Christopher de Saxe

Dear HVTT Forum subscriber, As the turbulent year of 2024 slowly comes to an end, I would like to share with you the final newsletter of the year and update you on some recent developments here in Europe. This edition focuses on the slow but steady progress in piloting new types of longer and heavier vehicles in Germany and the Netherlands, as well as updates on EU policy regarding vehicle dimensions and weights. The later contribution comes from our board member, Tim Breemersch. Tim is a senior researcher at Transport Mobility Leuven in Belgium and has been a member of the board since HVTT15 in Rotterdam. Super Eco Combi In Germany, the Association of the Automotive Industry has initiated a pilot project with the Super Eco Combi (SEC), also known as A-Double, which will operate on a 70-kilometer route between the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg and a rail terminal east of Hannover. The association has decided to launch the... Read More

Greetings HVTT family from the Antipodes, While many of you will know I like trucks and what they do, I thought I would focus this newsletter on money, and more particularly money for investment in roads. But firstly, some comment on heavy transport activity. With some softness in some of the global markets, such as meat and wood, and a quiet domestic market that has teetered around technically meeting the definition of an economy in recession, unsurprisingly the NZ heavy transport activity is quiet and a number of companies under considerable financial strain.  There are some positives though, comparing values to 2024 and July 2023, exports rose by 14 percent in value to $6.1 billion, however imports rose by 8.5 percent to $7.1b. And the challenge of finding drivers is less front of mind however, I suspect that is a situation that will be temporary. In some ways NZ has... Read More

Dear HVTT Forum subscriber, Earlier in October, I had the opportunity to travel to Québec City where I met with colleagues at Université Laval, the host organization for HVTT18, May 25 to 29, 2025. This newsletter begins by showcasing several of the exciting features of the upcoming symposium! Please check the HVTT18 website for regular updates. Robust technical program: We were pleased to accept 77 abstract submissions and look forward to receiving full papers. We anticipate offering a full double-track program exploring the future of S2MART (sustainable, safe, modern, adaptable, resilient, trustworthy) road freight transport systems. Authors should submit their papers via our on-line portal by November 22. Plenary sessions exploring key themes: To complement the technical program, we are planning daily plenary sessions designed to highlight key symposium themes. One session will focus on the challenges of developing resilient road freight transport systems in harsh weather/climatic conditions. Dr. Guy Doré, Professor of Civil... Read More

Hello everyone, It’s already September, marking the arrival of autumn in China. Autumn, a season that embodies harvest and the culmination of efforts, holds great promise for all of us. I sincerely wish that in the year 2024, each of you will enjoy a season of abundant blessings and rewarding achievements. According to the latest data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China’s commercial vehicle market achieved robust growth in the first half of 2024. Production and sales of commercial vehicles reached 2.005 million and 2.068 million units respectively, marking a year-on-year increase of 2% and 4.9%. This achievement underscores the remarkable resilience of the commercial vehicle market and signals a gradual recovery from the downturn, embarking on a new phase of development. Notably, new energy commercial vehicles emerged as a standout performer, with sales surpassing approximately 220,000 units in the first half, a staggering 120% year-on-year... Read More

Dear HVTT Forum subscribers, Near the end of each month, you can usually find me pestering another HVTT officeholder to submit their newsletter on time… On this occasion, I have not done my job effectively! Nevertheless, it is my pleasure to write to you again in this, my second, newsletter. There is not much to report on the information officer front, other than a steady uptick in our LinkedIn readership and a few minor updates and corrections to our website. With that out of the way, I’ll dive into some updates on the UK front. The biggest development in the UK has of course been the election of a new Labour-led government in July, taking the helm after 14 years of the Conservatives. Leading up to the election, the Labour election manifesto had big ambitions to kick-start economic growth while accelerating the transition to a clean future, including the creation... Read More

Dear HVTT forum family, Much has been happening in this part of the southern hemisphere since we came together at Technology Convergence 2023 (HVTT17) last November. In Australia and New Zealand, we’ve seen major policy initiatives that signal future directions, strategies, and priority areas for transport reform. The road to net zero Australia is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050. In 2022, the Australian Government legislated Australia’s greenhouse gas emission targets: Net zero by 2050; and 43% below 2005 levels by 2030 (6 years away). In May this year, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts released a Transport and Infrastructure Net Zero Consultation Roadmap. The Consultation Roadmap highlights that transport is currently the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia, and without further action, it is projected to be Australia’s highest emitting sector by 2030. Current projections indicate that Australia’s... Read More

Dear HVTT Forum subscriber, This month’s newsletter focuses on the status and challenges regarding the uptake of electric cars and heavy vehicles in South Africa. I would like to acknowledge two HVTT Forum Board members, Michael Atkins (Senior Lecturer, Wits University, Johannesburg) and Abdool (AK) Kamdar (Manager: Decarbonisation and Drive to Zero, KDG Logistics, Durban) as well as one of Michael’s MSc students, Arnold Matiane, for providing the bulk of the material for this newsletter. There has been a surge in sales of EVs in South Africa, driven by government incentives such as the 150% investment allowance for new EV investments starting in 2026 and the strategic release of the Electric Vehicle White Paper, which outlines a comprehensive roadmap for the transition to new energy vehicles by 2035 (NAAMSA). Additionally, rising fuel costs and environmental concerns are pushing consumers toward EVs as a more sustainable option. NAAMSA reported that new... Read More

10 years of the National Decree 574 enabling the Bi-trains in Argentina. What was done right and were did it all go wrong (in my opinion) This past April 22 marked 10 years since the legislation that approved the national circulation of the 30 meter- 75 ton- 9 axles bitrain in Argentina was passed. The then President explained at a rally what the bitrains were, all the benefits for productivity, road safety and the environment they could bring to the country, all broadcasted on national TV. Not everyone was happy with the news, so it took another 18 months for the more detailed regulations to be published – and not online, since there was so much negative arguing at an election year. Only those- like myself- who were “in the know” could go personally to the Transport Ministry and get the printed regulations. I would like to take the chance... Read More

Dear HVTT Forum subscriber, Over the past few months, I have had the pleasure of working alongside my colleagues from Québec and an international Program Committee to begin the work of organizing HVTT18! In this newsletter, I highlight six key topics that we look forward to exploring at the Symposium, so that we can collectively shape the future of S2MART road freight transport systems. Sustainable Efforts toward decarbonization of road freight transport in North America moved forward as the United States Joint Office of Energy and Transportation released its strategy for establishing national zero-emission freight corridors. The strategy sets the stage for significant policy action and investment: “The United States has committed to decarbonizing freight transportation by advancing deployment of commercial zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (ZE-MHDVs) and infrastructure.” Safe and Modern How prepared is existing U.S. roadway infrastructure for Automated Driving Systems (ADS) technology? A new open-source data repository designed to support... Read More

Dear HVTT Forum member, Time really flies! Even though it feels not so long ago when I met many of you at fantastic HVTT17 in Brisbane,  it has already been nearly 5 months. Looking ahead, I would like to start this newsletter to remind you the call for abstracts for HVTT18, which will take a place in Québec City, Canada next year. Short abstracts (300 to 500 words) are due on April 19, 2024 covering one or more of the conference topics, from theoretical to practical applications. Submission of ongoing research is encouraged if meaningful results are expected before the full paper submission deadline. More information on conference topics and submission procedure can be found on here. As for the weather in Europe, we are just entering a nice spring period after a fairly mild winter with very little snow throughout the continent and varying levels of precipitation per country.... Read More