Rise Robotics’ electric Superjammer industrial robotic arm has the best name in the business. And now, it’s gunning for a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s strongest non-hydraulic robotic arm.

The top spot in the electric robotic strength contest has been locked down by the Fanuc M-2000iA/2300 for nearly a decade, after that machine hoisted an impressive 2,300 kg (approx. 5,070 lbs.) using a combination of electronic gears, belts, and servos.

Even trying to do that kind of lifting with electronic bits is fairly unique in itself, as the world of heavy lifting and earth-moving is almost entirely dominated by hydraulic arms and implements. That’s starting to change, however, with the rise of more all-electric equipment and the time-savings that can come from not having to “warm up” hydraulic fluids in cold environments.

To that end, Rise Robotics is using a novel assortment of belts and pulleys it calls “Beltdraulic” technology (those rods and arms are called “BeltCylinders” now, too, by the way). The tech is good enough to enable the Superjammer arm to curl a claimed 2,930 kgs (just under 6,500 lbs.) about 5 meters (15 ft) off the ground.

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Rise BeltCylinder

While the demonstration of Rise’ Beltdraulics are impressive for their capability, the real trick here is that the machine is fully electric, emissions-free, and doesn’t use energy-intensive or petroleum-based hydraulic fluids – an arrangement that the company says allows the Superjammer to match the performance of the fossil-fueled competition while using 65-90% less power and fuel.

And, because this is 2025 and you can’t have a press release without including “AI,” Rise Robotics claims its systems are “AI-ready,” and designed to be integrated into fully autonomous machines. Regardless of whether the arm is operated by humans or machines, however, its operators will surely appreciate the benefits of finer control over loads and movements, less backlash and slop, and the complete elimination of hydraulic drift offered by the electric servos.

Rise Robotics will officially attempt to break the record on March 20th. Watch this space.

Electrek’s Take

When Bobcat first showed off its all electric track loader prototype at CES all the way back in 2022, it was a huge departure from an industry that was simply “electrifying” by replacing ICE engines with electric motors. It promised to be genuinely different from what was already on the market. We wrote:

It might be a little hard to picture, but in a conventional tractor, the hydraulic fluid — a real nasty, super viscous (thick) oil — is pumped into (or out of) a cylinder, which pushes on a piston that raises (or lowers) the bucket. In the new T7X, that traditional hydraulic system has been completely replaced with an electrical drive system consisting of electric cylinders and electric drive motors. That means the Bobcat doesn’t just use electricity to move around and drive its tracks. It’s really, truly, all-electric.

As with Rise, that switch to electricity means there are virtually no petroleum products being used, so the machine operator no longer has to wait for the standard hydraulic system to “warm up” to be able to use it. That’s a huge step away from petroleum, and a big win for both electrification and job site efficiency — but Bobcat’s electric loaders had another win to celebrate: sales.

South Carolina-based Sunbelt Rentals, one of America’s largest equipment rental companies in North America with more than 1,025 locations, has committed to “a significant investment in a large fleet of Bobcat T7X all-electric compact track loaders and electric compact excavators,” which will be co-branded as Sunbelt loaders.

“By making an investment in this first-of-its-kind, all-electric technology, we support our ESG (environmental, social, and governance) objectives of empowering our customers and communities with the availability of alternative rental solutions that reduce emissions and noise,” said Brendan Horgan, CEO of Sunbelt Rentals. “Sunbelt Rentals is leading the implementation of electrified on-road and off-road products to unlock the ESG structural benefits of rental.”

Here’s hoping Rise Robotics’ fossil-free equipment offerings experience similar success in the heavy duty robotics market.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Rise Robotics.

The State of New Mexico has awarded Nuvve a $400 million contract to provide turnkey EV charging solutions – including hardware, maintenance, and data management – to the state’s growing fleet of electric vehicles.

That $400 million number comes from Nuvve (NASDAQ: NVVE) estimates about New Mexico’s total addressable market (TAM), which includes the current plans to electrify State of New Mexico (SONM) electric vehicles and support broader electrification and V2G efforts. The contract is structured as a Statewide Price Agreement (SWPA), enabling long-term progress across public agencies throughout New Mexico.

“These agreements play a crucial role in fulfilling the objective of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s executive order to transition our state fleet to zero emissions,” said DOT Cabinet Secretary Ricky Serna. “These contracts ensure that state fleets transition to cleaner technology in a manner that is both efficient and economically viable.”

The contract, structured as a Statewide Price Agreement, will advance New Mexico’s Vehicles as a Service (VaaS) program, which state officials say will help facilitate more widespread fleet electrification through:

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• Turnkey EV Charging Solutions – Deployment of advanced EV charging infrastructure, operations, and data management.
• Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Microgrid Development – Scalable solutions integrating V2G-capable fleets, stationary battery storage, and solar energy to reduce costs and enhance grid resilience.
• Corridor Charging Stations – Establishing key EV charging sites along state highways for inter-city travel.
• EV Leasing and Infrastructure Financing – Providing innovative financial models to streamline fleet conversion.
• Asset Transition and Management – Purchasing and retiring internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, ensuring efficient fleet turnover.

“Nuvve continues to lead in deploying real-world, scalable solutions for the benefit of both our customers and the utility grid,” said Ted Smith, President and COO of Nuvve. “We believe this deployment provides New Mexico with best-in-class technology, financing, and implementation strategies while ensuring the state meets its sustainability goals without compromising operational efficiency.”

The first deployments of the new EV charging infrastructure program are expected to be announced sometime in Q2.

Electrek’s Take

Nuvve seems to be pulling ahead in the race to score state and municipal charging contracts – seemingly for good reason. The company is meeting these clients where they are, answering questions, and moving forward with smart, sensible program that have a high chance of successfully returning a good ROI. Which, you know, is that second kind of “sustainability” we often talk about.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Nuvve; featured image via MakeMyMove.

Tesla’s top crash safety architect, who helped the automaker achieve top safety scores for its entire car line-up, announced that he is leaving the automaker after 14 years.

We are talking about Petter Winberg, Tesla’s Principal Engineer for CAE crashing safety for the last decade.

After an extensive career at Volvo and SAAB, both car brands praised for their commitment to safety, Winberg joined Tesla in 2011 to work on the “crash safety development of Model S structure and side occupant restraints.”

At the time, Tesla was still working on the Model S, its first vehicle built entirely from the ground up, considering the original Roadster was based on the Lotus Elise.

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CEO Elon Musk aimed for “Tesla vehicles to be the safest on the planet,” and Winberg took the challenge seriously.

He led the development of the vehicle body and chassis structure for Model 3 and Model Y, as well as the crash structure for Model S and Model X.

All of these vehicles have received top safety crash scores from independent testers worldwide – quickly elevating Tesla’s brand into a leader in passive safety.

Winberg and his team deserve a lot of the credit for this.

The engineer also led the design of crash readiness and the energy-absorbing capacity of Tesla’s latest “gigacasting” and structural battery pack designs, for which he obtained patents. Other automakers have since adopted similar designs.

For those less technical who want to understand how good and respected Winberg is at Tesla, he has been working for Tesla remotely in Sweden for the last five years. That’s impressive in itself, considering how much Musk hates remote work. He previously emailed Tesla management to tell them that only exceptional employees would be eligible for an exemption to work remotely, which he would approve himself.

After 14 years at Tesla, Winberg announced last week that he is leaving (via LinkedIn):

Having developed Model S, S-DM, X, 3, Y, Y-SP as well as future crash architectures, I have decided now is the time to move on. Thank you Tesla, keep crushing it! What an incredible team, I will miss you all.

He didn’t elaborate on his reasons for leaving the automaker or announce another venture.

Electrek’s Take

While Tesla has received much criticism for the dangers of its Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” systems, I don’t think anyone can question that Tesla vehicles perform extremely well in terms of passive safety.

Independent testing has proven it time and time again.

Tesla has led the way in taking advantage of designing electric vehicles from the ground up. Its skateboard-like powertrain design and lack of engine in the front allow for a giant crumple zone to absorb the energy in case of a crash.

A big thank you to Petter Winberg for his designs and leadership in improving Tesla’s passive safety. He has undoubtedly made the automotive industry safer and saved lives. Congratulations.

As for his departure, it’s certainly a blow for Tesla. As we previously reported, the company has suffered a significant exodus of talent over the last year, with a big part of its leadership leaving during and after a wave of layoffs last year.

Many predict that Tesla could again initiate another wave of layoffs in the coming months as its sales are crumbling worldwide.