Equipment

DEARBORN, Mich. — A parts shortage that has thousands of Ford’s most-profitable vehicles sitting on lots waiting to be fully assembled has forced the automaker to slash its third-quarter earnings forecast.

HANOVER, Germany — Daimler Truck CEO Martin Daum said his company is pursuing a clean-energy strategy built around electric and fuel cell technology, setting aside natural gas as a component of the plan.

Nikola President Michael Lohscheller was beaming when he unveiled the U.S. startup’s fuel cell truck for the European market at the region’s biggest commercial vehicle show this week.

Volvo Trucks unveiled its fully electric rear axle that is designed to free up space for batteries, the company announced Sept. 19.

Europe’s energy crisis offers a hard lesson on the risks of focusing on one fuel source — in the case of the electric vehicle industry, battery cells, according to Markus Heyn, head of mobility services for Robert Bosch GmbH.

In a world where there is growing interest in electrification, drivetrain/powertrain makers are simultaneously pursuing two goals: developing products and technology when electric trucks reach critical mass; and supplying more low-emission and fuel-efficient products.

After Elon Musk complained that lithium — the ubiquitous raw material needed in electric vehicle batteries — was trading at insane levels, and China’s authorities in March pushed key industry players to act, prices briefly began to cool. Now, they’re rising again to add pressure on automakers.

Calling on private investors, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon is urging key stakeholders to explain in a web survey what role they would play in a four-state Western regional hydrogen hub.

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Sustainability is top of mind for many in the shipping and transportation industries, and exhibitors and speakers at the IANA Intermodal Expo 2022 said the industry continues to make efficiency gains.

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Unprecedented volumes of intermodal freight are starting to lighten as well as the long turn times and equipment backlogs that created chassis shortages throughout the past year, which can delay freight movement and disrupt truckers, carriers and the entire business model of the customer.