Technology Briefs — Feb. 13 - Feb. 20
This briefing can be e-mailed to you every week. Just click here to register.The Latest Headlines:
- CARB Will Not Appeal ‘Reflash’ Court Ruling
- PeopleNet Upgrades g3 Software
- Siemens Buys Powertrain Firm for Hybrid Market
- CTA Welcomes Canada’s ‘ecoFreight’ Program
- PeopleNet Upgrades g3 Software
CARB Will Not Appeal ‘Reflash’ Court Ruling
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — The California Air Resources Board will not appeal a court decision that overturned its engine “reflash” rule.“We are moving ahead. I don’t think there will be an appeal. We are looking more toward fleet turnover,” CARB Chairman Robert Sawyer told Transport Topics here Wednesday.In October, the California Superior Court overturned the regulation that had required trucks with 1993 to 1998 model-year engines be programmed to include stricter engine controls, saying it amounted to an “illegal involuntary recall." Neil AbtPeopleNet Upgrades g3 Software
Wireless technology firm PeopleNet said it added a new feature to its g3 computing system to help carriers identify problems with engines.The feature is a part of the company’s PerformX vehicle-monitoring module, introduced last year. When a truck’s engine-control module detects a technical problem, data will be sent to the g3 computer and then transmitted back to a carrier’s remote network.PeopleNet said users can set the software to operate in real time or deferred modes. Using the real-time mode, the computer will notify a carrier immediately about a problem with the engine.Carriers can view this information on PeopleNet’s Web site, said Brian McLaughlin, PeopleNet’s vice president of marketing. The system also can be used on individual trucks, a series of units or an entire fleet. Transport TopicsSiemens Buys Powertrain Firm for Hybrid Market
Siemens VDO Automotive Corp. said Thursday it completed its acquisition of Ballard Power Systems’ electric drive business. Terms were not released.The purchase solidifying Siemens’ “long-term commitment to the hybrid electric vehicle market and further electrification of the powertrain,” it said in a statement.Ballard, Dearborn, Mich., “will be in a position to capitalize on new business opportunities in the $14 billion global (by 2015) hybrid market,” said John Sanderson, Siemens VDO’s chief executive officer. Siemens VDO is a international automotive electronics supplier and part of Siemens AG. The unit had sales of $12.12 billion in the 2006 fiscal year. Transport TopicsCTA Welcomes Canada’s ‘ecoFreight’ Program
The Canadian Trucking Alliance said it gave a "cautious thumbs up” Thursday to federal transport minister Lawrence Cannon’s announcement of a $61 million, four-year program to help reduce the environmental and health effects of freight transportation.The program, dubbed the ecoFreight program, is part of the Canadian government’s overall environmental strategy, CTA said.It consists of six initiatives, two of which are specifically designed for the trucking industry, while the others are spread across all transport modes.“From what we can glean, today’s announcement may be a good first start in the adoption of CTA’s 14-point action plan for a Made-In-Canada Clean Air Act for trucking,” said David Bradley, CTA’s chief executive officer. Transport TopicsPrevious Technology Briefs
