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Tesla truck completes 800km trip with full load

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

Tesla has completed an 800-kilometre drive of its soon-to-be-delivered electric Semi with more than 36 tonnes in gross vehicle weight. That’s according to a tweet by chief executive Elon Musk on 27 November. This follows an earlier tweet by Musk in October which said first deliveries of the truck are set for food and beverage corporation PepsiCo on December 1. …

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Södra launches electric transport initiative

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

Södra is launching a major initiative to electrify the operation’s transportation. A new project will study the future potential to operate electric-powered trucks, forklifts and loaders that can help further reduce the association’s fossil-fuel emissions. Södra is currently a net producer of electricity and is aiming to reach net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2040. A natural step in this …

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Forestry industry’s first driver drop in day

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

Softwood forest growers of Southern NSW and North East Victoria joined forces with one of their major customers, Hyne Timber, to host a driver safety day and start a conversation with the forestry transport industry. All truck drivers leaving the Hyne Timber Tumbarumba mill during the day pulled in for a conversation on driver wellbeing and fatigue, chain of responsibility …

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OneFortyOne’s woodchips set sail for Japan

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

In New Zealand, OneFortyOne’s Kaituna Sawmill and its partners celebrated its first export shipment of woodchip out of Port Marlborough last week, as part of a new export initiative with partner Marusumi Whangarei Co Ltd. Woodchip has been accumulating at Shakespeare Bay over the last three months, in preparation for the loading of the Southern Star Vessel which docked on …

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Natural gas versus hydrogen as a transport fuel

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

Many commercial fleet operators are thinking about transitioning their vehicles to hydrogen or natural gas engines. These fuels can be great ways to reduce emissions. Both fuel options present similarities and differences across a variety of areas. For example, both hydrogen and natural gas are predominantly used in their gaseous form in vehicle applications. This leads to similarities in some …

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Volvo shocks with 2026 electric car deadline

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

Car giant Volvo has shocked the motoring industry, announcing plans to stop selling petrol vehicles in Australia by 2026, with a top executive calling the older technology a “shrinking business”. Volvo’s Australian deadline will come four years before its worldwide target to transition to electric vehicles, and comes one week after it launched its first electric car in Australia. Volvo …

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Volvo Group to produce battery modules at truck plant

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

Volvo Group is investing 75 million euro (NZ$126m) to develop battery module production at its truck plant in Ghent, Belgium. It expects to be in production by 2025 and will strengthen the manufacturer’s battery system supply chain which currently relies on partners for the supply of cells and modules. The battery module manufacturing line in Ghent will be able to …