The project is to bring together the new Fuso eCanter, which was launched earlier this year, and Ample’s Modular Battery Swapping technology. The eCanter is to be installed with modular batteries that can be automatically exchanged at Ample battery swapping stations in a targeted time of five minutes.

The InnoLab battery laboratory is expected to be completed by August this year. The facility will produce lithium-ion battery cells and assemble batteries. The facility will produce batteries in-house for its range of electrically powered buses and trucks with the aim of reducing its reliance on external battery suppliers and limiting the impact of component supply shortages. Daimler aims to produce the first battery cells by the end of 2023 and the first prototype battery system by 2024.

The autonomous vehicle, which operates at low speeds on closed circuits, is based on a diesel-powered Volare Attack 8 minibus developed in partnership with Lume Robotics.

Later this year, the vehicles will be deployed at the Kramer City Terminal; the following year, they will begin operating on the Maasvlakte Container Exchange Route as well.

Testing has been on-going since the start of the year with plans for a commercial launch later this year - the brand already has a commercial electric truck, called the eDelivery.

The tests will enable First Hydrogen to gather data on fuel consumption, usage and efficiency, to therefore calculate the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) more accurately.

The company aims to be the frontrunner in the race for autonomous bus-driving technology.  

The biomethane bus trial in Londrina is the third demonstration by Compagas and Scania in 2023; the first being in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba, and then in the capital city of Curitiba.

From the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Volvo will test autonomous trucks on freight corridors to El Paso and to Houston.

The American manufacturer claims the new alloy will make its engines more durable and efficient than was previously possible. 

T&BB visited the facility in early June to see what the Cummins subsidiary has done to expand its testing capabilities and refurbish its production facility. 

The first driver-supervised road tests are taking place in Israel with an ‘eCentro’ midibus supplied by Otokar.