Today I Learned – April 2026

NACFE does most of its work in the field at industry events and staff members hear a lot of interesting things each month. Here are some things we learned recently. Contact us if you want to ask questions about where and how we learned what we share here.

Tesla announced its intent to manufacture the Terafab, a proprietary AI5 chip, shifting to in-house production. This vertical integration aims to bypass global supply bottlenecks and accelerate the 2027 rollout of Cybercab and Optimus fleets.

— Dean Bushey, Director of Programs

Several trailer aerodynamics companies reported increased interest in their products with diesel fuel exceeding $5 per gallon. Existing orders are trying to get early delivery, but production slots are full.

— Rob Graff, Senior Technical Advisor

Rudolph Diesel’s first engines in 1897 were intended to run on alternative bio-fuels such as peanut oil.

— Rick Mihelic, Director of Emerging Technologies

When it comes to meeting the 2027 NOx requirements, two manufacturers are going to use electric heaters in the exhaust system to improve aftertreatment efficiency. The other two are using reconfigured aftertreatment systems without heaters. All claim to be making substantial improvements in fuel economy and say there will be a significant increase in vehicle purchase price.

— Kevin Otto, Electrification Technical Lead

While fleets are battling $5/gallon diesel and looking for electric alternatives, three major truck manufacturers of BEVs (Daimler, Volvo, TRATON) are fighting in court to block the EPA’s clean truck standards.

— Emilia Sibley, Emerging Technologies Consultant

A recent battery degradation study of electric vehicles was conducted. 30,000 EVs were sampled and showed the average car maintains 95% of its expected range after three years of use.

— Jeff Seger, Clean Energy Consultant

Cargo theft has evolved into a sophisticated $6.6 billion annual drain on the U.S. economy, with average heist values hitting $274,000. To combat the 58% of thefts that occur at truck stops, Wabash just showcased its TrailerHawk.AI “active defense” platform, which uses encrypted digital locks to verify a driver’s identity before the doors ever budge.

— Dean Bushey, Director of Programs