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Alan Adler

Alan Adler is an award-winning journalist who worked for The Associated Press and the Detroit Free Press. He also spent two decades in domestic and international media relations and executive communications with General Motors.
Nov - 2024 -
08 November
Alan Adler

Third-party validation: Table stakes for driverless trucking

As public confidence in autonomous vehicles continues low, autonomous trucking developers are reeling in safety data from third-party experts.

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01 November
Alan Adler

Behind Climate United’s historic $250M electric truck buy

How much influence could a $250 million purchases of 500 electric trucks have on establishing the value of used trucks?

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Oct - 2024 -
25 October
Alan Adler

Are hydrogen combustion engines delayed or DOA?

A new study projecting adoption of hydrogen internal combustion engines over the next decade suggests modest adoption.

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18 October
Alan Adler

Electrifying in-bound logistics continues to expand globally

Using electric trucks for inbound logistics includes Daimler Truck with a 2026 goal of zero-emissions truck deliveries to its plants.

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15 October
Alan Adler

Freightliner adds nifty changes to fifth-generation Cascadia

The fifth-generation Freightliner Cascadia is not dramatically different from the current model but it brings some driver-friendly changes.

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11 October
Alan Adler

It’s all in the numbers for Nikola

Nikola lays of 135 workers as it seeks to preserve its financial runway.

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04 October
Alan Adler

Bot Auto and the return of Xiaodi Hou

Xiaodi Hou was cast as a villain in the decline into irrelevance of autonomous trucking developer TuSimple. He sees it differently.

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Sep - 2024 -
27 September
Alan Adler

What does proposed China component ban mean for autonomous trucks?

Autonomous truck developers are trying to figure out what a proposed ban on Chinese components will mean to them.

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20 September
Alan Adler

IAA 2024: Daum’s legacy – a stand-alone Daimler Truck

With his legacy assured, Daimler Truck Chair and CEO Martin Daum will retire as CEO on Sept. 30, making way for Karin Rådström.

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13 September
Alan Adler

Autonomous trucks in the long run

The lanes are getting longer for autonomous trucks and the promise of greater profitability is predicted to follow.

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06 September
Alan Adler

ChargePoint’s latest downsizing intended to help stop the bleeding

ChargePoint cuts 200-plus jobs in second downsizing of 2024 after tough second quarter earnings report,

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Aug - 2024 -
30 August
Alan Adler

Third parties reinforce autonomous trucking safety

Driverless truck developers are looking to third-party validators to back their safety claims.

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23 August
Alan Adler

Bank borrowing points to infrastructure developer Voltera’s maturity

As electrification and infrastructure startups mature, banks get interested in lending money to help the best of them grow.

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16 August
Alan Adler

Will Nikola’s best year ever be good enough?

With fuel cell trucks on the road, Nikola is changing the game, but will it be enough to survive?

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09 August
Alan Adler

A diesel reality check and a rebranding

A name change to drop the word diesel from its title may have been the politically correct move. But diesel is not going anywhere.

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02 August
Alan Adler

Building an electrification business in reverse

Electrification startup Synop is carving a niche for itself focused on help electric fleets return electricity to the grid and get paid for it.

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Jul - 2024 -
26 July
Alan Adler

Kodiak’s autonomous course correction

Kodiak Robotics is delaying commercial on-highway driverless trucks to focus on autonomy in the Permian Basin.

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19 July
Alan Adler

After ELMS bankruptcy, James Taylor resurfaces as CEO of Bollinger Motors

James Taylor will take his second run at leading a commercial electric truck company as the new CEO of Bollinger Motors.

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12 July
Alan Adler

Hyzon focuses on US fuel cell market for survival

Hyzon is focusing its fuel cell efforts in North America, cutting operations in Europe and Australia as it seeks to survive.

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05 July
Alan Adler

Dueling approaches to AI in autonomous trucking

Autonomous trucking pioneer Chris Urmson and relative latecomer Raquel Urtasun do not agree on how to apply AI in autonomous trucking.

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Jun - 2024 -
28 June
Alan Adler

Can wireless EV charging become an infrastructure player?

Is wireless charging an idea whose time has come for electric trucks? In some use cases, the answer is yes.

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21 June
Alan Adler

Sitetracker: Speeding electric truck charging behind the scenes

Sitetracker helps companies like ChargePoint automate tasks surrounding getting electric charging points up and running faster.

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14 June
Alan Adler

‘Picky’ Gatik nearing mass-produced autonomous trucks

With new investments from Isuzu and trading giant Itochu, Gatik is on the path to mass production of short-haul autonomous trucks in 2027.

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07 June
Alan Adler

Nikola stats show H2-powered trucking is for real

Nikola releases stats on hydrogen fueling that show savings over diesel and a growing business for fuel cell trucks.

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May - 2024 -
31 May
Alan Adler

Workhorse on the bubble, or is it worse?

Perpetually troubled electric van maker Workhorse Group may be in worse shape than it appears. Little cash and slack orders are two factors.

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24 May
Alan Adler

Tesla to trucking industry: Step up your electric game

A newsier-than-typical Advanced Clean Transportation Expo featured the first appearance by Tesla and a single stage gathering of legacy OEMs.

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17 May
Alan Adler

Opposition grows to speedy electric truck transition

Regulators pushing to make the electric truck transition go faster are getting pushback from a range of industry stakeholders.

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10 May
Alan Adler

Unraveling the mystery of electric trucks’ residual values 

Fleets have practically no idea what electric trucks will be worth when it is time to trade them, one of the reasons for cautious adoption.

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08 May
Alan Adler

Daimler Truck marries electric and autonomous technologies

Using off-the-shelf technologies, Daimler Truck created a demonstration autonomous truck that runs on batteries instead of diesel.

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03 May
Alan Adler

Could autonomous trucks help save the planet?

The potential energy and environmental gains from autonomous trucking are laid out in a new white paper from Aurora Innovation.

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02 May
Alan Adler

Split-off gain masks some cracks in Cummins’ financial armor

Engine maker and power distribution giant Cummins Inc. reported Q1 declines in two of five divisions, but a huge one-time gain juiced profits.

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Apr - 2024 -
26 April
Alan Adler

Really cold hydrogen could bring driving range parity with diesel

A startup named for science fiction author Jules Verne is closing in on cryo-compressed hydrogen fuel for greater energy density.

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19 April
Alan Adler

Switcheroo: EV Realty secures electricity before launching charging sites

EV Realty flips the electric truck charging script: It buys future charging sites with power already there.

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12 April
Alan Adler

Autonomous trucking may descend the rabbit hole of local politics

Autonomous trucking regulation is already a state-by-state issue. In California, it may become a community-by-community matter.

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05 April
Alan Adler

Renewed: Nikola and Trevor Milton’s soap opera 

The soap opera that is Nikola Corp. has been renewed for a new season with the company taking aim at convicted founder Trevor Milton.

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Mar - 2024 -
29 March
Alan Adler

Will natural gas payback beat EV adoption?

Natural gas may be having a moment as an alternative fuel for trucking, but there are a few nagging questions.

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22 March
Alan Adler

Bosch’s RevX rolls up available spot loads 

Bosch has a cloud-based plan for load matching; Nikola’s high-pressure product and problems;, and Cummins’ creative stock buyback via spinoff

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15 March
Alan Adler

Aurora’s driverless trucks show they are for real

After numerous rides in autonomous trucks monitored by safety drivers in case of a mishap, I found it almost surreal to climb into Aurora Innovation’s Class 8 driverless truck, buckle […]

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08 March
Alan Adler

SEC smackdown and SuperTruck news overwhelm convention dispatches  

A big fine for Lordstown Motors and SuperTruck news carry the week over Work Truck Week and technology and maintenance event.

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07 March
Alan Adler

Cummins CEO moves company forward after record civil emissions fine

Cummins Inc.’s environmental citizenship record didn’t shield it from the U.S. attorney general’s criticism when it agreed to pay a record fine.

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01 March
Alan Adler

Diesel distancing propels alternative fuel options

Natural gas, battery and fuel cell electric vehicles all vie to displace diesel. Which will win? Maybe all of them.

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Feb - 2024 -
23 February
Alan Adler

Can Karno technology generate a buyer for Hyliion?

Hyliion is getting a second chance to make a viable business with its Karno technology that could help generate a buyer for the company.

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16 February
Alan Adler

Electric trucks find a sweet spot with inbound logistics

Quiet and zero tailpipe emissions battery-electric trucks are gaining popularity across the industry for parts shipment to assembly plants.

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09 February
Alan Adler

Hydrogen’s newsy week skips over underlying  challenges

Positive developments in the hydrogen space glossed over some tough underlying issues like sky-high hydrogen prices.

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06 February
Alan Adler

Emissions-rigging fine takes huge bite from Cummins’ Q4 earnings

$2 billion in fines and expenses from emissions-rigging slammed Cummins’ Q4 profit in a year of record revenues and cash generation.

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02 February
Alan Adler

The Whac-A-Mole reality of autonomous trucking regulations

The arcade game Whac-A-Mole describes state-by-state approach to rules of the driverless road while 50-state solution appears far off.

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Jan - 2024 -
30 January
Alan Adler

3 trucking majors combine to advance electric infrastructure

The mismatch between electric truck availability and charging infrastructure prompted Daimler, Volvo and Navistar to make a PACT.

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26 January
Alan Adler

Volvo Group reports strong Q4 results but caution for 2024

Sweden’s Volvo Group reported strong Q4 results but pointed to normalizing demand, code for lower sales already visible in slackening orders.

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Alan Adler

Megawatt grants electrify truck charging corridors

WattEV continues to roll up a lion’s share of federal infrastructure grants as it plots electric charging corridors

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24 January
Alan Adler

Commentary: Looking inside Paccar’s humble record streak

Humble leadership at Paccar forgoes a victory lap its as profit streak reaches 85 years with regular dividends paid out since 1941.

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23 January
Alan Adler

Volvo reveals new long-haul VNL with beefier electrical system

Volvo Trucks North America revealed a 90% new VNL over-the-road truck that promises up to 10% better fuel efficiency.

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Alan Adler

Paccar Q4 record sales, profit records overwhelm analyst estimates

Truck maker Paccar Inc. reached 85 consecutive years of posting net income with record sales and profits in the fourth quarter.

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Alan Adler

Ryder adds Kodiak Robotics to its autonomous trucking dance card

Ryder System is leasing space at a Houston maintenance facility to Kodiak Robotics for driverless truck operations.

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22 January
Alan Adler

Kenworth and Peterbilt recall medium-duty trucks over mirror glass seating

Paccar is recalling 11,053 medium-duty trucks because an improperly seated mirror glass lock ring may allow glass to fall out.

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Alan Adler

Postal Service begins rolling out electric mail trucks

The Postal Service balked at electric delivery trucks, but it is getting with the program, starting with off-the-shelf Ford E-Transits.

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20 January
Alan Adler

No signs of panic as Nikola gets 2nd Nasdaq delisting warning

Nikola is in no hurry to artificially boost its stock price to ward off its second Nasdaq delisting notice in eight months.

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19 January
Alan Adler

Could shuttered power plants become electric truck charging sites?

Could electric trucks find a new power source in decommissioned power plants. Zeem Solutions plans to find out.

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18 January
Alan Adler

Cummins, Daimler and Paccar pick Mississippi for $2B battery joint venture

Mississippi incentives helped lure a $2 billion advanced battery-making joint venture for electric trucks to the Magnolia State.

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Alan Adler

Zero-emission truck adoption soars — and not just in California

California leads zero-emission truck adoption, but other states are growing faster in certain types of commercial EVs.

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17 January
Alan Adler

Autonomous truck developer TuSimple going private

One-time autonomous trucking leader TuSimple took the next step in its pullout from the U.S. market by voluntarily delisting from the Nasdaq.

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16 January
Alan Adler

Daimler Truck manages small gain in 2023 sales

Daimler Truck managed a 1% gain in global sales in 2023, less than expected as supply chain issues still haunted the leading OEM.

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12 January
Alan Adler

Daimler Truck names new CFO from Siemens AG

Daimler Truck named Eva Scherer as chief financial officer to succeed Jochen Goetz, who died from a reaction to a wasp sting in August.

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Alan Adler

Hydrogen rises at CES

Hydrogen was a big topic through the mobility and transportation space at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

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11 January
Alan Adler

Ree Automotive gets full by-wire electric certification

Ree Automotive’s Class 5 delivery van is the first to eliminate mechanical linkages for steering, braking and driving.

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10 January
Alan Adler

Cummins will pay California $175M over emission-rigged engines

After agreeing to a $1.675 billion fine for violating the Clean Air Act, Cummins Inc. will pay California $175 million in the same case.

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09 January
Alan Adler

Gatik, Goodyear roll on with autonomous trucking tire technology

Middle-mile autonomous trucking leader Gatik is benefitting from additional technology advancements in its collaboration with Goodyear.

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Alan Adler

Kodiak reveals production-ready autonomous truck at CES

Kodiak Robotics showed its 6th-generation autonomous truck that will begin hauling freight without a driver in Texas later this year.

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08 January
Alan Adler

Cummins commits $580M to North Carolina plant makeover

Cummins Inc. will spend $580 million to upgrade a North Carolina plant to make fuel-agnostic small engines.

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05 January
Alan Adler

Early Nikola fuel cell truck buyer confident about hydrogen fuel

Nikola is finally putting its fuel cell electric truck in the hands of retail customers like Bill Hall of Coyote Container.

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Alan Adler

Aurora freezes designs for autonomous hardware scaling

Aurora Innovation has frozen the designs for its Aurora Driver hardware that German supplier Continental will build.

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Alan Adler

Early Nikola fuel cell truck buyer confident about hydrogen fuel

Nikola is finally putting its fuel cell electric truck in the hands of retail customers like Bill Hall of Coyote Container.

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04 January
Alan Adler

Vocational trucks, Mexico demand prop up Class 8 orders

The overcapacity of on-highway trucks would look worse without underlying support from Mexico and strong vocational demand.

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03 January
Alan Adler

Electric trucks should shake off setbacks in 2024

Electric trucks and charging infrastructure should advance this year without some of the growing pains that held them back in 2023.

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02 January
Alan Adler

Jim Walenczak named Kenworth Truck Co. general manager

Kenworth Truck Co. has a new general manager while Kevin Baney has been promoted to an SVP role at parent company Paccar.

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Dec - 2023 -
27 December
Alan Adler

New Class 8 truck deliveries fall for 4 consecutive months  

New Class 8 truck deliveries have fallen for four consecutive months even as vocational equipment sales rise.

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26 December
Alan Adler

Exclusive: Nikola CEO Girsky upbeat despite myriad challenges

Nikola CEO Steve Girsky knows the challenges the electric truck maker faces but points to 2024 as the company’s best year.

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22 December
Alan Adler

Cummins will pay $1.675B fine for engine emissions violations

Cummins Inc. will pay nearly $1.7 billion to federal and state regulators to settle a more than 4-year-old emissions-cheating case.

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20 December
Alan Adler

Nikola cuts 10-year hydrogen deal with FirstElement Fuel

Nikola will send its fuel cell electric vehicles to FirstElement Fuel hydrogen stations in California, a partial fueling supply solution.

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Alan Adler

Autonomous trucking 2023: Leaders emerge amid exits and entries

Three companies departed autonomous trucking in 2023 as Aurora Innovation, Kodiak Robotics and Torc Robotics staked leadership claims.

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19 December
Alan Adler

Trailer orders plunge 38% in November compared to October

Trailer orders are returning to pre-2020 normal rates, even with a 38% month-over-month decline in November.

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18 December
Alan Adler

Nikola founder sentenced to 4 years on fraud convictions

Nikola Corp. founder Trevor Milton outside federal court after being sentenced to four years in prison. (Photo: Matthew Lee/Inner City Press)

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15 December
Alan Adler

Electrolyzers only scratch the surface of midcentury hydrogen demand

Cummins’ aggressive scaling of electrolyzers will need other players to meet expected midcentury hydrogen demand.

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13 December
Alan Adler

Trailers as a service offers peace of mind for shippers 

Knowing when trailer maintenance is needed goes a long way toward preventing equipment breakdowns.

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12 December
Alan Adler

Fuel cell-powered mining trucks next up for GM Hydrotec

General Motors and Komatsu plan hydrogen-powered off-road mining trucks by mid-decade with on-site hydrogen making possible.

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Alan Adler

Feds detail Elizabeth Holmes and Trevor Milton fraud case parallels

Feds compare convicted startup founders Elizabeth Holmes and Trevor Milton in recommending Nikola’s founder receive a similar sentence.

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Alan Adler

Feds seek 11-year prison term for Nikola founder

Federal prosecutors want to see Nikola founder Trevor Milton imprisoned for 11 years as punishment for lying to investors.

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08 December
Alan Adler

Investors pummel Nikola shares after new stock and debt sales

Nikola is offering 133.3 million new shares at 75 cents each and issuing $175 million in new debt to scale its fuel cell truck business.

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Alan Adler

Are startup investors getting past the FOMU cycle?

The financial freezeout of startups by investors may be thawing as FOMU — the fear of messing up — begins to subside.

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05 December
Alan Adler

Class 8 orders hit 14-month high in November

Class 8 truck orders hit a 14-month high in November, surpassing 40,000 bookings amid a mired freight market.

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04 December
Alan Adler

TuSimple lays off 150 more employees as it winds down US operations

TuSimple Holdings is following through on winding down its U.S. autonomous trucking business, laying off 150 more employees.

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Alan Adler

Kodiak Robotics makes autonomous pickup for military

Working under a U.S. Army contract, Kodiak Robotics showed a prototype of its light-duty autonomous application in a Ford F-150 pickup.

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01 December
Alan Adler

Fresh thinking about the electric grid holds possibilities  

The electric grid holds more potential for electric truck charging than utilities currently allow. A big rethink is under way.

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Nov - 2023 -
30 November
Alan Adler

Forum Mobility adding electric truck charging depot to Long Beach port

Forum Mobility joins a growing number of startups planning multiple megawatt charging facilities serving California drayage.

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28 November
Alan Adler

Is the worst over for falling used truck prices?

The evidence is far from overwhelming, but the worst of the price depreciation for used trucks may be over.

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27 November
Alan Adler

Lion Electric lays off 150 employees

Canada-based electric trucking startup Lion Electric cuts 10% of head count to reduce costs as it seeks profitability.

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24 November
Alan Adler

Ree Automotive: Business life during wartime

Israeli tech startups count on losing some employees to military reserve duty. Many more are called during wartime.

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20 November
Alan Adler

Milton wants Nikola arbitration testimony to bolster probation plea

Defense attorneys offered 50 pages of reasons why convicted Nikola founder Trevor Milton should not go to prison. There may be more to say.

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Alan Adler

Specialty trailer orders show strength as vans and reefers lag

Specialty trailer equipment got a boost in October as overall orders rose, but dry and refrigerated vans didn’t keep pace.

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17 November
Alan Adler

Nikola CFO resigns after 6 months in role

The executive churn at beleaguered Nikola Corp. continued with the resignation of CFO Stasy Pasterick after just six months.

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Alan Adler

Torc tackles beyond-the-truck autonomous issues

Torc Robotics has the autonomous truck nearly ready. Now comes the hard work of making a business from it.

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