The total value of the orders, including 10-year service contracts, amounts to EUR200m, making it one of the largest in the company’s history, according to Solaris.

Suez has ordered 52 ‘Elite+’ truck chassis, the latest purpose-built waste collection vehicle range from Dennis Eagle with low-entry cab and five-star visibility (according to Direct Vision standards).

The contract for 15 buses is worth over EUR10m and includes the provision of 15 stationary chargers at the depot and two pantograph stations located in the city.

“The supply to Expresso Nordeste confirms the brand's growth potential," said Danilo Fetzner, director of IVECO BUS for Latin America.

Some 1,000 units are to be made up of approximately 800, FCmove-HD 70 kW and 200, FCmove-HD+ 100 kW engines which will be integrated into the Solaris 12-metre and 18-metre buses. Included in the contract are after-market and extended warranty services. Delivery will occur from 2024 to 2027.

T&BB decided to delve into the reasons for this sales success story by interviewing the top management of Stuart Beeton, Head of Sales & Marketing and Peter Murphy, Managing Director of Isuzu Truck UK.

Higer imports buses to South America via a JV in Brazil.

February saw PepsiCo take delivery of its first electric heavy-duty truck in Brazil; a semi-heavy rigid (15t ≤ gvw up to 40 tons) P25 6x2 Scania truck, produced in Sweden, which is to be used for internal logistics goods distribution operations between PepsiCo’s four factories* in the state of São Paulo.

The order consists of 300 Crossway low-entry buses, 50 Evadys coaches and 60 Daily minibuses, set to be delivered between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025. These vehicles will operate in the port city of Abidjan.

The acquisition is part of a EUR54m investment by the National Transport Authority which will fund the replacement of Limerick’s bus fleet with battery-powered vehicles.

The funding is being allocated to the government’s Zero Emission Buses Regional Area (ZEBRA, now ZEBRA 2) Scheme, initially launched in 2021 to allow local transport authorities to bid for funding for zero-emission buses and supporting infrastructure.

The first vehicle is being tested over 2,500 kilometres on the streets of Plzeň, after which it will be delivered to the customer later this year.