Fuel

CHICAGO — Two former White House officials say the world’s supply chain has experienced unprecedented disruption the last 2½ years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The national average price of diesel slid 6.9 cents to $4.964 a gallon in its third straight decline, according to Energy Information Administration data released Sept. 19.

Nikola Corp.’s chief executive officer told a jury he learned only after joining the company that its debut electric truck had neither a gas-powered turbine nor a fuel cell when founder Trevor Milton unveiled it.

Troubled EV startup Mullen Automotive Inc. has emerged as the leading bidder for the assets of bankrupt competitor Electric Last Mile Solutions Inc., including a now-idle former Hummer SUV factory in Indiana.

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.

A Nikola Corp. prototype of the electric vehicle startup’s planned Badger pickup truck was made partly of components from a Ford Motor Co. F-150 Raptor, the jury in the criminal trial of Nikola founder Trevor Milton was told.