Kia is currently building a new plant in South Korea’s Gyeonggi province dedicated to the production of battery-powered PBVs of various sizes and specifications.

The company confirmed that the first batch of trucks have been delivered to TruKKer, a digital-based logistics company operating in the Middle East.

Series production is set for Q1 2025 at its Vysoke Myto plant in the Czech Republic. Available in two main versions (a 12 and a 13-metre variant),  these buses are designed for both urban and intercity missions.

The 12-metre low-entry Ikarus 120e has an 86-passenger capacity in a 3-door configuration. The 314 kWh LFP battery pack allows for a range of up to 350km (217 miles) on a single charge.

The orders comprise 31, GX 337 H2 LINIUM BRT hydrogen fuel cell buses and 20, GX 437 ELEC LINIUM BRT battery electric buses.

The order includes 150 high-end electric luxury intercity coaches and 50 e-buses.

Ashok Leyland to supply the electric trucks as part of a full eMaaS package with infrastructure partner BillionElectric.

The fifty trailers from Schmitz’s ‘S.CS Fixed Roof’ range were built at the company’s facility in Manchester.

Switch Mobility will supply these buses and all the necessary charging infrastructure to OHM, which will then operate them on designated routes under a gross cost contract (GCC).

Deliveries are set to start in Q4 2025 with the trucks built in partnership with Iowa-based family-run refuse and recycling truck body manufacturer New Way Trucks.

The 38 Vision propane-powered Type C school buses have 42 seats and can cover 300 miles (482 kms) on a single tank thanks to the 7.3-litre engine supplied by Ford Motor Company and integrated by the engineering firm, ROUSH CleanTech.

The order is from Clean Green Fuel and Logistics Pvt Ltd, a two-year old start-up logistics focussed on revolutionizing operations with green fuel solutions.