Afternoon Coffee: All Eyes on Hurricane Irma, The Race to Build an Electric Semi-Truck

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After catching meteorologists’ eyes as a tropical storm Wednesday morning, Hurricane Irma strengthened rapidly to a Category 3 storm, CNN reports. Current weather conditions in the Atlantic are setting Irma up to become an even more powerful cyclone, and while it’s still too early to tell whether it will make landfall in the U.S., keeping track of Irma’s path as it develops will be essential for businesses with interests in the southeastern states.

Electric Semi-Trucks

Cummins has unveiled plans to build an electric truck, a move that pre-empts Tesla’s rumored efforts in the same market, according to Supply Chain 24/7. The truck is expected to have a maximum payload of 44,000 pounds and drive for about 100 miles of range, making it suitable for local deliveries.

Copper Prices

Could the copper rally soon be coming to an end? The industrial metal has gained 20% since the end of May, the Wall Street Journal reports, but some analysts believe prices have risen above copper’s true worth, with speculative investors driving some of the surge.

Jobs Day

And finally, an economic update: The unemployment rate remained essentially unchanged in August, edging up 0.1% to 4.4%, according to NPR. Wage growth also slowed in August.