Technology

As truck makers prepare to test and introduce Class 8 battery-electric and hydrogen-electric trucks in the next 12 to 24 months, one must wonder why only a very small number of truck operators have adopted clean solar technology.

Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Co. are nearing a framework agreement to join forces on electric and self-driving vehicles, capital-intensive areas that are reshaping the auto industry and straining carmakers’ finances across the globe.

Fires in tractor-trailers, often referred to as thermal events, can result in significant damage to equipment as well as cargo, but despite an ongoing focus on preventing them, the number of incidents doesn’t appear to be dropping.

Charles Fetz, a former vice president of design and development at Great Dane whose efforts led to several product innovations at the trailer maker, died unexpectedly at home Oct. 25. He was 60.

Albemarle Corp., the world’s largest lithium producer, is planning to expand production in Australia, chasing the market for a form of the metal increasingly being used by the makers of electric car batteries.

The American Transportation Research Institute is asking fleets to provide data from their electronic logging devices to be used in confidential research for studying policy issues in trucking.

Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler and auto supplier Bosch plan to launch a self-driving car pilot for the public in San Jose, Calif., in the second half of 2019.

Tesla Inc. appointed a director who’s been on its board for years to replace Elon Musk as chairman, stirring suspicion as to whether the mercurial CEO will be restrained after costly run-ins with securities regulators.