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Renault Trucks signs ‘historic agreement’ with the Carlsberg Group to deliver 20 electric trucks

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Renault Trucks says it is taking “a critical step in the transformation of urban transport” by signing of a contract with the Carlsberg Group to deliver 20 D Wide ZE vehicles.

These 100 per cent electric 26-tonne trucks, which will be delivered in 2020, will be operated by the Feldschlösschen brewery, the Carlsberg Group’s Swiss subsidiary.

Renault Trucks says urban transport “needs to move towards electric mobility quickly” in order to improve quality of life in city centres and tackle global CO2 emissions. [Read more…] about Renault Trucks signs ‘historic agreement’ with the Carlsberg Group to deliver 20 electric trucks

Automaticon organisers expect visitors from more countries than ever

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Organisers of the upcoming Automaticon event are expecting more visitors from more countries than ever before. 

The Polish trade show takes place on 17-19 of March in Warsaw. The “International Fair for Industrial Automation Automaticon”, to give the event its full name, is the main fair for automation, control, measurements and robotics in Poland.

The Automaticon exhibition occupies three pavilions with the total indoor area of the fair 9,500 square meters. [Read more…] about Automaticon organisers expect visitors from more countries than ever

Mitsubishi Electric develops tech for controlling mobile robots

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Mitsubishi Electric says it has developed a technology for controlling “in-building” mobile robots used for cleaning, security, delivery and guidance, as well as next-generation electric wheelchairs.

The company says the software uses building dynamic maps to achieve cooperative interaction between the mobile machines and building facilities, such as elevators and access control systems.

Mitsubishi says that by supporting the safe, efficient movement of people and in-building mobilities in buildings, the new technology is expected to reduce the workloads of building-management personnel and help realize smart buildings in which people and robots coexist safely. [Read more…] about Mitsubishi Electric develops tech for controlling mobile robots

General Motors to invest $2.2 billion in Detroit-Hamtramck plant to make it ‘100 percent devoted to electric vehicles’

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General Motors is making a $2.2 billion investment into its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to produce a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs.

The company says the plant will be “100 percent devoted to electric vehicles”.

GM’s first all-electric truck will be a pickup with production scheduled to begin in late 2021. This will be followed soon after by the Cruise Origin, a shared, electric, self-driving vehicle unveiled by Cruise in San Francisco last week. [Read more…] about General Motors to invest $2.2 billion in Detroit-Hamtramck plant to make it ‘100 percent devoted to electric vehicles’

GM’s Cruise Automation unveils new driverless electric vehicle

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Cruise Automation, the driverless car startup acquired by General Motors, has unveiled its first vehicle.

The Cruise Origin, as it is called, is electric, autonomous, driverless with no steering wheel, and designed to carry several people – about six in spacious comfort.

The company says the Origin is the answer to the many problems of motoring today. Cars today use fossil fuels which pollute the atmosphere, and are designed in a way that limits the space available. [Read more…] about GM’s Cruise Automation unveils new driverless electric vehicle

Siemens adds module to Ruggedcom for industrial networks

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Siemens has introduced a new line module for the Ruggedcom RST2228 and RST2228P Layer 2 19” rack switches, the Ruggedcom RMM2972-2RNA.

This module strengthens the Ruggedcom RST2228 19” rack switch offering to the electric power utilities by providing seamless redundancy with PRP/HSR (Parallel Redundancy Protocol/High-availability Seamless Redundancy), enhanced IEEE1588 implementation, high bandwidth uplinks, and traffic filtering and segmentation from a single device.

This module eliminates network downtime due to single points of fault, resulting in high reliability and availability for modern digital substation applications as mandated by the IEC 61850 standard. [Read more…] about Siemens adds module to Ruggedcom for industrial networks

OnRobot launches ‘compact, highly customizable’ electric vacuum gripper

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OnRobot, a provider of robotic end-of-arm tooling, has launched the VGC10 compact electric vacuum gripper that addresses customer demand for a small but powerful and highly configurable gripper for nearly any application.

Based on the design of the award-winning OnRobot VG10 electric vacuum gripper, the compact VGC10 is smaller and lighter than its larger cousin, so is ideal for constrained environments and smaller robot arms, but offers the same impressive payload of 15 kg (35 lb).

The VGC10 provides fast out-of-the-box deployment but also offers unlimited customization, with easily changeable suction cup options and the ability to add or replace arms to fit highly specific application needs. [Read more…] about OnRobot launches ‘compact, highly customizable’ electric vacuum gripper

BMW claims it has ‘half a million’ electric vehicles on the road

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BMW claims it has “half a million” electric vehicles on the road, and is looking to double that number to reach 1 million by the end of 2021.

To mark the reaching of this milestone, Sebastian Mackensen, BMW Group senior vice president market Germany, handed over the keys to a very special BMW 330e to its future owner at BMW Welt today.

Oliver Zipse, chairman of BMW, says: “Half a million vehicles is the best proof: Our broad range of electrified vehicles is meeting exact customer needs. [Read more…] about BMW claims it has ‘half a million’ electric vehicles on the road

OnRobot launches ‘small but powerful’ new gripper

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OnRobot, a manufacturer of robotic end-of-arm tooling, has launched a new gripper which it describes as “small but powerful”.

OnRobot says the VGC10 compact electric vacuum gripper addresses customer demand for a small, powerful and highly configurable gripper for nearly any application.

The new gripper has no compressor and requires no air supply, which eliminates the cost, noise, space, and maintenance of producing compressed air, says OnRobot, adding that the compact electrical gripper is “easy to implement and move”. [Read more…] about OnRobot launches ‘small but powerful’ new gripper

Realtime Robotics extends technology relationship with Mitsubishi Electric

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Realtime Robotics, a developer of responsive motion planning software for industrial robots and autonomous vehicles, is expanding its partnership with Mitsubishi Electric.

The company is to develop a “custom integrated solution” that pairs Realtime Robotics’ smart motion planning technology with Mitsubishi Electric’s industrial and collaborative robot product lines.

The intelligent robots will be on display at iREX later this month and there will be a series of demonstrations showcasing the motion-planning technology in action. [Read more…] about Realtime Robotics extends technology relationship with Mitsubishi Electric