For decades, trucking was defined by horsepower, payload, and driver endurance. Today, the competitive edge lies in electronics, as advanced sensing, communications, and data processing systems reshape how commercial vehicles operate. The industry is rapidly digitizing, with electronic systems now critical to safety, uptime, and fleet efficiency. Technologies like ADAS, radar, lidar, and telematics enable real-time decision-making, while distributed sensors monitor key vehicle functions. Because these systems operate in harsh conditions, environmental protection using potting, coatings, and encapsulation is now a core design priority.

The energy is electric at Michigan Technological University as 164 fourth graders from Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula trade their traditional desks for a day of high-tech exploration. The students are here to pilot Stories & Semiconductors, a new educational series. By following the adventures of characters who solve problems through electronics, young students don’t just read about technology; they build it themselves.

The transition to EVs is no longer constrained solely by vehicle capability. Instead, it is increasingly defined by a simpler, but more unforgiving question: Will the charger work when I arrive? This high uptime does not happen by accident. As EV technology has matured, limitations in battery range, power electronics, and thermal management are no longer the primary barriers to adoption.