Truck & Bus News

Approval for autonomous electric truck to operate on road

Freight technology company Einride announced that it has received approval from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to operate its Autonomous Electric Transport (AET) vehicles on public roads.

With this approval, Einride will conduct a public road pilot to support operational flows for customer GE Appliances, a Haier company, showcasing the Einride Pod’s purpose-built functionality for future commercialisation. The autonomous and electric Einride Pod’s design does not leave room for a driver on board and is instead remotely monitored by a Remote Pod Operator, marking this pilot as an industry first for this new type of vehicle. The Einride Pod will operate on public roads with mixed traffic while executing real life workflows. This will include the movement of goods and coordinating with teams at various warehouses for loading and unloading.

A Remote Pod Operator will be monitoring the vehicle at all times – a first of its kind role that Einride sees critical in safely scaling autonomous vehicles by keeping humans in the loop and creating jobs to fulfill a future way of shipping. “This is a type of vehicle that has never before been seen on US. roads and marks a major milestone as a turning point for the future of the freight industry,” said Robert Falck, CEO and Founder at Einride. “We know the autonomous and electric technology of our pod will not only revolutionise transportation but also create thousands of jobs and help America stay competitive.”

The Wrightbus for Australia

Australia’s largest bus body builder Volgren has extended its zero-emission capabilities by partnering with leading European hydrogen bus manufacturer, Wrightbus to develop and deploy Hydrogen powered fuel cell buses for the Australian market.

The partnership announcement follows Volgren’s successful grant from the Victorian Government’s Renewable Hydrogen Commercialisation Pathways Fund. Yuri Tessari, Volgren’s Chief Commercial Officer, said the partnership with Wrightbus would bring the world’s leading hydrogen chassis technology to Australia. “We believe that Hydrogen has an important place in Australia and Wrightbus is one of the most important global players in hydrogen buses. We are confident the partnership will help speed up the deployment of hydrogen buses in Australia. “Wrightbus builds bodies for their products in the UK and Europe. In fact, they use similar body technology to Volgren, namely bolted extruded aluminium profiles. This shared expertise and understanding is one of the many aspects of the partnership that we think will make it a success.” This is the first time Wrightbus has exported its powertrain technology to a bus body manufacturer, the first time it has entered the Australian market as a business, and the hydrogen buses will be the first of their kind to be built in Australia so this is a significant deal for everyone involved. The first Volgren-Wrightbuses are expected to be ready in the first few months of 2023. The buses will be the first hydrogen buses in Australia to be built by an Australian manufacturer, and the first to be powered using European chassis technology.

Next Gen Trams for Victoria

Alstom has signed a framework contract with Department of Transport Victoria, for the provision of 100 Flexity low-floor Next Generation Trams (NGTs) for the largest urban tram network in the world.

The contract includes supply of rolling stock and 15-year maintenance making this the biggest tram contract in Australia and in the Southern hemisphere. Delivery of the Flexity 2 light rail vehicles is scheduled to begin in 2025. Introduction of the low-floor NGT fleet will enable gradual retirement of further high-floor trams from the Melbourne network, ensuring compliance with disability standards for accessible transport (DSAPT) requirements and provide a modern, inclusive, safe and reliable transport network for all passengers. The new fleet will further support the increase in network capacity requirements to meet the projected population growth. The contract includes 65 percent local content with the NGTs being manufactured at Alstom’s Dandenong facility in Victoria. Additionally, the maintenance contract includes 85 percent local content. The contract will provide longterm stability to the local railway industry and supply chains in Victoria.

Volgren to deliver 10 new electric buses

Gold Coast bus users will soon be enjoying greener public transport as local bus manufacturer Volgren continues construction of 10 new Kinetic electric buses.

Delivered by Translink, Volgren and Kinetic’s local operator Surfside Buslines, the new buses are expected to begin services on the Gold Coast in September and could each save as much as 1,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases over their lifespan. “Volgren`s strategy is to have standardised production and quality systems across all of our manufacturing facilities; the same applies to different types of technologies and business partners’ products,” Yuri Tessari Chief Commercial Officer said. “In the last 12 months we’ve concentrated on transitioning our Eagle Farm facility so it has the capacity and scale to build on multiple chassis technologies, including zero-emission vehicles. “These first 10 units for the Gold Coast, which will be finalised by August, represent our first locally built BEBs in Queensland and we’re incredibly proud to be working alongside valued partners, Translink and Kinetic.” Mr Tessari said building electric buses locally is not only an important part of achieving netzero emissions, but it also supports local jobs, expands Queensland’s skilled workforce and strengthens local supply chains. Kinetic also opened Australia’s first 100 percent electric bus depot at Currumbin Waters in April.

Brad May takes over as chief engineer at PACCAR

Paccar Australia has appointed Brad May as chief engineer, replacing Noelle Parlier.

Ms Parlier was a board member for the SAE-A and is returning to the US. After a transition period she will take up the position of director of product planning for Kenworth in Seattle. Mr May, who has been with PACCAR for almost 30 years, is currently director of sales and marketing. He joined PACCAR as a graduate engineer in 1993 and has held the sales and marketing position since taking over that role from current managing director Andrew Hadjikakou in 2016. His extensive product knowledge and experience at PACCAR also includes his positions as national sales manager of Kenworth, product development manager and aftersales manager. As chief engineer, he will now be responsible for planning and managing PACCAR Australia’s engineering, after sales and product development activities. During his time in the current role, Mr May oversaw the introduction of the wide-cab Kenworth T610 and T410 models and last year’s release of the Kenworth Legend SAR Anniversary Edition. Ms Parlier has been in the chief engineer position for almost four years. She previously held engineer and project management roles for four years with Kenworth in Washington, including assistant chief engineer.

Podcasts on emerging possibilities from Volvo

With growing demand for information on emerging transport technologies Volvo Group Australia has launched its own podcast series to help inform and engage anyone interested in the why, what and where of our mobility future.

Titled Emerging Possibilities the podcast features guest industry experts and stakeholders talking about electro mobility, autonomy, sustainability and even alternate fuels. The podcast are free and available at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ emerging-possibilities-powered-by-volvogroupaustralia/id1625009805 https://podcasts.google.com/search/ Emerging%20Possibilities https://open.spotify.com/ show/72nqLVCLnEc5yp7ny2Jo ND?si=16b8d51b1c834a9c&nd=1

Fossil-free steel for trucks

Volvo introduces fossil-free steel in its trucks.

The steel is produced by the Swedish steel company SSAB and the heavy-duty electric Volvo trucks will be the first to include it. The steel from SSAB is produced using a completely new technology, based on hydrogen. The result is a much lower climate impact than conventionally produced steel. Small scale introduction of the steel in Volvo’s heavy electric trucks will begin in the third quarter of 2022.

The first steel produced with hydrogen will be used in the truck’s frame rails, the backbone of the truck upon which all other main components are mounted. As the availability of fossil-free steel increases, it will also be introduced in other parts of the truck. Today, around 30 percent of the materials in a new Volvo truck come from recycled materials. And up to 90 percent of the truck can be recycled at the end of its life.