CCJ

February 2018

Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal

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24 commercial carrier journal | february 2018 Thor preps electric ET-One tractor I n Norse mythology – and the Marvel Universe – Thor is the hammer-wielding god of thunder and lightning. In the modern-day real world, Thor may become the first commercially available electric Class 8 truck. Dakota Semler and Gio Sordoni co- founded their Los Angeles-based elec- tric truck startup, or Trucks, in 2016 and hope to have their ET-One electric tractor available for sale by 2019. Sem- ler and Sordoni call the electric truck the "Holy Grail of transportation." e company said its ET-One pro- totype is powered by up to 800-kWh modular battery packs and features a 300-mile range when fully loaded to 80,000 pounds, while its TM4 motor – used in a variety of heavy-duty applica- tions, including buses – puts out 5,000 lb.-. of torque that can be customized based on need. or built the ET-One on a Navistar chassis in order to get a demonstrator vehicle on the road quickly. Once the model enters production, the chassis will be designed in-house with a base sticker price of $150,000. "We are in the business of building a product, then selling it whole," said Sordoni, who also serves as the compa- ny's chief operating officer. He said or's battery design "is dif- ferent in its layout and cooling process to most electric batteries" and is more energy-dense than any other on the market – so much so that it is compet- itive on a short-haul basis with diesel engines in terms of energy efficiency and cost. Sordoni said that with contemporar- ies such as Tesla and Nikola Motor Co. targeting the long-haul segment, or is content with developing a tractor for regional purposes. "or's vision is to address the short- and medium-haul market," he said. By targeting customers who return to base daily, or will rely on fleet-lev- el charging capabilities rather than attempting to string together a network of roadside charging stations. "Most of the folks we're speaking to in the regional market, less than 300 miles, return to base and would install chargers at their site," Sordoni said. or plans to partner with charging infrastructure companies in the future. "It's also worth noting the batteries on the ET-One are swappable," he said. "When approaching over-the-road applications in the future, there are a few ways or would approach that problem. One could be partnerships with existing charging infrastructure companies. Another could be pursuing more of a swapping strategy, which would also make a lot of sense for us." – Jason Cannon INBRIEF • Daimler Trucks North America recalled about 230 model-year 2018 Freightliner Cascadia trucks because a shift lock bolt in their Detroit automatic transmissions could seize, preventing the transmission from shifting out of gear range 7 through 12. • More than 400,000 Freightliner and West- ern Star trucks are being recalled due to a defect that could cause their brake lights not to work following repeated hard brake applications. DTNA said about 436,100 model-year 2008-18 Freightliner Cascadia and Western Star 4700, 4900, 5700 and 6900 trucks manufactured between March 27, 2007, and Oct. 30, 2017, are affected. • DTNA recalled about 24,860 model-year 2002-17 Freightliner and Western Star trac- tors equipped with Kidde plastic-handle or push-button "Pindicator" fire extinguishers. Daimler also recalled about 3,000 mod- el-year 2018 Freightliner and Western Star models equipped with brake caliper mounting bolts that are not torqued prop- erly, which could make the calipers detach and cause the brakes not to work. • East Manufacturing recalled nearly 90 model-year 2016-18 Frame Dump trail- ers built with a pintle hook or brackets for installing one. East said cracks could devel- op in the crossmember connected to the pintle hook and possibly lead to a failure that would affect vehicle handling. • Paccar's 12-speed automated transmis- sion and right-hand column-mounted shifter now is standard on Kenworth's T680 on-highway tractor when spec'd for line- haul and regional applications, completing the T680's transition to Paccar's proprietary powertrain – engine, transmission and tan- dem rear axle – engineered to maximize efficiency and driveability. • Peterbilt Motors Co. announced that Bendix's ADB22X rear air disc brakes now are available on its Model 579 tractor. The Bendix front air disc brakes were standard on the Model 579 when it was introduced in 2012 to help reduce stopping distance and increase driver safety. • Kenworth's T270 and T370 medium-du- ty trucks now are available with Dana Spicer's S140 series of single-reduction single-drive axles ranging from 16,000- to 21,000-pound gross axle weight ratings. Also available is the Bendix Wingman Fu- sion driver assistance system that integrates radar, a camera and the truck's brakes. Thor Trucks' ET-One tractor is a 5,000-lb.-ft.-torque machine that features a 300-mile range when fully loaded and a base sticker price of $150,000.

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