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GM donates $5 million to Henry Ford museum Automotive News / October 17, 2017 DETROIT -- General Motors is donating $5 million to a nonprofit organization founded by the patriarch of its largest American rival. Mark Reuss, GM's head of global product development, purchasing and supply chain, announced the donation Tuesday as part of a new partnership between the automaker and the Henry Ford, a National Historic Landmark in Dearborn, Mich., established by Ford Motor Co. founder Henry Ford in 1929 to display his personal collections and other innovations. "The Henry Ford is a national treasure," Reuss said at the HenryFordMuseum, one of the organization's five attractions. "One that all of us who grew up around here feel a lifelong very personal connection with." With the gift, GM will sponsor the museum's rotating exhibit that will now be known as the Gallery by General Motors. Reuss said the mission is to offer exhibits that help promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. Reuss did not shy away from the irony: GM now supports an educational effort that includes the Ford name, but the gift is meant to ensure GM is part of the museum's innovations for future generations. "We know that Henry Ford and Ford Motor Co. have always been and will always be inextricably linked. There's no getting around that," Reuss said. "But the museum is a celebration of American innovation, particularly in the transportation space, and you can't tell that story without General Motors and Ford together." The collaboration has been years in the making, according to officials. Nearly four years ago, Reuss and Edsel Ford II, a trustee of the organization and great-grandson of Henry Ford, had lunch to first discuss GM playing a bigger role in the Henry Ford. Patricia Mooradian, president of the organization, said the lunch spawned a tour of the GM Heritage Center, where the automaker preserves and displays its collection of historic vehicles. She said Edsel Ford II asked Reuss "to imagine a world where two companies that are intense rivals in the marketplace can come together to support our nation's museum of innovation." Reuss answered by joining the Henry Ford Board of Trustees last year and bringing GM into the partnership. Mooradian called the collaboration with GM one of the most "historic and game-changing" in the organization's 90-year history. Reuss said the sponsorship is just the beginning of "many other special programs" that the organizations will introduce. The first exhibit in the GM-sponsored space is "The Science Behind Pixar," a Walt Disney computer animation film studio. The Henry Ford is an independent nonprofit that's not affiliated with Ford Motor Co. or the Ford Foundation. Ford family members have been major supporters and board members of the organization. The museum features a plethora of historic exhibits, including the chair in which President Abraham Lincoln was sitting when he was assassinated, the bus on which civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to move to make room for a white passenger and the presidential limousine in which President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

http://cvgrp.com/sprague-devices/

Please don't blame Watts. High prices for legacy Mack parts are dictated by Volvo Group. There's nothing that Watts Mack, or any other Mack brand dealer, can do about that. Watt's Mack is the kind provider of the BMT website, and I for one deeply appreciate it. They don't have to do it, but they do.

About the grille guard, when you called Watt's Mack (provider of the BMT website) at 1-888-304-6225 and asked for (1) 41MF299 plate and (2) 41MF385 post, what did they say?

Trico really put us in a bind when they abruptly decided to exit the heavy truck business in 1986. Sprague was thrilled to get the new business but they couldn't create the tooling overnight. We had a lot of angry customers due to the temporarily. unavailability of wiper motors, I can tell you. But it wasn't Mack's fault. As usual though, the super parts people at the Mack factory branches and distributors shared the inventory we had in the field and helps to minimize the impact. Likewise, Trico's exit from heavy truck hurt Paccar so much that it considered buying Trico (http://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/18/business/company-news-paccar-considers-takeover-of-trico.html). Before you give up, be sure to call Rome Truck Parts in Georgia at 1-800-284-4345. They have been a Trico distributor for years. http://www.rometruckparts.com/ Note page 9 - http://rometruckparts.com/catalogs/RTP Trico Parts Book.pdf

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Do you have air or electric? The R/U/DM right-side 62QT44R (aluminum) supercedes to a 7623-KIT49R (black). The R/U/DM left-side 62QT45R (aluminum) supercedes to a 7623-KIT50L (black). 7623 if I recall correctly is the former Mack's vendor code (prefix) for Sprague, which is now part of CVG. You can look on the internet for the original numbers as new old stock (NOS).

VW to Roll Out Electric Trucks, Buses in $1.7 Billion Push Bloomberg / October 11, 2017 VW Says It's Going Full-Steam Ahead on Electric Models Volkswagen AG is flanking its push into electric cars with plans to roll out battery-powered commercial vehicles targeted at urban areas as growing public concerns about air quality boost demand. The Volkswagen Truck & Bus division will invest 1.4 billion euros ($1.7 billion) in new technology including electric drivetrains, autonomous systems and cloud-based software, Andreas Renschler, head of the unit, said Wednesday in an interview in Hamburg. To help spread the costs, U.S. affiliate Navistar International Corp. will adopt the electric drivetrain. A battery-powered VW truck, dubbed e-Delivery, will roll off assembly lines in Brazil in 2020, while the German manufacturer’s MAN and Scania nameplates will both deliver wholly electric buses next year to European cities, adding to bio-diesel, hybrid systems and natural-gas line-ups. “We believe in a wide range of alternative powertrains and fuels, depending on local availability, social and local demand and customer requirements,” Renschler said at a press event. “Therefore it is crucial that policy makers adopt a technology-neutral approach" in any regulations. Electric trucks for local deliveries will probably exceed a 5 percent market share by 2025, according to Renschler. That compares to a forecast of about 25 percent for battery-powered autos. Commercial-vehicle manufacturers have been slow to develop electric models as loads are heavier than for cars and they serve a wider range of industry needs. Regulatory Differences Complicating matters is that trucks already vary significantly across the globe because of differences in regulations, making it difficult to build vehicles in large enough volumes to generate economies of scale. While in the aftermath of Volkswagen’s emissions-cheating scandal, some municipalities are looking at banning diesel engines to reduce air pollution. German competitor Daimler AG, the world’s largest commercial-vehicle producer and Renschler’s former employer, has stepped up development of engines including fully electric and hybrid versions as well as digital services to defend its lead. Volkswagen is also facing new rivals such as Tesla Inc., which is unveiling of a battery-powered semi truck on Nov. 16. Better battery technology will be key to making electric trucks more attractive by lowering operation costs, Renschler said. In addition to higher prices for the systems and recharging challenges, the power packs “are heavy and room-stealing,” reducing carrying capacity, Renschler said. “With city buses, we are just hitting the break-even point compared to conventional solutions,” Renschler said. “Electric distribution trucks are expected to turn positive in 2020-25,” while battery-powered long-haul heavy vehicles will be “late” in turning a profit for their owners. Autonomous Technology VW Truck & Bus’s autonomous-driving technology is focused on closed environments, like snow plows at airports or transport shuttles on set routes in parking lots or factories. VW plans to be ready for commercial production of the models within two years. Engineers are already working with customers to refine technology and gain experience. “The autonomous Scania mining truck standing outside of this building is ready to be shipped to the first customer overseas after this event,” Renschler said. “This truck is not a vision. It’s real stuff, here and now.” Success with those models, as well as services including new software to efficiently manage cargo, will determine whether VW will gain traction in creating a global truckmaking powerhouse with an average 9 percent operating return on sales. Renschler said VW is keeping all options open to expand the business, including a possible share sale. Renschler is also looking at increasing the 25 percent stake in China’s Sinotruk Hong Kong Ltd. that MAN holds as well as widening cooperation with GAZ PJSC in Russia and Navistar in the U.S., where Daimler’s Freightliner brand is the market leader.

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / October 13, 2017 Court filings have begun to pile up that may ultimately determine the fate of the trailer-related provision within the federal Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards. On Oct. 12, the Environmental Defense Fund and a coalition of other environmental and public health groups formally requested that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reject what they regard as the “eleventh-hour stay” of the trailer provisions filed as a motion with the court by the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association on the 25th of last month. In its statement of intervenor opposition asking the court to deny TTMA’s motion for stay of the Phase 2 trailer provision, EDF argues in part that “TTMA attempts to artificially divide the tractor from the trailer to claim that TTMA’s members cannot be regulated directly because they are not manufacturers of motor vehicles.” In addition, EDF contends in its brief that “TTMA has likewise failed to demonstrate that its members will be irreparably harmed absent a stay of standards that simply require manufacturers to equip more of their trailers with widely used technologies that deliver fuel savings.” It also argues that TTMA’s motion is “littered with contradictions and belied by its remarkable eleven-month delay in seeking a judicial stay.” The Phase 2 GHG/MPG rules are set to require compliance starting in Jan. 2018, which explains TTMA’s desire to secure a stay of the trailer provision. In addition, TTMA filed a lawsuit back in Dec. 2016 asking the D.C. Circuit to overturn the trailer portion of the Phase 2 rule. EDF and a coalition of public health and environmental groups are also intervenors in that case, along with the California Air Resources Board and a group of seven states (Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington). A three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit will hear that case. According to EDF, a stay of the trailer rule— if granted-- would “delay these critical health and environmental protections for the duration of the litigation, which could last for years.” HDT contacted TTMA on Oct. 13 for comment on its motion for stay and EDF’s counter filing, but no reply has been received. “The trailer provisions of the [Phase 2] Clean Truck Standards are based on cost-effective and widely available measures that have long been used by industry leaders, and have been effectively incorporated into state standards for the past decade,” said EDF Attorney Alice Henderson in a statement. “It is critical that these common sense protections remain in place to reduce the dangerous pollution that causes climate change and save money for American families by reducing the costs for shipping goods.” Meanwhile, TTMA has also been working the regulatory relief track as well in hopes of rolling back entirely or at least weakening the trailer provision. Both the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the joint promulgators of the GHG rules, advised TTMA on Aug. 17 that they reviewed TTMA’s petitions for reconsideration of the trailer provision and “agree that further rulemaking is needed.” However, neither agency has taken any further action.

Fleet Owner / October 13, 2017 Stoughton Trailers announced it has released its newly designed Platinum Series Grain Trailer. According to the company, the trailers are available in 34-ft., 40-ft. and 42-ft. lengths in eight models to fit a variety of agriculture needs. All Platinum Series grain trailers come standard with a 34º hopper slope for faster and better cleanouts, the company noted. The Platinum Plus 2-stage door, constructed of corrosion resistant materials, decreases the amount of torque needed by the operator to begin emptying the load, the company added. In addition, the liner is now removable, enabling removal to service the trailer components behind the liner panels. To provide greater durability, strength and stability, Platinum Series new front wall is made of composite panels with stainless steel front corners as standard. The top divider rail is now 25% thicker to provide additional strength. Standard on all Platinum Series, aluminum subframe grain trailers have hot dipped galvanized steel supports which connect the subframe to the cross members. In combination with the aluminum subframe, this offers a more durable and corrosion resistant solution. The front upper rail and top shelf have been redesigned to improve strength. The company added that the lights on the upper rear header of the trailer now function as brake lights and turn signals. The work area lights are standard, offering a solution when unloading at night. Each hopper/trap is equipped with 3 mini LED lights, integrated into the lower trap frame to greatly reduce the chance of being damaged. The crank area is equipped with 1 mini LED light. All Platinum Series grain trailers come standard with two rows of 7 mini LED lights on 40- and 42-ft. trailer models. Optional features include: Stainless steel rear panels Electric traps Electric tarps .

Toyota’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck to Run Routes in California Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / October 13, 2017 Toyota Motor North America has announced that its Project Portal Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell truck has completed initial testing and development and will begin regular drayage routes at ports in Southern California starting in late October. Project Portal has already completed more than 4,000 successful miles of testing while pulling drayage-rated cargo and will begin moving goods from select Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach terminals to surrounding rail yards and warehouses for distribution on Oct. 23. Project Portal was originally announced in April of this year as a proof of concept to determine the feasibility of fuel cell technology for heavy-duty trucks in drayage operations. With initial testing complete, the truck will log around 200 miles worth of daily trips from the twin ports. The localized, frequent route patterns are designed to test the drayage duty-cycle capabilities from the fuel cell system while capturing real-world performance data. As the study progresses, Toyota will introduce the truck to longer-haul routes. The initial feasibility study operations will be managed by the TMNA Project Portal team in collaboration with Toyota’s Service Parts Accessories Operations group and its drayage provider, Southern Counties Express. “Toyota has led the way in expanding the understanding and adoption of fuel cell technology,” said Bob Carter, TMNA executive vice president. “From the introduction of the Mirai passenger vehicle to the creation of the heavy-duty fuel cell system in Project Portal, Toyota continues to demonstrate the versatility and scalability of the zero-emission fuel cell powertrain.” Project Portal is a fully functioning heavy-duty truck concept that generates more than 670 horsepower and 1,325 lb.-ft. of torque from two Mirai fuel cell stacks and a 12kWh battery - a relatively small battery to support Class 8 load operations. The concept’s gross combined weight capacity is 80,000 pounds and its estimated driving range is more than 200 miles per fill, under normal drayage operation.

Testing trucks at Navistar's proving grounds Fleet Owner / October 12, 2017 Navistar brought a slew of its new and “enhanced” truck and tractor models – including the all-new International HV Series in a variety of vocational configurations – to its 675-acre proving grounds in New Carlisle, IN, this week as part of a ride and drive event for journalists. The facility’s three-mile, three-lane oval, and off-road "severe service" durability course gave journalists a chance to get an up-close, hands-on feel for Navistar’s product line, including trucks equipped with its proprietary 12.4-liter A26 engine. Photo gallery - http://fleetowner.com/trucks/testing-trucks-navistars-proving-grounds#slide-0-field_images-228441

U.S. unveils proposal to boost autos content in NAFTA Reuters / October 13, 2017 WASHINGTON -- The United States on Friday unveiled hotly contested proposals for higher regional autos content in the North American Free Trade Agreement, three sources said, casting further doubt on the chances of reaching a deal to modernize the pact. Washington made its move a day after insisting that NAFTA contain a sunset clause that could mean the deal expires in five years. Canada and Mexico, the two other members of the pact, strongly oppose both ideas. A Mexican source with direct knowledge of the talks called the auto content proposal "absurd." Sources familiar with the talks say the mood is bad and question whether the negotiations can be wrapped up by the end of the year as planned. President Donald Trump, who complains that NAFTA has been a disaster for the United States, is threatening to walk away from the deal unless major changes are made. The U.S. side made its auto proposal during the fourth of seven planned rounds of talks on the treaty. Ensuring that autos need more regional content to qualify for NAFTA tariff-free access is one of the Trump administration's key demands. Canada and Mexico say such a move would disrupt the highly integrated continental auto industry. One of the sources said the United States wants to increase the North American content requirement for trucks, autos and large engines to 85 percent from 62.5 percent. Furthermore, Washington insists 50 percent of content must be U.S.-made. Trump administration officials say current content rules are too lax and have allowed auto companies to bring in too many cheap parts from China and other low-wage Asian countries. They are also seeking to halt the migration of vehicle production and manufacturing jobs to Mexico from the United States. Auto industry groups say substantially increasing local content requirements would raise costs, hurt regional competitiveness and cause many companies to forego NAFTA's benefits and simply pay the 2.5 percent U.S. tariff for imported cars and many parts. Trump has made no secret that he prefers bilateral trade deals, and skeptics wonder whether the U.S. demands are part of a strategy designed to ensure the current talks fail. 'Poison pills' The U.S. Chamber of Commerce had listed the U.S. autos demands among a number of "poison pill" proposals that it said would torpedo the talks. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday for talks, and later said Canada would not walk away from the table. Both men said they were committed to a "win-win-win" deal. Canadian officials say it is too soon to write off the talks. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo are due to meet in Washington on Tuesday to take stock of the negotiations. Metals verification Other people briefed on the talks told Reuters that the U.S. autos proposal would require automakers to verify the use of North American steel, aluminum, copper and plastic resins in their vehicles. A spokeswoman for Lighthizer declined to comment. Canadian and Mexican government officials were not immediately available for comment. “The NAFTA's rule of origin for autos is already the highest in any trade agreement in the world but the administration reportedly would like to raise it to 85 percent,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President for International Policy John Murphy said on Friday in a statement. “However, higher requirements for North American content would actually incentivize manufacturers to cease trading under the agreement and instead simply pay the low U.S. most-favored nation tariff (just 2.5 percent).”

The People First Warranty | Volkswagen “Rain” Commercial Volkswagen USA / October 13, 2017 .

Someone makes an intelligent post relating to the subject of the thread (my thread), and you make such a remark. You have the right to post anything you like on any thread, including mine, but I likewise have the right to stop posting the news.....and I will.....if this is going to start up again.

Ford offers repairs to prevent exhaust leaks in 1.4 million Explorers Reuters / October 13, 2017 WASHINGTON -- Ford Motor Co. said on Friday it will offer free repairs to North American owners of more than 1.4 million Explorer SUVs to help ensure that carbon monoxide and other exhaust gases cannot get into the vehicles, following the U.S. government's decision to upgrade an investigation into the issue in July. Several U.S. police agencies have raised concerns about potentially deadly carbon monoxide gas entering the cabins of Ford Explorers that had been adapted for law enforcement uses. Federal regulators have said they are aware of more than 2,700 complaints, three crashes and 41 injuries that may be linked to exposure to carbon monoxide among police and civilian 2011-2017 Explorer vehicles. Ford said its investigation has not found "carbon monoxide levels that exceed what people are exposed to every day" in the 1.4 million civilian vehicles. There is no U.S. government standard for in-vehicle carbon monoxide levels. Ford says it believes the vehicles are safe and is making the offer, which it is not classifying as a recall, in response to customer concerns. The automaker said starting November 1, dealers will reprogram the air conditioner, replace the liftgate drain valves and inspect sealing of the rear of the vehicle. The fix covers about 1.3 million U.S. vehicles and about 100,000 in Canada and Mexico. Ford declined to comment on the potential financial impact of the service offer that will last through the end of 2018. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in July upgraded and expanded a probe into 1.33 million Ford Explorer SUVs over reports of exhaust odors in vehicle compartments and exposure to carbon monoxide. Police agencies have reported two crashes that may be linked to carbon monoxide exposure and a third incident involving injuries related to carbon monoxide exposure. NHTSA said it is evaluating preliminary testing that suggests carbon monoxide levels may be elevated in certain driving scenarios. Ford has issued four technical service bulletins related to the exhaust odor issue to address complaints from police fleets and other owners. In July, Ford said it would pay to repair police versions of its Ford Explorer SUVs to correct possible carbon monoxide leaks that may be linked to crashes and injuries after some police reports temporarily halted use of the vehicles over carbon monoxide concerns. The city of Austin, Texas, said in July it would remove all 400 of the city’s Ford Explorer SUVs from use for additional testing and repairs after the city said 20 police officers were found with elevated levels of carbon monoxide. The department returned the vehicles to service after repairs and testing. In 2016, Ford agreed to settle a U.S. class-action lawsuit involving 1 million 2011-2015 Explorer SUVs over exhaust odor complaints, including reimbursements of up to $500 for repairs. The company agreed to make repairs. That settlement was approved in June but has not taken effect because of a pending appeal.

Mystery: Did Audi ship thousands of cars with same VIN? And why? Sven Gustafson, Autoblog / August 24, 2017 Prosecutors investigating Audi's involvement in the Dieselgate scandal have stumbled onto a stranger mystery: Investigators found documents indicating that thousands of vehicles exported to China, Korea and Japan were stamped with identical vehicle identification numbers. The discovery, reported by the German business journal Handelsblatt, was made when investigators searched Audi's audit department for documents related to the Dieselgate scandal during a wide-ranging raid in March. It came after the German Transport Ministry accused the company of cheating on emissions testing for 24,000 Audi A7 and A8 diesels. According to the report, Audi's auditors had the documents about duplicate VINs because they were assessing a "risk of discovery." Audi professed ignorance, with a spokesman saying, "We are not aware of the fact the VIN numbers have been issued more than once." VIN numbers are supposed to be unique to each vehicle, with 17 digits and capital letters that identify that vehicle's DNA — including features such as where a car was built, the model year and engine specifications. They're used to track recalls, ownership histories, registrations and thefts, among other things. Under EU and German laws, VIN numbers are supposed to remain unduplicated for at least 30 years. Investigators told Handelsblatt they were puzzled as to why Audi would produce vehicles under common VIN numbers. Audi, a division of Volkswagen Group, in June issued a recall for around 24,000 A7 and A8 models built between 2009 and 2013. It later said it would update engine software blamed for the emissions cheating scandal on up to 850,000 diesel cars. But the VIN mystery adds a new wrinkle.

Green Car Congress / October 12, 2017 The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $4 million for research projects on medium- and heavy-duty natural gas engine technologies. (DE-FOA-0001813) The objective of the new FOA is to address barriers to adoption of natural gas vehicles through early-stage research on medium- and heavy-duty on-road engine technologies. The programmatic goal is to enable natural gas engines that can cost-effectively achieve diesel-like efficiency while meeting current and future emissions standards [a product already available called Westport HPDI 2.0]. A public workshop on natural gas vehicles was held at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on 25 July 2017 to identify early-stage research needs for natural gas engines. Feedback from industry participants at the workship showed interest in low-TRL-level aspects of natural gas efficiency, as well as lubricant effects and advanced modeling. Both criteria air pollutants and GHG control are of interest for NG vehicles; feedback also suggested that research needs exist for addressing the unique NG challenges of methane conversion for all combustion strategies. The workshop also identified several low- and medium-TRL research topics related to NG fuels and fuel systems which can increase the efficiency of medium- and heavy-duty NG vehicles. The DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) is seeking projects to address barriers to the adoption of natural gas vehicles through early-stage research. Projects competitively selected through this funding opportunity will complement additional early-stage research on medium- and heavy-duty natural gas engine technologies at DOE national laboratories. Specifically, this topic addresses engine efficiency improvements, fuel system enhancements, and emission after-treatment technologies, which are barriers to the adoption of natural gas engine technologies. CNG engine efficiency needs to be closer to that of diesel in order to improve the viability of natural gas fueled medium and heavy-duty trucks. There are significant barriers to achieving these efficiency levels that can be addressed with early-stage, low technology readiness level (TRL) research, including: Fundamental experiments and modeling to understand fuel mixing and combustion for improved engine design. Advanced ignition systems to enable highly-efficient dilute combustion. Fundamental catalysis research for after-treatment solutions to meet emissions standards with advanced combustion technology. Potential technologies include (but are not limited to) combustion strategies, engine subsystems, emission control systems, fuel systems, and controls. A complete engine development project is outside the scope of this effort, but engine subsystem research must have a plausible pathway to higher engine efficiency. Teams are encouraged to include medium- and heavy-duty vehicle or engine manufacturers but it is not required. DOE anticipates making approximately 2-3 awards under this FOA. Individual awards may vary between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 million. The Department’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) funds early-stage, high-risk research to generate knowledge upon which industry can develop and deploy innovative transportation energy technologies that improve efficiency, lower costs for families and businesses, and increase the use of secure, domestic energy sources.

Toyota fuel-cell Class 8 prototype to start drayage routes at Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach Green Car Congress / October 12, 2017 Unveiled earlier this year (earlier post), Toyota Motor North America’s (TMNA) “Project Portal” fuel-cell-powered Class 8 truck proof-of-concept has completed more than 4,000 successful development miles, while progressively pulling drayage rated cargo weight, and emitting nothing but water vapor. With testing and development miles completed, Project Portal will begin initial feasibility study routes, moving goods from select Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach terminals to surrounding rail yards and warehouses for distribution. Toyota estimates the truck’s daily trips will total around 200 miles (322 km). These localized, frequent route patterns are designed to test the demanding drayage duty-cycle capabilities of the fuel cell system while capturing real world performance data. As the study progresses, longer haul routes will be introduced. The initial feasibility study operations will be managed by the TMNA Project Portal team, in collaboration with Toyota’s Service Parts Accessories Operations group and its drayage provider, Southern Counties Express (SCE). Project Portal is the next step in Toyota’s effort to broaden the application of zero-emission fuel cell technology that can serve a range of industries. It is a fully functioning heavy-duty truck with the power and torque capacity to conduct port drayage operations while producing zero emissions. Heavy duty vehicles make up a significant percentage of the annual emissions output at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and the Portal feasibility study may provide another path to further reduce emissions. The Project Portal heavy-duty truck concept generates more than 670 horsepower and 1,325 lb-ft (1,797 N·m) of torque from two Mirai fuel cell stacks and a 12kWh battery—a relatively small battery to support Class 8 load operations. (Earlier post.) The concept’s gross combined weight capacity is 80,000 lbs., and its estimated driving range is more than 200 miles per fill, under normal drayage operation. .

Green Car Congress / October 13, 2017 California-based Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI - http://efficientdrivetrains.com/) has announced the expansion of its electric drive solutions portfolio into the construction industry. In partnership with Chinese truckmaker Shaanxi Automotive, the world’s tenth largest medium- and heavy-duty truck manufacturer, EDI is introducing a plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) cement mixer truck. The collaboration integrates the Efficient Drivetrains EDI PowerDrive 8000 PHEV drivetrain and EDI PowerSuite vehicle control software into a Shaanxi Automotive, Class-8, 32-ton cement mixer truck. The initial vehicle is currently in final stages of integration and testing, and will be completed for field deployment in Q4 of 2017. The immense scale of urbanization in China—the fastest in history—paired with rigorous government-led mandates to reduce emissions has created a substantial rise in the electrification of medium and heavy duty vehicles. Shaanxi Automotive has committed to new energy as part of its portfolio of vehicle offerings, and continues to lead the way in providing zero-emissions vehicles featuring electric as a primary fuel source—representing almost 50% of its market share. The collaboration between Efficient Drivetrains and Shaanxi Automotive to capture the construction industry marks the third successful initiative for the two companies, with PHEV mass transit (Class-6 and 7 city buses) and Class-8 port truck offerings available today as part of previous engagements. The modular architecture—an inline form of the EDI PowerDrive product family—has enabled Shaanxi Automotive quickly to integrate EDI’s solution offering across several industries, while providing full OEM vehicle performance expected by fleet operators. With the integration of EDI’s drivetrain and vehicle control software into the Class-8 PHEV cement mixer truck, fleet operators will benefit from significant reduction in fuel consumption, and eliminates the need for engine idle by electrifying the operation of the mixer. Truck operators will experience the expected full power vehicle performance of the OEM, while eliminating harmful emissions. The demonstration vehicle also utilizes a low-cost drivetrain system, which makes electrification of construction vehicles an affordable option for OEMs in China. EDI has a well-established market footprint in the Asia Pacific region, with multiple offices in China, as well as presence in India and Taiwan. .

We’ve played chicken with food safety … and we’ve lost The Guardian / October 13, 2017 The dirty business of chicken processing is in the spotlight, with a Guardian undercover abattoir investigation revealing dodgy practices. As supermarkets suspend sales from the factory involved and Labour promises a parliamentary inquiry, some members of the food industry are sighing at the media’s obsession with the subject of poultry hygiene. But the subject will keep coming up, however much business wishes it away, because industrial chicken is one of the defining commodities of our era. Its cheapness comes at a high price. Meat production has quintupled in my lifetime, in large part thanks to the ubiquitous skinless factory chicken breast, and chicken accounts for around half of the meat we eat. At any one time there are more than twice as many chickens on Earth as humans – around 19 billion of them, bred to put on weight at turbocharged rates and mature in record time as uniform units of production that fit abattoir machinery. We have invented food Fordism – meat for the masses from the conveyor belt, no longer a luxury but an everyday ingredient. But, for all its apparent democratising possibilities, it is a commodity fraught with inescapable dilemmas. Intensive livestock production is one of the most significant drivers of climate breakdown. It contributes nearly one fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, rivalling the whole global transport sector. True, feedlot cattle leave a greater environmental footprint than poultry, but if you care about mitigating global warming, plant-based proteins are far better than intensively reared birds. Most of us in developed countries eat far more protein than we actually need for health, and most people could do more for the climate by cutting meat than giving up their car and plane journeys. As the world’s population grows, the question of how we produce enough to feed everyone becomes ever more urgent. Intensively reared livestock is an inefficient way of meeting needs. Previous calculations based on global averages from the 1970s found that farming an acre of decent land produced 20kg (45lb) of animal protein; the same acre given over to producing wheat yielded 63kg of protein. In developed countries, which use more agrochemicals, protein yields from grain are now six to eight times higher. The comparison is not direct because it does not measure livestock protein conversion efficiency per acre, but research published in 2013 looked at how much protein you get from animals per 100 grams of grain protein fed to them. The finding for chickens was 40 grams (35 for eggs, 10 for pork and 5 for beef). If the grain that is currently used to feed animals were fed directly to people, there might be just enough food to go round when population peaks. If instead we continue to spread our industrial meat habit to poorer countries, we’ll need three planets to feed the world. The ethical argument is overwhelming: we need to get back to thinking of meat as a luxury, to be enjoyed occasionally, if not entirely forsworn. The reason the sector is beset by repeated scandals is that it is economically unsustainable. Even leaving aside the big planetary questions, meat can only be this cheap if the price is paid elsewhere. The livestock revolution took off in the 1950s because of three factors: cheap energy, which allowed farmers to house animals indoors; cheap synthetic fertiliser, which produced surplus grain for concentrated feed; and the mass production of cheap drugs, particularly antibiotics – you can only keep large numbers of birds in close confinement if you have the means to control the disease that inevitably accompanies the practice. For centuries before that, farmers had been constrained in their production by how much their land could support. Chickens were fed waste and acted as scavengers of food and insects, allowed to range free so that they could eat food that would otherwise go unused, with the added advantage that they spread their manure as they went. The next leap forward for industrial chicken production came with the development of processing machinery in the 1960s – an engineering feat that automated the mass slaughter, plucking, eviscerating and cutting of birds in one continuous conveyor belt. Large numbers of workers are still needed to process chickens, but they are in low-skilled production-line jobs. All this slashed costs and allowed the populations of developed countries to consume meat in a completely new way. But now the consequences are coming home to roost. Energy is no longer cheap; nor is the grain needed for concentrated feed, despite agricultural subsidies. Some of the raw materials for fertiliser are running out globally. Frontline antibiotics needed for humans are losing their efficacy in large part because of overuse in farming. Supermarkets with their oligopolies of buying power have used cheap chicken as a weapon in their price wars and kept prices low, so that processors have to work on high volumes with low margins, despite the pressure of rising costs. The sector is highly concentrated, with just a few corporate players. Just five companies account for 90% of the birds slaughtered in Britain each week. The pressure to cut corners in factories and sweat capital-intensive machinery, leaving little time for cleaning, is intense. Food-borne illness caused by chicken is a stubborn problem. Meanwhile, if a supermarket wanted to go elsewhere to punish an errant supplier, it has little choice left. There’s plenty you could do to make it a more sustainable industry. You could slow the growing time and give birds more room on farms, using less engineered breeds that take 12 weeks, rather than just over a month to reach slaughter weight. That would help curb some of the cruellest aspects of the business, which see densely packed, overbred birds, prone to disease and bacterial infection, collapsing under their own weight. But that would cost more. In the factory you could slow the speed of the lines, so that cross-contamination of carcasses was less likely, and workers’ jobs less relentlessly tough and unpleasant, thus easing the pressure to break hygiene rules and making the sector more attractive to local staff. But that, too, would cost more. We know roughly how much more, since the top end of organic production already does these things, and a posh chicken from that sort of outlet is three to four times as expensive as a conventional supermarket one. But there are hardly votes in arguing we should pay that much for our chicken. Politicians dare not say it for fear of sounding Marie Antoinette-ish. But the price of cheap is too high, and we should probably be eating something else.

Antibiotic resistance could spell end of modern medicine, says chief medic The Guardian / October 13, 2017 England’s chief medical officer has repeated her warning of a “post-antibiotic apocalypse” as she urged world leaders to address the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. Prof Dame Sally Davies said that if antibiotics lose their effectiveness it would spell “the end of modern medicine”. Without the drugs used to fight infections, common medical interventions such as caesarean sections, cancer treatments and hip replacements would become incredibly risky and transplant medicine would be a thing of the past, she said. “We really are facing – if we don’t take action now – a dreadful post-antibiotic apocalypse. I don’t want to say to my children that I didn’t do my best to protect them and their children,” Davies said. Health experts have previously said resistance to antimicrobial drugs could cause a bigger threat to mankind than cancer. In recent years, the UK has led a drive to raise global awareness of the threat posed to modern medicine by antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Each year about 700,000 people around the world die due to drug-resistant infections including tuberculosis, HIV and malaria. If no action is taken, it has been estimated that drug-resistant infections will kill 10 million people a year by 2050. The UK government and the Wellcome Trust, along with others, have organised a call to action meeting for health officials from around the world. At the meeting in Berlin, the government will announce a new project that will map the spread of death and disease caused by drug-resistant superbugs. Davies said: “This AMR is with us now, killing people. This is a serious issue that is with us now, causing deaths. If it was anything else, people would be up in arms about it. But because it is hidden they just let it pass. “It does not really have a ‘face’ because most people who die of drug-resistant infections, their families just think they died of an uncontrolled infection. It will only get worse unless we take strong action everywhere across the globe. We need some real work on the ground to make a difference or we risk the end of modern medicine.” She added: “Not to be able to effectively treat infections means that caesarean sections, hip replacements, modern surgery, is risky. Modern cancer treatment is risky and transplant medicine becomes a thing of the past.” Davies said that if the global community did not act then the progress that had been made in Britain may be undermined. She estimated that about one in three or one in four prescriptions in UK primary care were probably not needed. “But other countries use vastly more antibiotics in the community and they need to start doing as we are, which is reducing usage,” she said. “Our latest data shows that we have reduced human consumption by 4.3% in 2014-15 from the year before.”