The John Deere electric tractor is here and it is spectacular. When John Deere first announced that it was building an electric tractor prototype back in 2016, critics were skeptical. Could the company provide perspective buyers with enough power to complete the various tasks performed by farm machinery? Would consumers be willing to ditch their gas-guzzling tractors for … [Read more...] about John Deere Electric Tractor – Everything You Need to Know
Work Trucks
Amazon Commits to Renewable Energy, Orders 100,000 Rivian Electric Vans
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos put his company firmly on the path towards ecological responsibility by announcing plans to co-found "The Climate Pledge", which calls on its signatories to achieve zero carbon across their business ventures by 2040. For those of you paying attention, that's a full decade ahead of the Paris Agreement's goal of 2050. (!) Part of Bezos' plan to … [Read more...] about Amazon Commits to Renewable Energy, Orders 100,000 Rivian Electric Vans
Protean 360+ Concept Makes Big Buses Nimble
Protean is best known for building compact and powerful electric motors that fit inside a vehicle's wheels. It's a fun concept that could, in theory, allow car designers to get really wild with styling and packaging choices that simply aren't options with an internal combustion engine under the hood. This week, though, Protean unveiled a new concept that-- well, it's so good … [Read more...] about Protean 360+ Concept Makes Big Buses Nimble
Infographic Charts the Rise of AI at Volvo CE
In case the launch of the flagship Polestar sub-brand and the acquisition and subsequent electrification of the storied Lotus Cars brand didn't clue you in, Volvo is dead serious about being a major player in the electric future. If you're a car nerd, like me, you'd be forgiven for thinking of Volvo as a sort of "underdog" in this fight, of course-- but, then, you'd be … [Read more...] about Infographic Charts the Rise of AI at Volvo CE
Nissan Launches Electric Ice Cream Truck … for Kids!
It's the first day of summer, and nothing says summer quite like the sound of the ice cream truck pulling up to a park full of kids. As fun and wholesome as that image may be, however, having kids hang out around the potentially harmful emissions of those old-school ice cream trucks could aggravate issues like asthma-- and that's a big problem. Enter: Nissan, who just showed … [Read more...] about Nissan Launches Electric Ice Cream Truck … for Kids!
Mercedes Introduces New Electric Sprinter Van (w/ Video)
Daimler is opening up more and more options for customer to go electric with the introduction of its new electric Sprinter van, the eSprinter. The platform is especially exciting due to its appeal to fleets as a delivery vehicle and consumers as a recreational vehicle. The new eSprinter won’t break any range records with its 150 kilometer range, but it should be more than s … [Read more...] about Mercedes Introduces New Electric Sprinter Van (w/ Video)
Volvo Set to Begin Sales of its Electric Semi in 2019
Forget waiting for your pre-order to be filled, because Volvo's all electric commercial trucks are ready to go. To try to drive that marketing point home, the Swedish company announced that sales of its first all-electric truck- as well as deliveries to customers- will begin in 2019. It's pretty much understood that the automotive future is definitely electric, and that … [Read more...] about Volvo Set to Begin Sales of its Electric Semi in 2019
New Chevy Silverado Packs Less Weight, More Features (14 Photos)
The traditional Big 3 of American automakers each had a radically redesigned truck to show off at this week's North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. For Ford, it was the long-awaited resurrection of the Ford Ranger, but over at the GM booth was some potentially bigger news: the Chevy Silverado pick up is all new for MY2019. The message GM is sending … [Read more...] about New Chevy Silverado Packs Less Weight, More Features (14 Photos)
Old School Cool: NASA Aerodynamic Truck Studies
Back in the 1970s and early 80s, NASA conducted a series of tests to determine how aerodynamic changes could impact a truck's fuel economy. Tests like this were, in part, part of the government's response to that decade's oil crises. The results of the tests, too, were hugely interesting. For starters, the agency found that, buy rounding the corners on that era's popular … [Read more...] about Old School Cool: NASA Aerodynamic Truck Studies
New Ford F150 Hybrid Gets 50% More MPG (w/ Video)
A new Ford F150 hybrid produced by XLHybrids promises to improve the vehicle's fuel economy by up to 50% without significantly impacting utility, downtime, or affecting the factory warranty. We've covered XLHybrids' work, before, but it's worth bringing up again as CES 2018 rolls around and Ford's F150 pickup line continues to dominate global sales charts. It's because Ford's … [Read more...] about New Ford F150 Hybrid Gets 50% More MPG (w/ Video)