On 17 February, the German group stated that, due to the “high level of investment required” to expand its EV portfolio, it is considering whether the commercial vehicle business would perform better in “a different environment”.

At last year’s Busworld, Voith Turbo celebrated the 70th anniversary of its ‘DIWA’ line of automatic transmissions for urban and suburban buses. The German manufacturer had just brought out the latest addition to the DIWA range, the ‘DIWA NXT’. This reimagining of the city bus transmission, incorporating a mild hybrid system (optional), appeared on the scene when it still seemed that fully electric was the only way to go. Markus Bischoff – who is responsible for the DIWA product line – believes the company made a “brave decision” in supporting the development of the mild-hybrid transmission; today, he feels vindicated by the resurgence of interest in hybrids. “The main request we get from our customers,” Bischoff told Truck & Bus Builder, “is affordability.”

He will replace Andreas Endters, who is serving as interim CEO of the group as well as CEO of the paper business unit.

One of the joint ventures will be based in Germany and will be majority owned by Voith, while the other will be established in China with Weifu as majority owner.

Voith HySTech GmbH is based at the group’s site in Garching in the state of Bavaria, where hydrogen storage tanks made from carbon composites are currently being made.

Voith said in its financial report that the Turbo division crossed the EUR2bn threshold in orders received for the first time in its history.

The truck, branded as ‘Paul Hydrogen Power’ (PH2P), is built on a 16-tonne Mercedes-Benz ‘Atego’ glider chassis and is powered by the ‘Voith Electrical Drive System’ (VEDS), which provides 310 kW of continuous power and 410 kW of peak power.

Now that it is approved for road use, the Carbon4Tank is ready to be serially produced.

This vehicle has been designed and engineered in-house and with series production already started in Lambert, Scotland, the first deliveries are set for Q1 2024.

The market for electric vehicles in North America is currently a very crowded one. In the wake of two crucial U.S. government bills – the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021) and the Inflation Reduction Act (2022) – established OEMs and startups are enjoying a boost in interest as grants and tax incentives support the expansion of EV manufacturing, sales, and charging/fuelling infrastructure.

The new inverter is an overhaul of the old design, making it better suited to commercial vehicle uses and more compliant with the latest cybersecurity requirements; that is according to Manuel Calero, Voith’s new vice president for E-Mobility who came into his role in February 2023.

ADL delivered its first batch of next-generation Enviro500EV electric double-deck buses to Hong Kong transport operator, Kowloon Motor Bus Company (KMB). This marks ADL’s first Enviro500EV double-deck buses in the Asia-Pacific region.