Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/936627
commercial carrier journal | february 2018 21 JASON CANNON is Equipment Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail jcannon@randallreilly.com or call (205) 248-1175. It's cool to be here now. e Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is one of the world's foremost technology shows where companies such as Samsung, Ama- zon and Spotify all make major news. is year, Kenworth, Peterbilt and Ryder joined them on the CES showroom floor, rubbing el- bows with some of the biggest names in the tech game. e mystique eventually will wear off Tesla and the group of emerging trucking tech up- starts, and they each will be just another trucking OEM trying to deliver a product along- side the legacy group of truck makers that has built them for generations – the old not-so- cool group that is content to let the whippersnappers wear themselves out reinventing the technology wheel. But Tesla brings a lot to the table, namely the companies that want to be associated with it. While the legacy Class 8 OEMs have similar partner- ships as those Tesla now is developing, there is a cottage industry of companies devoted to following Tesla around. ey will bring new seats to the table, and these battery and electric technology companies now are looking at the trucking industry in a dif- ferent light. ey want to be here because it's cutting-edge, and it's trendy – CES trendy. Drawn by electrification's emergence onto the highway, many universi- ties have trials underway exploring improvements in battery density and chemistry. at means even more new players are pulling seats up to the table – players who see things and solve problems differently. ey don't have to rely on passenger car companies to validate their technologies. Trucking is now a viable partner, and it's cool to be associated with it now. WANT MORE EQUIPMENT NEWS? Scan the barcode to sign up for the CCJ Equipment Weekly e-mail newsletter or go to www.goo.gl/Ph9JK. Wabco acquires stake in Nikola T rucking OEM newcomer Nikola Motor Co. in late December received a $10 million investment from Wabco Holdings Inc. Wabco received a 1 percent equity stake in Nikola, which expects to begin testing trucks with fleets later this year and launch full production in 2021. Jacques Esculier, Wabco chairman and chief executive officer, said the investment allows his company to be at the forefront of developing technology as vehicles become increasingly connected. Nikola founder and CEO Trevor Milton said Wabco will be a vital business partner that enables autonomous driving, electronic braking and stability control. – Jason Cannon Meritor invests in EV tech company M eritor announced a strategic invest- ment in TransPower, a provider of electrification technologies for commercial vehicles, including integrated drive systems, full electric truck products and energy-stor- age subsystems. Jay Craig, Meritor president and chief executive officer, said the investment will help his company accelerate introduction of its flexible electric-axle platform for various drivetrain con- figurations, including full electric, hybrid, single and tandem axles. TransPower also retrofits its electric-drive systems into existing vehicle platforms, said Michael Simon, the California-based compa- ny's president and CEO. – Jason Cannon Trucking needed a tractor such as Tesla's Semi that partially sells itself based on its 0-60 mph time because that's a level of cool the world understands. The companies say the agreement will accelerate their development of safety technolo- gies designed for electric commercial trucks.