Volvo UK said it committed GBP500,000 to make the site more environmentally friendly by investing in solar panels, smart LED lighting, and air source heat pumps.

Wolfgang Kolb will assume responsibility for global sales, leveraging his 20 years of experience at various automotive companies.

Since the facility was opened in 1998, Navistar has produced nearly 880,000 truck and bus chassis in Escobedo - including its 'International eMV' series of battery-electric trucks.

The building will be constructed and expanded in phases up to 2030, representing a planned investment of up to EUR4.8bn, or CAD7bn.

Eaton unveiled new products in its emissions reduction technology, including a compression engine brake, cylinder deactivation and late intake valve closing solutions, designed to reduce emissions and increase fuel economy for commercial vehicles.

Three hydrogen producers have signed strategic partnership deals with Quantron, while Westgass Hydrogen agreed a deal to provide hydrogen fuelling infrastructure for customers in the Nordics.

The site’s expansion will involve converting existing warehouse space into production lines to assemble the body on the new Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV battery-electric chassis. From August 2023, the facility will focus on the production of the new Enviro400EV, following a successful pilot programme to build Enviro400FCEV hydrogen fuel cell buses in Larbert.

Available in the chassis cab version at 17 tons gross vehicle weight (GVW), it offers a tare weight of 4,995 kg with a load capacity of some 11,500 kg depending on the body.

With over 100 staff, the plant has a production capacity of 1,000 vehicles per year, including hydrogen fuel cell and battery-electric buses, with alternative propulsion systems produced in Turin.

The exhaust thermal management system will see the companies combine Tenneco’s Cold Start Thermal Unit (CSTU) and Eaton’s Twin Vortices Series (TVS) blower which allows the airflow to be controlled to maintain the CTSU’s optimal temperature, creating less CO2 emissions.

The letter expands on a pre-existing deal to sell MCV-bodied Volvo buses in the UK.

Watt's new partner, Etrux, is qualified in the construction of Luton bodies for cab-chassis platforms and in converting vans to applications such as utilities and temperature-controlled transportation.