There’s certainly a lot going on out there in the clean transportation arena, with more companies announcing they’ll be revealing more next week at ACT Expo 2025. We’re looking forward to attending the event, which will be held April 28 to May 1 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Here are a few questions that I hope to have answered that week…….
What’s the latest on charging heavy-duty electric trucks?
That’s been a big question at ACT Expo conferences and industry meetings serving the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and other significant transportation hubs. Zeem Solutions is known for operating optimized, shared EV charging sites, and will be providing updates on its electric truck charging site at Port of Long Beach. There will be other partners in this EV charging infrastructure present at this year’s event.
What major announcements and displays will be taking place from OEMs and technology partners during the conference and expo? ACT Expo announced earlier this month that a series of tech debuts and announcements will be taking place this year.
What may come of the DOT highway rule change?
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently announced that his department has rescinded the Biden administration’s rule that set standard for greenhouse gas emissions on highways. What’s expected to come of that rule change? Will it be described in the soon-to-be released 2025 State of Sustainable Fleets? What will happen to the federal Clean Air Act (CAA) and its enforcement, especially given the exceptions granted to California and enforcement changes coming from the Trump administration? The report looks into shifts in federal clean transportation funding, the status of California’s clean air waivers, and emerging state and local initiatives that will impact fleet strategies in the years ahead.
What’s happening with hydrogen fuel cell and electric truck production?
As reported in ACT News this month, major OEMs announced productions delays with hurdles to address before they come to market. That includes the Kenworth hydrogen fuel cell electric T680 tractors, GM BrightDrop electric delivery vans, Stellantis and its Ram electric pickup truck, and Ford with a new electric pickup truck and a large electric SUV. What’s next for these launches?
What’s up with GM Envolve and Ford Pro in serving fleets that are deploying electric trucks and alternative fuel vehicles? As previously mentioned, the GM BrightDrop vans are part of this strategy, but GM and Ford have been taking a more focused approach to urban transport and clean vehicle technology for fleets of all types and sizes through these OEM programs.
What impact might artificial intelligence (AI) have on clean transportation?
Panel speakers will be talking about this advanced technology innovation at ACT Expo, and how AI can be used for reducing emissions, cutting operational costs, and optimizing logistics.
And in other news………
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has green lighted new vehicles coming from the same production lines as its Model 3 and Model Y that will launch in the first half of this year. There’s not many details out yet, but it’s described as “stripped-down Model Ys” with fewer features and cheaper materials. It will come from existing manufacturing lines. This decision will probably take the place of coming out with a new $25,000 vehicle that had been talked about last year but which has been sidelined. Musk still wants to go with robotized and autonomous Tesla models, but that’s still an uncertain future for the company. More will be revealed this afternoon at the earnings call.
Electra brand starting in China: Buick doesn’t have a strong brand presence in the U.S. anymore, but it is doing quite a lot in China. Through the SAIC-GM partnership in China, the company is introducing a sub-brand of Buick, Electra, that will start off with three cars, including the Encase luxury minivan that will come in both a battery electric and plug-hybrid electric vehicle version. Over the next 12 months, it will be followed in the new brand by an SUV and a sedan. The Buick brand has some more than 10 million vehicles in China since SAIC-GM introduced the luxury brand to that marketing nearly 30 years ago.
