NEWSNOTES | December 4, 2024
News Notes

Volvo Trucks North America keeps on trucking as they celebrate the milestone that its Class 8 Volvo VNR Electric model has passed 10 million miles of zero-tailpipe emissions. Volvo reports that their customers operating the trucks are collectively driving more than 200,000 miles per week.

Mullen Group closed a deal on November 1 to acquire Pacific Northwest Moving (Yukon) and its parent company Pacific Northwest Investments Inc. Services they provide include less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping services as well as last mile deliveries. They will operate from two owned terminals in Whitehorse and Edmonton.

Watt EV is making news again and this time they are finalizing a new rapid-charging standard that will allow heavy-duty trucks to charge in less than 30 minutes. WattEV is building truck stops along the Interstate 5, I-10 and I-15 corridors in California. WattEV has run more than a million zero-emission miles on its fleet of electric trucks.

Thanks to a $7.54 billion loan, Stellantis venture will be building 2 electric vehicle battery plants. The venture with Samsung SDI comes with a funding commitment from the U.S. government. It isn’t clear if the loan will go through before the inauguration but if it does the plants would make battery cells and modules for electric vehicles.

Iveco is an Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturing company headquartered in Italy. The Flemish transport company De Lijn is run by the Flemish government in Belgium and has placed an order for 32 of their articulated electric buses. The company is committed to being emission free by 2035. The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) in California is investing $77.5 million in new hydrogen fuel-cell electric and battery electric buses. OCTA’s Board of Directors have approved the purchase of 50 new zero-emission buses. New Flyer will provide OCTA with 40 hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses and 10, 40-foot battery-electric buses.

Electric school buses are gaining ground in the United States (U.S.) where purchasing commitments have risen 1,000 percent in the U.S. since 2021. The World Resources Institute (WRI) reports that 5,000 school buses are serving 254,000 students.
 

RESOURCES

• Volvo VNR Electric Passes 10 Million Customer Miles, Fleet Equipment
• Mullen Group Expands in the North, Trucknews.com
• WattEV Teams with CharIN for New Rapid-Charging Standard, NGT News
• US Commits to $7.54 Billion Loan, AP
• Iveco Bus to Supply 32 Buses to De Lijn
• OCTA to Invest $77.5M in Buses, Mass Transit
• Electric School Bus Use Continues to Increase, Facilities Net