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Ford Trucks Spain Press Release / February 21, 2020 Spanish hauler Friocargo Herbatra has become the first Aragonese company to take delivery of a Ford Trucks F-MAX through our heavy truck dealer Caysercas, S.L. We hope they enjoy it to the fullest! .

Ford Trucks Spain Press Release / February 25, 2020 "We are delighted with both the low fuel consumption and high performance of the Ford F-MAX." These were the first words of Transportes Bolaños after testing the all-new Ford Trucks F-MAX provided by distributor Truck Moes. .

Ford Trucks International Press Release / February 27, 2020 With the 500 horsepower Ford Trucks 12.7-litre "Ecotorq" engine in our all-new F-MAX, nothing stands in your way! .

Our factory is in #rolltide country but when it comes to #refuse we're agnostic! #Autocar is honored to serve the students & faculty at University of Mississippi & help the amazing #olemisslandscapeservices staff keep the campus beautiful. .

This is a major product launch for Volvo. You all should be more excited and supportive.

DC-64M video https://www.linkedin.com/posts/autocar_autocar-beckindustrial-concretemixer-activity-6638232153731715072-37Di

Through an exchange agreement, Scania provided Mack Trucks with their new open-chamber, direct-injection combustion system, resulting in the legendary Mack END673 “Thermodyne” engine. The direct injection END673 then quickly replaced the END672 incorporating Lanova pre-combustion chambers (energy cell combustion chamber). (In the early years, Mack Trucks’ diesel engines including the ED519 and END672 utilized a Lanova design pre-combustion chamber design. Like Buda and others, Mack Trucks had purchased a technology license from Germany’s Lanova AG, led by the German engineer and Lanova concept inventor Franz Lang.)

Ford Takes Its Electric Scooter Company for a Spin Outside U.S. Edward Ludlow, Bloomberg / February 26, 2020 Spin, the scooter-sharing service owned by Ford Motor Co., is expanding to new markets outside of the U.S. The company will launch its first international fleet of electric scooters in Cologne, Germany, as soon as the spring, according to a statement. It will start with several hundred scooters and plans to increase the number quickly, though pricing hasn’t been decided. Spin also will apply in Paris for a scooter-sharing permit next month. “Since we started Spin it’s been about deliberate growth, understanding the markets, understanding the path to profitability before we expand.” Spin Chief Executive Officer Derrick Ko said in an interview. “Germany has both the infrastructure and regulations to support that.” Ford, which acquired Spin in 2018 for an untold sum, has helped the scooter company engage with city governments and understand the environment in markets it wants to enter, Spin’s President Euwyn Poon said in a separate interview. Germany legalized the use of scooters on roads and bicycle paths in May, spurring a race among European and U.S. startups to roll out products in Europe’s biggest economy. Other companies including Alphabet Inc.-backed Lime are eying growth in Europe, primarily because policy makers there are starting to restrict car use, according to David Spielfogel, Lime’s chief policy officer. Spin is also exploring private partnerships in the U.K. and plans to participate in pilot programs in cities across the country. While Spin has grown since Ford’s acquisition, it has yet to achieve profitability, according to Poon, who’s trying to get there this year. “The biggest risk is that cities don’t see us as their partner but see us as antagonists,” Ko said. “We are not here to screw you over, we are here to work with you.” Founded in San Francisco in 2016, Spin has grown to more than 600 employees and is operational in 70 different markets across the U.S., including San Francisco, Chicago and Washington. It also operates on the campuses of 25 schools including the University of Texas and Virginia Tech. .

ICE running facial-recognition searches on millions of [illegal immigrant] Maryland drivers The Washington Post / February 26, 2020 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have been permitted to run facial-recognition searches on millions of Maryland driver’s license photos without first seeking state or court approval, access that goes far beyond what other states allow and that alarms immigration activists in a state that grants special driver’s licenses to undocumented [illegal] immigrants. More than 275,000 such licenses have been issued statewide since 2013, when the state became the first on the East Coast to defy federal guidelines and allow undocumented [illegal] immigrants to obtain a license without having to provide proof of legal status. The technology allows ICE to run a photograph of an unknown person through the system and see if any potentially undocumented immigrants are returned as a match. “It’s a betrayal of [illegal] immigrants’ trust for the state to turn around and let ICE run warrantless searches on their faces,” said Harrison Rudolph, a senior associate at Georgetown University Law School’s Center on Privacy and Technology. “It’s a bait-and-switch. … ICE is using biometric information in the shadows, without government notice or public approval, to hunt down the most vulnerable people.” The battle to grant driver’s licenses to undocumented [illegal] immigrants spanned more than a decade in Maryland. In 2013, Maryland lawmakers voted to create the licenses despite federal laws requiring proof of immigration status on state-issued identification cards. The 2013 bill’s sponsor, former state senator Victor R. Ramirez (D-Prince George’s), heralded the change by saying at the time that Maryland would no longer “drive people [illegal immigrants] underground.” Fifteen states issue such licenses. Maryland does not describe itself as a sanctuary state, which generally means a jurisdiction refuses to cooperate with federal authorities on civil immigration enforcement. But several of its most populous jurisdictions, including Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, and the city of Baltimore, have publicly restricted cooperation with ICE. More than 4 percent of the state’s residents, or approximately 275,000 people, are undocumented [illegal] immigrants.

Spicer Medium-Duty e-Axles Enter Production Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / February 24, 2020 Dana has begun production of its Spicer Electrified eS9000r e-Axle for Class 4 and Class 5 trucks. The e-Axle will be available for ordering by vehicle manufacturers in the third quarter of 2020, the company announced during a Feb. 23 briefing at the annual meeting of the Technology & Maintenance Council in Atlanta. The manufacturer said it is the first to market with this e-Axle classification in North America and is the only supplier with the in-house capability to manufacture all components of the system, including the gears, axle, motor, and inverter. The e-S9000r is based on the Spicer S110, S111, and S130 rear drive-axle platforms engineered for medium-duty truck and bus applications. The eS9000r is engineered as a fully integrated e-Axle, including a gearbox and motor, and is easily incorporated into most existing chassis. Dana said moving the motor to the axle reduces driveline complexity while allowing batteries to be located between the frame rails to simplify truck body positioning. The power rating for the eS9000r is 237 kilowatts or about 317 horsepower at 650 volts DC for grade startability of 20%. The axle has a patent-pending electronically controlled parking pawl system that eliminates the need for an external solution on vehicles without a traditional transmission. The weight of the axle assembly including the water glycol-cooled Dana TM4 SUMO LD motor, CO150 inverter, and disc brakes is 815 pounds. “The electrical componentry replaces the existing axle, driveshaft, transmission and engine, and aftertreatment in a traditional chassis," said Dana Director of Product Planning Steve Slesinski. "This gives our OEM partners some options to put the battery packs either between the frame rails or outside the frame rails." "The eS9000r e-Axle is built on our distinguished single drive axle and e-Powertrain platform, offering a streamlined electronic propulsion system for increased reliability and efficiency," said Mark Wallace, president of Dana Commercial Vehicle Drive and Motion Systems. "With an extensive level of electrification activity in Class 4 and Class 5 vehicles, we anticipate this truck class to be the first for widespread deployment and are ready to support our customers with industry-leading electrodynamic solutions," he added.

Jacobs Says Cylinder Deactivation Saves Fuel, Reduces NOx Jim Park, Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / February 26, 2020 Jacobs Vehicle Systems has completed testing to quantify the fuel savings and emissions benefits of Jacobs’ Cylinder Deactivation (CDA) technology. Test results showed that CDA reduced fuel consumption by 5% over the baseline in the Hot Federal Test Procedure cycle while increasing exhaust temperatures and limiting the cool-down of the selective catalytic reduction emissions system. Testing was conducted by an internationally known third-party laboratory and funded by the Environmental Protection Agency on a 13L Navistar engine equipped with CDA. The announcement was made in Atlanta during the Annual Meeting of the American Trucking Associations' Technology & Maintenance Council. CDA reduces NOx output by creating higher exhaust temperatures in the operating cylinders for optimal SCR operation. High temperatures necessary for optimal aftertreatment performance are maintained even when the engine is in low-load operation. With three cylinders of a six-cylinder engine deactivated, high exhaust gas temperatures can be maintained in the three operating cylinders. CDA also enables faster warm-up of the aftertreatment system after engine startup and minimizes cooling of aftertreatment substrate during coasting. To demonstrate the capability of the CDA system, the proposed California Air Resources Board "Low Load" cycle was evaluated, and CDA was found to raise the exhaust temperatures by about 50 degrees C, reducing tail-pipe NOx emissions by 86%. Fuel consumption (and CO2) was reduced by 12%. SCR NOx conversion increased from 48% (baseline) to 95% (CDA). Laboratory tests focused on the extent to which Jacobs’ CDA reduces NOx emissions during the low-load cycles representative of real-world driving conditions such as cold startups and frequent low-load and idle conditions that typically cause the most pollution due to a cool aftertreatment system. Testing also sought to quantify CO2 improvements at the same time. CDA is already proven to increase fuel economy and reduce tailpipe emissions in heavy-duty diesel engines, but Jacobs said it welcomed the opportunity to have these benefits independently measured. More extensive tests and results will be published under a joint paper at the April 2020 SAE World Congress. In November 2018, the EPA announced the need for additional nitrogen oxide (NOx) reductions in its Cleaner Trucks Initiative. This is especially important in areas of the U.S. with elevated levels of air pollution, a focus in California for the same reasons. Current heavy-duty truck rules for NOx, adopted in 2010, are expected to be replaced by new rules in the future. Jacobs introduced CDA technology last year in a new application of proprietary components originally designed for the company’s High Power Density engine brake. HPD employs mechanisms in the valve train to disable the opening of the intake and exhaust valves. Jacobs is now involved in numerous CDA development and demonstration projects on commercial vehicle powertrains around the world.

Hyliion Delivers First Class 8 Hybrid Vehicles to Penske Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / February 26, 2020 Hyliion will provide three vehicles to Penske Truck Leasing equipped with its 6X4HE Class 8 hybrid system, using Spicer Electrified e-Powertrain components. The first of the program’s three vehicles were displayed in the Dana booth at the Technology & Maintenance Council’s annual meeting in Atlanta.The remaining vehicles will be delivered throughout the year, allowing Penske to complement its fleet with the combined Hyliion-Dana Class 8 electrified solution. .“Our hybrid electric system on their Class 8 sleeper truck will reduce fuel consumption while also improving the driver experience,” said Thomas Healy, CEO of Hyliion. “Our collaboration with Dana provided the opportunity to leverage its strong product development process and affiliation with leading fleets such as Penske to help foster this cooperative sustainability program for all key stakeholders.” The Hyliion 6X4HE Class 8 hybrid is full 6x4 configuration with traction boosting capability to improve fuel economy when climbing hills, and 7 kW/hr battery pack that can provide up to 10 hours of hoteling capability. "The hybrid arrangement allows fleets to take advantage of electrified powertrains right away rather than waiting for the grid to be fully built up and large-capacity charging stations installed around the country," says Steve Slesinski, Dana's director of Product Planning. "It does not require any plug in at all, in fact it uses regenerated energy from downhill coasting and regenerative braking." The Hyliion 6X4HE system is available for immediate ordering.

Fleet Owner / February 26, 2020 ATLANTA — By adding an electric motor to the hydraulic steering column, Volvo can reduce driver effort of turning the wheel by up to 85%, the OEM said at the Technology & Maintenance Council annual meeting. The new option for Volvo's Mack Anthem, called Command Steer, will be available in June. (The ReAX electronic steering system, designed and produced by Germany's ZF, was first introduced in April 2013 as "Volvo Dynamic Steering". Volvo's promotion gave the impression that it was Volvo technology, however it was actually developed by Germany's ZF. Under their agreement, Volvo was the exclusive user for the first 5 years. That time now having expired, ZF is free to sell the system to all truckmakers. ) The motorized component collects driver, vehicle and environmental data and judges what amount of torque to apply to the steering column to ensure the truck stays true to its intended path. The wheel could be turned with one hand exerting the same energy as a kitten lightly swatting butterfly, as opposed to a bulldog-like bite. “Even with the all-day comfort provided by the Mack Anthem model’s ergonomic interior, driving a heavy-duty truck remains a highly physical task,” said Stu Russoli, Mack's highway product manager. “With Mack Command Steer, we’re helping reduce driver fatigue and muscle strain by up to 30%, improving safety and productivity as well as helping to protect the truck’s most valuable asset: the driver.” The new driver-assist solution also comprises a suite of sensors that collect road condition data such as speed and torque on the steering column. This flow of 2,000 pieces of data per second informs the wheel on how to react given the conditions. Drivers fortified by Command Steer “no longer have to ‘fight the wheel’ while driving on poor roads or in difficult weather conditions,” Russoli said. For example, when force generated by high winds unbalances the vehicle and load and causes drifting, Command Steer “will adjust so you could drive very comfortably,” he said. The wheel was also designed to intuitively compensate for unexpected variables on the road. “If you're if you're on uneven ground, your right wheel goes off the road, it's not going to pull you to the side off into a ditch,” Russoli explained. “If you have a flat tire, potholes, other disturbances in the road, it's going to correct that.” The wheel also returns to zero if the driver lets go when backing up to park or going forward to make a turn, beneficial in tight places. NASCAR hauler driver Tony Fripp said “it’s pretty much effortless” as he used one finger to steer the in-reverse tractor-trailer between two other Black Anthem trucks in a video Russoli presented. Mack also said the Anthem day cab models are SmartWay certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To become SmartWay-certified, trucks must have technologies and features that reduce their environmental impact through improved fuel efficiency. “Even with steady diesel prices, customers are continuing to place a strong emphasis on improving the fuel efficiency of their heavy-duty trucks,” said Russoli. “We’re proud to have our Anthem day cab model join our Anthem standup sleeper model as SmartWay-certified, giving customers fuel-efficient options for nearly every over-the-road application.” To achieve SmartWay certification, Anthem day cab models must be spec’d with roof fairings and side shields, chassis fairings and an aerodynamic bumper option. In addition, low rolling resistance SmartWay-certified tires are required. All SmartWay-certified MackAnthem models feature a SmartWay logo on the doorjamb. Just prior to TMC, Mack announced the launch of driver-activated Mack Over The Air updates, enabling customers to activate their software updates on their own schedule. Mack Over The Air allows remote software updates and the setting of vehicle parameters through GuardDog Connect. Available beginning in the fourth quarter, the new driver-activated updates eliminate the need for coordination phone calls with Mack OneCall agents, meaning most updates can be completed in less than 15 minutes.

Thousands of truck and trailer assets from defunct Celadon head to Ritchie Bros. auction Tom Quimby, Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / February 24, 2020 Their list has more than doubled in two days. This week, Ritchie Bros. will begin auctioning off truck equipment from defunct Celadon Group (No. 41 in the CCJ Top 250), which closed its doors in December after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Since announcing the liquidation last week, Ritchie Bros. has been busy adding Celadon trucks and trailers on its website, which quickly grew from 487 items on Wednesday to 1,048 items by late Friday. The current line-up includes model year 2015-2018 tractors. Zac Dalton, Ritchie Bros. director of finance, said he anticipates most of this equipment will be sold through Ritchie Bros.’ unreserved public auctions in the United States and Canada next month. “All items sold at public auction will be sold without any minimum bids or reserve prices,” he said. More information about what assets will be selling where will be available in the coming weeks on Ritchie Bros. website, he says. Celadon equipment will begin selling Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Ritchie Bros.’ Phoenix auction. Other auctions will follow in Denver, Colo. on Mar. 4; Fort Worth, Texas on Mar. 10; Las Vegas, Nev. on Mar. 12; Columbus, Ohio on Mar. 17; Sacramento, Calif. on Mar. 18; Chicago, Ill. on Mar. 19; Chehalis, Wash., on Mar. 26; Nashville, Tenn. on Mar. 20; North East, MD on Mar. 24 and Atlanta, Ga. on Mar. 27. Prospective buyers can begin online bidding now through the company’s new PriorityBid service. Similar to bidding online through eBay, competitive bids will be made at preset increments. Customers can increase their PriorityBid if it is surpassed by another bid during the auction. PriorityBidders automatically win tying bids. “We’ve always been able to accommodate customers who want to place bids that can’t be there,” said Jake Lawson, senior vice-president at Ritchie Bros. “Priority bidding is the next evolution of that.”

Farley says Ford faces sense of urgency similar to financial crisis Michael Martinez, Automotive News / February 26, 2020 A decade ago, Ford Motor Co. was fighting to remain solvent amid a financial crisis that bankrupted two of its crosstown rivals. Incoming COO Jim Farley says Ford faces a similar sense of urgency today to fix a sputtering business plagued by high warranty costs and launch issues. Speaking Wednesday at a Wolfe Research automotive conference in New York, Farley said his priorities in the new role he takes on March 1 include connectivity, Ford's commercial-vehicles business and opportunities with electric and autonomous vehicles. With Ford's stock trading at a 10-year low, Farley said the company has to "reawaken the purpose of our work" and "accelerate the sense of urgency" among its leaders. "The only way to change the sense of urgency is to change the way you work," Farley said. "More agile, all-in, together." Farley listed four key areas Ford needs to improve: warranty costs, which he said hit $5 billion last year; launch performance; material, logistics and labor costs; and sales and marketing. The automaker will have ample opportunity this year with the introduction of high-volume products including a redesigned F-150, the Bronco SUV, the Bronco Sport crossover and the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover. "We're at the moment in time at Ford where delivery matters," Farley said. "It is execution. I can't handicap that right now because it's something you have to just go do." Aside from the new products, Farley said one of his priorities is continuing Ford's quest to add connected modems in all of its vehicles. Connectivity, he said, could lead to new profit streams and business opportunities, especially with commercial vehicles. In Europe, Ford's truck and van sales rose 21 percent last year. Its U.S. fleet truck and van sales jumped 33 percent. The automaker has implemented telematics services for fleet businesses that helps owners better maintain their vehicles, but Farley sees room for growth. "For me, this is the signature execution opportunity for Ford, and growth opportunity for Ford, in the coming years," he said. Farley also stressed the need for Ford to hire new, tech-focused talent to think and work in new ways, similar to what its Team Edison did in quickly developing the Mach-E under a condensed time frame. "Software's a different business," he said. "We have some great people at Ford, but we need more dedicated teams like Team Edison. I think that will change the culture."

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Volvo Trucks Press Release / February 26, 2020 In the film ”The Tower”, we launch our four new trucks by stacking them on top of each other. The majestic tower drives through a mysterious landscape and on top of it you can see Roger Alm, the President of Volvo Trucks, in an unexpected role. .

Yes, it did. And obviously so did the CA and CH.

It's all about aerodynamics Jim. What we know today on aerodynamics......we didn't know in 1980 when the pencil hit the paper for the MH. In my mind, Ford's F-MAX is a terrific looking truck.

Will Ram HD Diesel Trucks Completely Drop The Aisin Transmission in Favor of ZF or Allison? Andre Smirnof, TFL Truck / February 22, 2020 Anonymous insider source tells TFLtruck that Ram Trucks is considering to stop using Aisin 6-speed heavy duty automatic transmissions in their Ram HD trucks. What kind of transmission will the new diesel trucks use? The source says that two choices are being considered for the Cummins-powered diesel trucks: a ZF 8-speed automatic or a new 9-speed Allison automatic. What?! Let’s break down this news. The current Ram HD trucks (3/4-ton and 1-ton) are using a selection of three unique transmissions: Ram 6-speed automatic (code: 68RFE), ZF 8-speed automatic (code: 8HP75), and an Aisin 6-speed automatic (code: AS69RC). The ZF 8-speed is currently backing up the 6.4-liter HEMI V8. The Ram 68RFE is backing up a standard-output 6.7-liter Cummins I6, and the Aisin continues to serve with the high-output 6.7-liter Cummins I6 turbo-diesel. (You can watch our latest 30,000 lbs towing test of a 2020 Ram HD 3500 high-output diesel below.) Will Ram switch its entire HD truck lineup to use various versions of the ZF 8-speed automatic? Our insider source did not say, but the report suggests that Ram is evaluating options between using ZF or Allison automatic transmissions. The goals include improving capability, drivability, and HD truck market share. .

That would be extremely interesting, and firmly move Ram ahead to the number one spot.

Ford Trucks International Press Release / February 25, 2020 Ford Truck's F-MAX is always a winner with affordable starting prices, low fuel consumption and maximum performance! .