Electric power conversion specialist, Equipmake Ltd has opened a factory in Snetterton where it plans to design and manufacture fully-integrated electric bus chassis for an increasingly international customer base.

Energy management specialist, ABB, has opened a battery energy storage manufacturing plant in Baden designed for storing electrical energy for charging electric trucks, electric buses and trolleybuses as well as electric and hybrid locomotives.

Last year Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus announced plans to allocate BRA110m million (USD27m) to make the necessary adjustments at its Resende (RJ) plant to tailor its production lines to begin assembling electric trucks as soon as 2020.

Daimler Buses has announced it is restructuring its touring coach business in the USA and Canada.

Transport company, Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein has ordered 17 MAN Lion’s City E buses – this is one of two tendered lots and is the first commercial order to be announced by MAN.

BYD North America Inc of Los Angeles says its dedicated electric bus plant in Lancaster which operates under the name of BYD Coach & Bus Factory, has produced its 400th electric bus; this was its 60-foot articulated K11M model built for the Los Angeles World Airports, which forms part of a 20 unit bus order.

The Mercedes-Benz Vans Dusseldorf plant started series production of the full electric Sprinter on December 12.

The Competence Center for Emission-Free Mobility has now been the pilot factory for vehicles with alternative drive systems for 25 years, the automotive giant, Daimler AG, announced last month.

Lion Electric Company, the Quebec Government and six other industry partners have announced a major project to initiate electrification of heavy-duty commercial vehicles in the Canadian province of Quebec.

Wrightbus has completed its first delivery of new buses following its acquisition last month by new owners, Bamford Bus Company

Bus builders, Rampini Carlo SpA and CaetanoBus have announced an extension of their reciprocal commercial sales agreement to include their respective electric bus ranges.

Broshuis BV has launched its latest lightweight hydraulically steered and extendible flat trailer, that has two of three steering axles, and has a tare weight of just  8,400kg.