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Air Liquide generates, stores and transports liquid hydrogen all the time.

S&P Global / May 10, 2018 French oil major Total has taken a further step downstream in the natural gas supply chain, with a plan to facilitate the purchase of gas-fueled trucks in the United States. The aim is to make the upfront capital cost of LNG trucks equal to an equivalent diesel truck. The company also intends to guarantee a discounted natural gas fuel price to diesel. The move is part of a pattern amongst international oil companies to invest in all parts of the gas value chain and stimulate demand for the fuel in new markets such as land and maritime transport. The company announced Thursday that it has entered into a strategic agreement with Clean Energy Fuels Corp. Total will take 25% equity in the US company, buying 50.8 million shares for $83.4 million, making it CEF's largest stockholder, subject to shareholder approval. CEF plans to launch a leasing program to allow early switchover for trucking firms from diesel to gas. Total intends to provide up to $100 million of credit support for the program, which is slated to launch in the third quarter. "Launching the financing program should expedite the adoption of natural gas as the most environmentally friendly fuel for the trucking industry," CEO and President of Clean Energy Andrew J. Littlefair said. Cost Volatility The adoption of gas-fueled trucks, either CNG or LNG, implies potentially significant oil demand displacement and a commensurate increase in natural gas consumption as trucks have high mileage and low fuel efficiency, which means they use much more fuel than passenger vehicles. However, the number of natural gas vehicles in the US has remained static over the last two years at 160,000, representing just 0.06% of the total US vehicle fleet, according to NGV Global data. Natural gas-fueled trucks typically cost around $100,000 compared with $70,000 for diesel trucks, while the fuel savings depend on the relative cost of diesel and natural gas. "Total believes there is a strong development opportunity in the natural gas for transportation market in particular in the United States which benefits from unique giant low-cost gas resources," Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne. Diesel prices rise and fall largely in line with the crude oil price, which dropped sharply in the latter half of 2014, but has been rising over the past year, hitting a three and a half year high Wednesday, following US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. US natural gas prices in contrast have stayed relatively steady and low over the same period on a diesel gallon equivalent basis, despite rising demand, owing to large increases in supply associated with shale oil drilling. CNG has about a 25% the energy density of diesel, while LNG has about 59%. Results vary from study to study, but in general LNG has a higher diesel equivalent fuel economy. This, like fuel costs, is again something of a moving target as both LNG and diesel engine fuel economy is improving. Natural gas trucks tend to be lower maintenance as they are cleaner burning. However, while the cost benefits are mostly a function of the relative price of the alternative fuels, the issue of whether natural gas is a better fuel for the environment than diesel is also more nuanced than might be expected. Natural gas' more complete combustion leads to lower nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions, while diesel engine exhaust was classified by the World Health Organization as long ago as 1998 as "probably carcinogenic to humans". This stance was toughened in 2012, when the WHO concluded there was sufficient evidence that diesel exhaust "is a cause of lung cancer." However, the findings on overall greenhouse gas emissions is different because natural gas - methane - is itself a potent greenhouse gas. The International Council on Clean Transportation in a study from 2015 noted that "recent studies on natural gas supply chain leakage and emissions indicate that even low levels of methane emissions can turn natural gas truck technology from an asset into a liability for the United States' long-term climate mitigation planning." .

Ford 'evolving' Mulally's One Ford plan with move to 5 modular platforms Michael Martinez, Automotive News / August 8, 2018 DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. avoided bankruptcy and survived the Great Recession in part because former CEO Alan Mulally's One Ford plan reduced costs and used common global parts. But the company's current leadership says that's no longer enough. Ford is moving beyond what Mulally and his successor, Mark Fields, did as the automaker looks to slash $25.5 billion in costs over the next five years. While One Ford helped whittle the automaker's global architectures from 30 to nine, Ford is now reducing that number even more, transitioning to just five modular vehicle platforms in the coming years. "This is not saying One Ford was wrong. This is building on the strategy of One Ford and evolving from it," Hau Thai-Tang, Ford's head of product development and purchasing, said Wednesday during a presentation to the 2018 J.P. Morgan Auto Conference in New York. While One Ford helped the company achieve global scale, Thai-Tang said it didn't get the desired scale on the regional or local level. Moving to five platforms will help save costs and boost the efficiency of Ford's supply base, he said. Thai-Tang said up to 70 percent of a vehicle's value can be managed through a modular approach. Moving forward, each of the automaker's vehicles will be on one of five platforms: rear-wheel-drive/all-wheel-drive body-on-frame; front-wheel-drive/awd unibody; commercial van unibody; rwd/awd unibody; and a unibody platform for battery-electric vehicles. Ford seeks to save about $7 billion in engineering and product-development costs while reducing by 20 percent the amount of time it takes to bring a vehicle from the sketch board to the showroom. The automaker believes it can make its engineering 20 to 40 percent more efficient through these new processes. Ford is shifting its product portfolio away from most cars and more toward light trucks as it tries to produce the industry's freshest North American lineup by 2020. The automaker has said it will phase out traditional sedans in North America. Thai-Tang said they will be replaced by new vehicles with different body styles in the same entry-level price range. Ford will focus on "bold, emotive designs" that fit its strengths in the pickup, commercial van and utility segments, Thai-Tang said. He added: "We'll reinvest and allocate capital in those areas." .

I liked the appearance of their Freightliners as well, but even more so their 4070Bs. .

The Mars was the big brother of the Martin PBM Mariner. Martin designed the jet-propelled P6M Seamaster for the Navy when they wanted their own B-52 equivalent. The Air Force raised a huge fuss in congress and successfully forced an end to the program. Too bad.....brilliant aircraft. The days of them taking off and landing on Middle River were something. . .

Did you note? “Nikola’s business model has been vetted, and the investment world is taking notice. So far this year we have kicked-off plans to build the largest hydrogen network in the world with [Norway's) NEL, secured a massive 800-truck order commitment from [Belgium's] Anheuser-Busch, developed the most energy dense battery system on the market with almost 400 watt hours per liter, engineered a 240 kW fuel cell, kicked-off electric vehicle stability controls and electric ABS with [Belgium's] Wabco, designed a thermo-management and HVAC system with [Germany's] Mahle, finalized the most advanced class-8 independent suspension on the market with Meritor, relocated our company to Arizona to build our new 150,000 sq. ft. headquarters and now closed on $100,000,000,” said CEO Trevor Milton.

The Economic Times / August 8, 2018 Volkswagen Group-owned MAN Truck & Bus has pulled the plug on the growing Indian market as part of its global plans of focusing on the premium segment of the global market. The company has put its Pithampur plant up for sale and the employees will continue to work till the orderbook is executed by October, say people in the know. While the employees of the Pune Corporate office and regional offices have been given the option of Voluntary Separation Scheme, the decision on the plant workers will depend on whether the company is able to execute the sale by October. Approximately 250-300 people are likely to opt for VSS, whereas the fate of the plant workers will depend on the sale of the plant. The decision was taken by the company on Monday and the same was intimated to the dealers and vendors in the local market by the Indian managing director on Tuesday. "Going forward, MAN Trucks India the legal entity will convert itself into an R&D Centre that supports global projects. The manufacturing, sales and exports of the CLA range will be stopped after the existing customer orders are completed," said the offical spokesperson for Man Trucks to the query from ET. The spokesperson added that MAN trucks will have aftersales as an active function for the next five years to provide support to its customers.

Desperate Times: New Ford Territory SUV For China Is Just A Rebadged JMC Car News China / August 8, 2018 So what do we have here? This is an SUV called the Ford Territory. Ford says it is new, especially developed for China and all. That is not totally true. It is a new Ford, but not a new car. The Territory is based on the Yusheng S330, a cheap local SUV that sells for just 80.000 yuan or $7300. Yusheng is a brand under Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC), one of Ford’s two joint venture partners in China. This joint venture will also make the Territory. Morphing the S330 into the Territory was easy: slap a new front on, change the dash a bit, fancy wheels, Ford badges, and done! Why does Ford do this? Because they are desperate. Ford sales in China are slow and not growing. The company doesn’t have anything good in the pipeline. But hey, guess what? Their joint venture partner had just the kind of sweet compact SUV that it needed. So Ford grabbed it by the grille. Ford has not announced anything on engines yet, but we bet the Territory will use the same engine as the S330: a 1.5 turbo with 163 hp. We will have a good look at the ‘new’ Ford on the Chengdu Auto Show in September. Ford also states that the Territory is aimed at China’s second and third tier cities. Good idea. But the Yusheng S300 is aimed at exactly the same target area. I am very curious what is next. JMC has more nice SUVs in their lineup, including some electric stuff that Ford also doesn’t have. And of course JMC owns the Landwind brand. What about a Ford based on this? The world upside down. In the past, Chinese joint venture partners were begging their western partners for old platforms to base some of their own cars on. Nowadays, the western partners crave for the Chinese platforms. Also see Volkswagen with their weird SOL EX20. And Finally: this Ford Territory should not be confused with the Australian Ford with the same name. These Territories have nothing in common. .

This new product is unrelated to the Ford Falcon-based Territory (on the EA169 platform) that was sold in Australia over the 2004-2016 period. Beautiful vehicle, and just $22,000.

Ford introduces its first 48-volt vehicle.....in China, with Cargo/Transit partner Jiangling Michael Martinez, Automotive News / August 8, 2018 Ford Motor Co. hopes a new midsize crossover in China will help it stem mounting losses* in the world's largest vehicle market. The automaker early next year will introduce the Territory, which it bills as an affordable [150,000 Yuan/US$21,990.27] utility that slots between the EcoSport and Kuga. It was developed with its joint-venture partner, Jiangling Motors Corp. The vehicle comes with either a gasoline engine, a 48-volt mild hybrid system or a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Available technology includes an infotainment system with Mandarin voice-command and the automaker's Co-Pilot360 suite of standard driver-assist features. "It's a very unique product for China," Jim Farley, Ford's president of global markets, told Automotive News. Ford is targeting entry-level customers outside of China's biggest cities. It says midsize utility sales in that country grew 38 percent from 2012 to 2016. "Territory is a key proof point for how we will grow in China," Ford China CEO Peter Fleet said in a statement. "We brought Territory to market with speed, high quality and cost efficiency. It will be affordable for young families and new buyers across China, not just the coastal mega-cities. And the technology will delight customers." Ford is preparing a product blitz for China as sales and profits continue to fall there. It plans to launch more than 50 new vehicles there by 2025. The automaker said its sales in China fell 25 percent in the first half of 2018. Its China operations lost $483 million in the second quarter before taxes, versus a $23 million profit there a year earlier. "It's going to take us a while to get out of that issue," CFO Bob Shanks said last month. Farley last month said Ford had "serious shortfalls" in its go-to-market strategy in China and that dealer profitability had been hurt by improper maintenance of the product portfolio. He said Ford has begun to address dealer profitability in the region and that, by the end of next year, 60 percent of its products there will be new or updated. * (CNBC, August 8, 2018) Ford's business in China has been faltering since last year. Its vehicle sales tumbled 25 percent in the first half of 2018 from the same period a year ago to 400,443 vehicles, which led to a second-quarter pre-tax loss of $483 million for its China operations. According to consultancy LMC Automotive, it was Fords biggest first-half percentage decline in sales volume since starting operations in China in 2001. .

It's hard to believe the F-550 has been out since 1999. Seems like yesterday. I do remember the new-for-1987 Class 4 F-Super Duties. We all thought that was something, and long overdue (renamed F-450 in 1999). The F-350s had been overloaded for years.

Nikola raises $100 million this month Truck News / August 7, 2018 PHOENIX. Arizona – Nikola Motor Company announced today that it anticipates the $200 million C round will be oversubscribed with more than $100 million already raised and funded this month. The company has a $1.1 billion pre-money valuation. “Nikola’s business model has been vetted, and the investment world is taking notice. So far this year we have kicked-off plans to build the largest hydrogen network in the world with NEL, secured a massive 800-truck order commitment from Anheuser-Busch, developed the most energy dense battery system on the market with almost 400 watt hours per liter, engineered a 240 kW fuel cell, kicked-off electric vehicle stability controls and electric ABS with Wabco, designed a thermo-management and HVAC system with Mahle, finalized the most advanced class-8 independent suspension on the market with Meritor, relocated our company to Arizona to build our new 150,000 sq. ft. headquarters and now closed on $100,000,000,” said CEO Trevor Milton. “To say we have come a long way in 2018 is an understatement,” added Nikola CFO Kim Brady. “Now imagine Nikola in 2019. Who wouldn’t want to be part of this company’s story?” Milton also added that the company will soon announce a 2019 event in Phoenix, where customers, suppliers, media and industry insiders will be able to see all the latest Nikola products in action. Nikola Motor Company is pioneering hydrogen-electric renewable technology. The zero-emission trucks — which will be able to travel between 500 and 1,200 miles and be refilled within 20 minutes —will be part of fleets beginning in 2020 and in full production by 2021. To date, the company has nearly $11 billion in pre-order reservations. By 2028, Nikola is planning on having more than 700 hydrogen stations across the U.S. and Canada. The first 14 stations will be up and running by 2021.

I'm rather proud of this P420 10x4*6 delivered to the City of Shanghai in 2004. .

Scania crew cab fire apparatus are very popular. https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/51895-tailored-for-emergency/ .

The F-600 (650) always made for a good heavy equipment truck. .

I always liked the Brockway instrument panel in our R/U/DM cab more than our own, as it offered a larger surface area, more flexibility.

Ford F-150 Supercrew investigated after complaints of fires linked to seat belts Reuters / August 7, 2018 The nation's top traffic safety regulator is investigating complaints of fire during crashes in some Ford Motor Co. F-150 Supercrew pickups that have been linked to a seat belt component. NHTSA said there were five complaints alleging fires following the activation of seat-belt pretensioners made by ZF TRW or Takata Corp. during a crash involving the vehicles. Pretensioners tighten up any slack in the seat belt webbing in the event of a crash and work in tandem with air bags. While there were no injuries or fatalities, three of the vehicles were completely destroyed by the fire, NHTSA said. An estimated 1.4 million vehicles made between 2015 and 2018 could be affected in the investigation, the agency said.

Ford offers dealers $1,000 bonuses to fix recalled Rangers Michael Martinez, Automotive News / August 7, 2018 Ford Motor Co. is offering its U.S. dealers $1,000 for every 2006 Ranger covered by a “do not drive” warning that they find and fix, a company spokeswoman said Tuesday. The affected vehicles were built with potentially defective Takata Corp. airbag inflators. Ford in February expanded the "do not drive" warning to include 36,330 of the pickups, although the number was later revised to 33,320. Ford spokeswoman Elizabeth Weigandt said the automaker has accounted for or repaired about 75 percent of the recalled Rangers and decided to take "additional, unprecedented measures" by offering dealers incentives to find the remaining trucks. Ford told retailers they can earn $1,000 for each Ranger they locate and repair. "We want to get to these vehicles as quickly as we can," she told Automotive News. "We just don’t want our customers driving these vehicles at all." The affected Rangers were built from August through December 2005 at Ford's now-shuttered Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minn. The defective inflators can explode with excessive force, unleashing metal shrapnel inside vehicles. The problem led to the largest automotive recall in history and forced Takata to file for bankruptcy protection in June 2017.

Did you ask Watt's Mack about availability? (1-888-304-6225)

Saudis threaten Canada with 9/11-style attack https://www.rt.com/news/435237-saudi-threaten-canada-terrorism/

Air Products took delivery of 6V92-powered R-models (R626STs) in the 1980s via the Allentown Branch. You had to wonder............

I hear you, but I feel Ford is behind the curve. Look at Ranger. Why did they ever discontinue US sales? Why didn't Ford immediately replace the outgoing model with the new 2012 global market T6 Ranger? What a no-brainer. Why did they walk away from Bronco, a signature Ford product unlike anything the competition sells. Why are 3.0 diesel-powered F-150 XL and XLT pickups only sold to fleet customer number holders.....individuals are not permitted to buy one? (Why send a customer away with money in hand?) Why did Ford get out of heavy trucks after spending US$500 million? Why did Ford waste everyone's time introducing the LCF with a cramped Mazda cab the US market would never accept, and that Navistar 4.5 litre V6 full of teething problems. The idea of a US market Ford low cab forward was perfect, but the execution was shockingly poor. Incompetence rears its ugly head again and again at Ford US (meanwhile at Bill Ford-backed Ford-Otosan, they are methodically getting Ford back on the global stage in a way not scene since Ford US hands destroyed the development of the Transcontinental!) Saw a new Avon F-650 U-Haul today. But knowing U-Haul, I'll bet money that Ford makes minimal profit from those sales. They're giving them away for the visibility. It used to take us 5 years to create an all-new Mack. Today, it probably takes Ford 3 years to design an all-new F-Series. Any which way, when a new F-Series launches, they are already at work on the next.....they're always in the pipeline.

The Guardian / August 5, 2018 Hamza bin Laden, the son of the late al-Qaida leader, has married the daughter of Mohammed Atta, the lead hijacker in the 9/11 terror attacks. Osama bin Laden’s half-brothers, Ahmad and Hassan al-Attas, said they believed Hamza had taken a senior position within al-Qaida and was aiming to avenge the death of his father, shot dead during a US military raid in Pakistan seven years ago. Hamza bin Laden is the son of one of Osama bin Laden’s three surviving wives, Khairiah Sabar, who was living with her husband in a compound in Abbottabad, near a large Pakistani military base, when he was killed. He has since made public statements urging followers to wage war on Washington, London, Paris and Tel Aviv and is seen as a deputy to the terrorist group’s current leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. “We have heard he has married the daughter of Mohammed Atta,” said Ahmad al-Attas. “We’re not sure where he is, but it could be Afghanistan.” Western intelligence agencies have been increasingly focusing on the whereabouts of Hamza bin Laden over the past two years, seeing him as more likely than anyone else to galvanise followers. His marriage to the daughter of Atta, an Egyptian national, appears to confirm that the 9/11 alumni remains a central hub of al-Qaida and that the organisation itself continues to be organised around Osama bin Laden’s legacy. Another of Bin Laden’s sons, Khalid, was killed in the US raid in Abbottabad. A third, Saad, was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan in 2009. Letters purportedly written by Osama bin Laden and seized from the compound suggested he was grooming Hamza to replace him, partly to avenge the death of Saad. Bin Laden’s wives and surviving children have returned to Saudi Arabia, where they were given refuge by the former crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef. The women and children remain in close contact with Bin Laden’s mother, Alia Ghanem, who told the Guardian in an interview that she remained in regular touch with surviving family members. “When we thought everyone was over this, next thing I knew was Hamza saying I am going to avenge my father,” said Hassan al-Attas. “I don’t want to go through that again. “If Hamza was in front of me now, I would tell him: God guide you. Think twice about what you are doing. Don’t retake the steps of your father. You are entering really negative and horrible parts of your soul.” The family claimed they did not have any contact with Osama bin Laden from 1999 until his death in 2011. They said they had not heard from Hamza bin Laden. In recognition of his apparent status within al-Qaida, the US government labelled him a specially designated global terrorist in January 2017, meaning his assets could be blocked and anyone who dealt with him faced arrest.

I hear you. There are many questionable drivers with CDLs (though I'm not an advocate for autonomous trucks). All I'm saying, is with a CDL, the driver has undergone some formal training, whereas the non-CDL driver has not. Of course it depends where you are, but I observe that GM lost massive market share when it walked away from commercial. Yes, they still offered a 3500HD cab & chassis, but fleets ignored that thin offering. I believe Dodge grabbed most of GM's market share.....everywhere I look is a new 4500 and 5500. And I believe Dodge has been incrementally grabbing Ford market share.....still a lot of fleets that never regained their confidence in Ford after the never-ending diesel issues, and then Ecoboost nightmares. They looked at Dodge, with the Cummins, as a known entity, a safe bet. Dodge has witnessed premature DEF pump failures on the 3.0L Ecodiesel (Italian VM Motori) engines (a US market emissions design/sourcing issue), but the ISB-powered HDs appear to be winning more and more market share from Ford defectors. The new hood-tilting 2019 Chevrolet (why not GMC?) Silverado HD finally offers the engine access we always knew was possible but the US automakers didn't want to create (to keep architecture standardized with the smaller pickups). But away from the commercial market for what seems like an eternity, with dealers who don't have experienced "commercial" people, GM has an uphill battle ahead of it. Most fleets simply aren't going to jump back on board the GM train....they're going to need some convincing in the form of generous incentives. The Isuzu Duramax V8/Allison combination certainly works satisfactorily, though a straight 6 (e.g. Cummins ISB) would/does deliver better fuel economy. Frankly, if I was GM, I would use the superb 5.2-litre 215 horsepower (520 lb.-ft.) Isuzu 4HK1-TC in the 3500HD thru 6500HD range instead of the Duramax V8 for class-leading fuel economy to spur sales, or at least offer it as the base engine. Why ignore the opportunity to brag as having the most fuel efficient offering?