ION Energy, a recent start-up company, specializing in battery management systems and energy diagnostic solutions, has been engaged to supply its technology to another relatively new company in France, IBS Technologies.

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd has started series production of its BS VI-compliant OM 926 six cylinder engines together with MD2 Box Aftertreatment systems in India. This engine is to be offered with two power options of 230hp and 280hp.

Akasol AG, a manufacturer of high-performance lithium-ion battery systems for commercial vehicles, is to open a production facility in Detroit, Michigan, USA next year .

VDL Bus & Coach NV at Busworld Europe in Brussels last month announced plans to build a new factory in Roeselare dedicated for producing electric and hybrid electric buses.

School bus and truck builder, Navistar Inc of Lisle, Illinois is investing more than USD250m to build a new Class 6-8 truck manufacturing facility in San Antonio, Texas.

Battery producer, Akasol, which recently opened a new European HQ in Darmstadt, said its future flagship high-energy battery AKASystem AKM CYC, will be produced at Darmstadt, with start of production in 2021 and at its new US headquarters in Detroit starting in 2022 as part of a recently agreed production order from a global commercial vehicle manufacturer.

In six months’ time,  Hendrickson International plans to start trailer axle and suspension production (April 2020) at a brand new plant in Navarre according to Gary Gerstenslager, president and CEO of Hendrickson speaking at the NACV Show in Atlanta last month.

At the end of 2020, ZF Friedrichshafen AG says it will begin production of PowerLine, the company’s new 8-speed fully automatic transmission for medium-duty commercial vehicles in order to supply a contract with an unnamed major North American OEM for launching in early 2021.

USD125m has been allocated by Navistar Inc of Lisle, Illinois, USA to expand its International branded diesel engine manufacturing facilities in Huntsville , Alabama; the investment is to be spread over next three years and is expected to generate 145 additional local jobs.

Volvo Trucks North America Inc is utilising 3D printing technology to produce tools and fixtures used in the manufacturing process at its New River Valley plant in Dublin where all trucks for the North American market are built.

A national survey of 449 fleet operating companies conducted by the Ecuadorian magazine, Buen Viaje, specialized in tourism and bus operations, which represents 56.5% of the total of 709 dedicated to passenger transportation, revealed that the vast majority of buses in use in the country has bodies produced by domestic manufacturers.

Volvo Buses Latin America Ltda has delivered the first 336 buses (202 articulated and 134 bi-articulated) of the 700 new buses ordered last November for Transmilenio operations in Bogotá; the vehicles started operations in June.