Aeolus Truck & Driver News

There are 24 battery electric truck models and a single hydrogen fuel cell model from 10 manufacturers on the initial list of vehicles qualifying for support under the recently announced Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund (LEHVF).

The $27.75m Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) administered fund, announced in late-September, is a Government initiative to boost New Zealand’s adoption of zero and low-emissions heavy vehicles.

Transport operators can apply for up to 25% funding support when purchasing new zero and low-emissions heavy vehicles.

Specifics of the scheme require vehicles to have a GVM of 5.9-tonnes or greater, and grants apply...

The fifth generation Freightliner Cascadia has been unveiled by Daimler Truck North America.

Production is timed to begin mid-2025 at manufacturing plants in Portland, Oregon and Saltillo, Mexico. 

Development priorities for the new Cascadia focused on fuel efficiency and the continued introduction of advanced safety features and connectivity tools.

 “Since its original introduction in 2007, our customers have purchased more than one million Freightliner Cascadias, making it the most driven Class 8 truck on North American roads,” says David Carson, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Daimler Truck North America.

The fifth g...

Following a lengthy delay, the Police Commercial Vehicle Safety Team (CVST) is now in the process of deploying five of its new Mobile Roller Brake Test units.

The new machines – which enable roadside brake testing for heavy commercial vehicles – were launched to the media in early 2022 and were scheduled for deployment later that year.

Among the reasons cited for the delay have been issues related to the design of trailers for transporting the units, an extended test and development programme, and also driver training required for officers who would be transporting the units.

The February 2024 issue of New Zealand Truck & Driver reported five MRBT un...

A green hydrogen dual-fuel milk tanker has gone to work for Miraka, a Māori-owned, Taupō based dairy company.

The 700hp Volvo FH16 is New Zealand’s first green hydrogen dual-fuel tanker for milk collection, and will travel approximately 165,000km annually. It has the capacity to haul 58 tonnes and requires two hydrogen refills daily.

Miraka’s factory at Mokai is the world’s first dairy processing company to use renewable geothermal energy. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from on-farm milk collection has also been a key goal for the innovative company.

The Miraka dairy plant already has one of the world’s lowest manufacturing carbon emissions footpr...

New Zealand’s first fully electric semi- trailer has been launched ahead of a local trial for the new zero-emissions transport solution.

The Schmitz Cargobull S.KOe COOL three-axle semi-trailer is equipped with an electric refrigeration unit, high-voltage battery system, an e-axle generator and integrated power electronics.

The introduction of the S.KOe COOL trailer is the latest initiative in an eight-year partnership between local trailer market sales leader Fruehauf NZ and German company Schmitz Cargobull.

Electric energy recuperated from a 20kW e-axle generator attached to the second axle of the trailer powers the refrigeration unit, taking the place of a diesel gene...