/23/23
The hydrogen car lost. Not long ago, it seemed like hydrogen fuel cells would power the next generation of climate change-fighting vehicles. Instead, batteries won the future. Americans now buy hundreds of thousands of electric…
Read more

Maryland Urged to Cut Emissions By Swiftly Adopting Rules Electrifying Cars and Trucks

By Aman Azhar 06/22/23
5.1 million Marylanders live in areas that are failing to meet EPA’s ground-level ozone standards and suffering adverse health impacts, including higher levels of asthma. A week after climate change-driven wildfires worsened air pollution and…
Read more

Big Chance to Cut Climate Pollution From Big Trucks

By Ben Jealous 06/22/23
The interstates built in the 1950s and 1960s killed the vitality of the communities where people of color and the poor lived, from Overtown in Miami to the Hill District in Pittsburgh to the South…
Read more

Biden vetoes resolution against EPA truck regulations

By Mike Lee 06/14/23
President Joe Biden on Wednesday followed through on his promise to veto a congressional resolution that would’ve overturned one of his administration’s regulations on truck pollution. The resolution, S.J. Res. 11, from Sen. Deb Fischer…
Read more

This unlikely fuel could power cleaner trucks and ships

By Casey Crownhart 06/08/23
Last Friday, I hoisted myself up a ladder and plopped down into the seat of a bright green John Deere tractor. There wasn’t a cornstalk or a soybean sprout in sight—my view through the windshield…
Read more

Daimler Truck to partner with Toyota on climate and self-driving tech

By The Associated Press 05/30/23
German truck maker Daimler and Japan’s top automaker Toyota said Tuesday they will work together on new technologies, including using hydrogen fuel, to help fight climate change. The companies said Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus…
Read more

Roseville addressing climate change by using wastewater to fuel garbage trucks

By Mike TeSelle 05/17/23
In a move it is calling a "revolutionary waste to fuel" project, the city of Roseville is working to turn organic wastewater into renewable natural gas. The move is aimed at powering its fleet of…
Read more

MORE NEWS

Maryland Embraces Gradual Transition to Zero-Emissions Trucks and Buses

By Aman Azhar   05/02/23  
Environmentalists hail a new law as a major step toward reducing harmful emissions in historically underserved communities. But some worry that a caveat in the legislation could delay the mandate. In a significant step toward…
Read more

California is set to ban diesel truck sales by 2036

By Maxine Joselow   04/28/23  
Today, California regulators are expected to vote to ban sales of new diesel big rigs by 2036 and require all trucks to be zero emission by 2042, escalating the Golden State’s crackdown on pollution from…
Read more

The EPA Grants California Plans to Quickly Phase Down Diesel Trucks

04/28/23  
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted California the ability to enforce standards that will quickly phase-down the sales of diesel trucks, thus creating healthier communities, especially where diesel truck traffic is clustered. This decision…
Read more

California bans sale of diesel big rig trucks starting in 2036 in landmark air pollution rule

By Paul Rogers   04/28/23  
California air regulators on Friday approved first-in-the-nation rules to ban the sale of new diesel big rig trucks statewide by 2036, the latest step in the slow but steady phase-out of fossil fuels in the…
Read more

Self-driving trucks struggle to deliver

By Joann Muller   04/26/23  
Several startups working on self-driving trucks — viewed by many as an easier challenge than autonomous passenger cars — have stalled in recent months, leaving only a handful of players aiming to deliver on a…
Read more

GM eliminates the Chevrolet Bolt, but electric pickups and SUVs are still going strong

By Nathan Bomey   04/26/23  
Driving the news: General M0tors CEO Mary Barra said Tuesday that the automaker is discontinuing the Chevrolet Bolt — both the car version and the small utility version — and will revamp the factory where…
Read more

Biden Administration Proposes Strongest-Ever Pollution Standards for a Clean-Transportation Future

04/12/23  
Building on rapid advancements and investments in clean vehicle manufacturing, including investments in domestic manufacturing in the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA’s proposed standards would deliver on President Biden’s agenda to tackle the climate crisis. The…
Read more

E.P.A. Lays Out Rules to Turbocharge Sales of Electric Cars and Trucks

By Coral Davenport   04/12/23  
The Biden administration is proposing rules to ensure that two-thirds of new cars and a quarter of new heavy trucks sold in the U.S. by 2032 are all-electric....
Read more

California’s big plans to electrify big rigs: Zero-emissions mandates gain momentum

By Rob Nickolewski   04/10/23  
When people think of electric vehicles, they typically think of passenger cars, not commercial trucks or vans. But the volume of medium- and heavy-duty EVs is growing, and recent decisions by federal and California regulators…
Read more

California to Require Half of All Heavy Trucks Sold by 2035 to Be Electric

By Coral Davenport   03/31/23  
The state is setting strict limits to try to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from transportation, the sector of the American economy that generates the most greenhouse gases....
Read more

The EPA approves California’s plan to phase out diesel trucks

By The Associated Press   03/31/23  
The Biden administration cleared the way Friday for California's plan to phase out a wide range of diesel-powered trucks, part of the state's efforts to drastically cut planet-warming emissions and improve air quality in heavy-traffic…
Read more

Ford expects EV business unit to lose $3B this year, hit profitability in late 2026

By Kirsten Korosec   03/23/23  
Ford lost about $3 billion on its EV and digital services business over the past two years, a unit now known as Model e, and isn’t expected to be profitable (on an adjusted basis that…
Read more

Biden will let California lead on electric trucks, despite industry protest

By Anna Phillips   03/20/23  
The EPA plans to grant California a waiver that will allow the state to phase out diesel-powered trucks, helping communities burdened by truck pollution....
Read more

US Mail to be Delivered in 9,000 New Electric Vehicles, With USPS Installing 14,000 Charging Stations

By Andy Corbley   03/14/23  
The US Postal Service is going to try and reduce its carbon footprint by buying 9,000 new Ford electric vehicles.
Read more

Rivian is revisiting its exclusivity agreement with Amazon for EV delivery trucks

By Sara Salinas   03/13/23  
Rivian and Amazon are in discussions to adjust the exclusivity clause of their agreement for the EV maker’s electric delivery trucks.
Read more

USPS Moves Forward with Awards to Modernize and Electrify the Nation’s Largest Federal Fleet

By Albert Ruiz   02/28/23  
The United States Postal Service awarded contracts today for 9,250 commercially available left-hand drive (LHD) battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as well as initial orders for more than 14,000 charging stations to be deployed at Postal…
Read more

Ford Halts Output of F-150 Lightning EV Due to Battery Issue

By Nora Eckert   02/14/23  
Ford Motor Co. F -0.08%decrease; red down pointing triangle has halted production and shipments of its F-150 Lightning to address a potential battery issue, a setback in the company’s efforts to ramp up output of…
Read more

Pickup Trucks From Workhorse To Joyride

By Will Chase, Jared Whalen and Joann Muller   01/23/23  
America has a love affair with pickup trucks. In 2022, the top three best-selling vehicles in America were pickup trucks, and among them, the Ford F-series reigns supreme. The Ford F-150 has been the best-selling…
Read more

GM To Put Nearly $1 Billion More Into Production of Internal Combustion Engines

By Ed Garsten   01/20/23  
Don't write off the internal combustion quite yet. Despite its goal of an all battery electric vehicle portfolio by 2035, General Motors Co. announced Friday almost a billion dollars in new manufacturing investments—most of which…
Read more

Ford leaves manufacturing group that opposes truck rules

By Mike Lee   01/19/23  
The move comes as other car companies have broken ties with the Truck and Engine Manufacturing Association, or EMA, which opposes a proposed rule by EPA to curb greenhouse gases from big trucks. A Ford…
Read more

Snow go for NYC’s electric garbage trucks that can’t handle winter weather

By Sophia Chang   12/27/22  
Don’t count on seeing electric garbage trucks plowing snow from city streets any time soon. The city Department of Sanitation's goals to become carbon neutral are clashing with the limits of electric-powered vehicles. The department…
Read more

EPA enacts tougher pollution rule for trucks, vans and buses

By Anna Phillips   12/20/22  
Manufacturers would have to reduce harmful tailpipe pollution from new trucks, delivery vans and buses under a long-awaited regulation the Biden administration finalized Tuesday — a rule that could protect public health in poor communities…
Read more

This is why Tesla Semi will change road transport forever

By Enrique Llanes   12/19/22  
Just a couple of weeks ago Tesla started deliveries of their latest product: the Tesla Semi, which is aiming to shake up the trucking industry.
Read more

Tesla Just Threw Down The Gauntlet

By Will Lockett   12/08/22  
One of the most significant disadvantages of an electric vehicle is its charging time. Even the fastest-charging cars, such as the Tesla Model Y, charge at 275 kW, which means filling a full tank can…
Read more

Forest Service to test electric pickup trucks

By Andres Picon   12/06/22  
As part of the push to electrify government fleets, employees at three national forests will test out Ford F-150 Lightnings for field operations in rugged and remote areas.
Read more

Watch Tesla Semi do something Bill Gates said wasn’t possible

By Fred Lambert   12/02/22  
Tesla has released a timelapse video of its Tesla Semi electric truck completing a 500-mile trip with a full load on a single charge – something Bill Gates and Daimler said wasn’t possible just a…
Read more

Diesel big rigs have belched smog for years. California may soon ban them.

By Reis Thebault   11/02/22  
The two-acre plot was overgrown and unruly, but they could see the potential. Mountains crowned the horizon and the soil was healthy. There was room to roam — for their children and their animals. For…
Read more

Breakthrough Twin-Fuel Hydrogen Engine Could Cause A Revolution

By Will Lockett   10/22/22  
We are in a desperate race to halt our rampant carbon emissions and save the planet from our self-created catastrophe. Some of the most prominent technologies helping us achieve this venture are EVs and hydrogen…
Read more

Truck makers tout an electric future. Privately, they’re stalling it.

By Anna Phillips   10/18/22  
Diesel trucks are some of the biggest health and climate offenders on the road. The industry isn’t racing to change that.
Read more

The Tesla Semi Is Far More Revolutionary Than You Think

By Will Lockett   10/13/22  
Musk recently announced that the long-awaited Tesla Semi is scheduled to finally start production and that Pepsi will be the first to get delivery of this incredible machine on December 1st, 2022. The arrival of…
Read more

Musk says Pepsi to receive Tesla’s first Semi trucks in December

10/07/22  
Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) is starting Semi electric commercial truck production and PepsiCo Inc will get the first deliveries on Dec. 1, the electric vehicle maker's chief Elon Musk tweeted on Thursday. When Musk unveiled the…
Read more

Ford hikes starting price of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup for second time in less than two months

By Michael Wayland   10/05/22  
The new price of the 2023 Lightning Pro, an entry-level model meant for commercial and business customers, will be $51,974 — up nearly 11% from previous pricing and a 30% increase from the original $39,974…
Read more

Ford F-150 Lightning Powers Florida Man’s Cooking, Lights, Fridge, Entertainment During Hurricane Ian

By Zachary Shahan   10/03/22  
The Ford F-150 Lightning has just barely arrived on the market, yet I’ve already heard a few stories of the Lightning powering people’s needs in the event of power outages. The first I heard about…
Read more

Amazon Will Power Trucks With ‘Electrofuel’ Diesel To Curb Carbon Emissions

By Alan Ohnsman   09/20/22  
Amazon, with a massive fleet of tens of thousands of delivery vehicles, will begin using a new, renewable form of diesel fuel for trucks in Southern California. The retail giant says this “electrofuel” diesel results…
Read more

Ford’s U.S. Sales Rose 27% in August on Strong EV Demand

By Dean Seal   09/02/22  
Ford Motor Co.’s F 2.66%▲ U.S. sales rose 27% in August, rebounding from year-ago production shortages and benefiting from increased demand for electric vehicles. Ford F 2.66%▲ has been posting strong year-over-year gains this summer…
Read more

Lucky drivers will get discount on Ford EV pickup for helping the grid

By Julian Spector   08/24/22  
A select group of drivers could soon knock a chunk off their lease payment for a hot new Ford F-150 Lightning — if they sign up for a smart-charging program with utility Duke Energy. It’s…
Read more

Charting the Course for Early Truck Electrification

By Jessie Lund and Others   08/15/22  
Trucks in the United States produce 25 percent of transportation greenhouse gas emissions even though they only make up 10 percent of vehicles on the road. And the problem is growing — emissions from trucks…
Read more

Nearly 20 states push ahead with truck electrification plan

By Kate Magill   07/28/22  
Nearly 20 states and jurisdictions have signed on to an action plan striving for 100% electric medium and heavy-duty vehicle sales by 2050. The plan, released Wednesday, includes policy recommendations for local lawmakers to consider…
Read more

Amazon Wants 100,000 Electric Vans. Can Rivian Deliver?

By Jack Ewing   07/21/22  
Nearly three years ago, Amazon announced that it would buy 100,000 custom-made delivery vehicles from Rivian, a fledgling maker of electric vehicles. On Thursday, after some delays, the companies said hundreds of the vans were…
Read more

USPS will make 40% of its new trucks electric, up from 10%

By Jacob Bogage   07/20/22  
The US Postal Service pledged Wednesday to electrify at least 40 percent of its new delivery fleet, an increase that climate activists hailed as a major step toward reducing the government’s environmental footprint.The Postal Service…
Read more

Walmart to buy electric vehicle fleet for last-mile deliveries

By Worth Sparkman   07/12/22  
Walmart has a definitive agreement to buy 4,500 electric delivery vehicles from Canoo, the two companies announced Tuesday morning.The EV maker revealed last year it was relocating its headquarters to Bentonville. Why it matters: Farmers,…
Read more

Ford Sales Jump in June on Big Gains for F-Series Pickup Trucks

By Keith Naughton   07/05/22  
Ford Motor Co. sales jumped 31.5% in June thanks to big gains from its top-selling pickup-truck line, including the electric F-150 Lightning. Deliveries of F-Series trucks rose 26.3% from a year ago, Ford said in…
Read more

Self-driving EV heavy trucks are coming to a work site near you

By Joann Muller   06/02/22  
Autonomy startup SafeAI is partnering with German industrial titan Siemens to create electric, autonomous heavy trucks for Japanese construction giant Obayashi, Axios is first to report. Why it matters: Construction and mining companies are under…
Read more

Reality Check: Electric Trucks Are Viable Today

By Laurie Stone   05/25/22  
Many people think that electric trucks can’t do the job — they won’t have a long enough driving range, they will be too heavy, truckers won’t like them. However, that couldn’t be farther from the…
Read more

Mary Barra’s ‘Long Game’: Winning the E.V. Race

By Neal E. Boudette   05/12/22  
General Motors made a splash last year when it announced a bold plan to ramp up sales of electric vehicles and said it would stop making gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.
Read more

House panel will investigate USPS plan to purchase 8.6 mpg trucks

By Jacob Bogage   05/12/22  
State attorneys general and top environmental groups have already sued the Postal Service to block the $11.3 billion truck contract.
Read more

16 states, D.C., climate activists sue USPS to block truck purchase

By Jacob Bogage   04/28/22  
Sixteen states, the District of Columbia and environmental activist groups are suing the U.S. Postal Service to block its purchase of 148,000 gas-guzzling delivery trucks over the next decade, alleging the agency has vastly underestimated…
Read more

States, environmental groups sue USPS over gas-powered trucks

By Zack Budryk   04/28/22  
Sixteen states and a coalition of environmental groups on Thursday announced a lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for its decision to upgrade the majority of its fleet with fossil fuel-powered vehicles.
Read more

Ford lost $3.1 billion in the first quarter.

By Neal E. Boudette   04/27/22  
Ford Motor said on Wednesday that it lost $3.1 billion in the first three months of the year because of a sharp drop in the stock price of Rivian, an electric vehicle start-up that Ford…
Read more

Tesla Will Sell Its Long-Awaited Cybertruck Next Year, Elon Musk Says

By Jack Ewing   04/09/22  
The truck, with an angular design and a stainless-steel skin that set it apart from traditional pickups, has been delayed after an inauspicious unveiling in 2019, when a designer lobbed a metal ball at a…
Read more