The general mood of this year’s Advanced Clean Transportation Expo – held between 28 April and 1 May in Anaheim, California – was one of healthy confusion. There were questions about the direction of the commercial vehicle industry and how a more sustainable transport system might be achieved. BAE Systems, however, is confident that the industry will continue to move towards net zero; the only questions concern “how it will be done and how long it will take”, according to Robert Lamanna, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems’ Power and Propulsion Solutions division.

Partnership aims to accelerate introduction of fast-charging heavy trucks.

The project will focus on the development and manufacturing of high-voltage EV components, including combined charging units, e-axles, inverters, and electric motors.

At last year’s ACT Expo in Las Vegas, Truck & Bus Builder met for the first time with Range Energy to learn more about its “electric trailer platform”. This year’s show provided the opportunity for a business update after two major announcements: the appointment of a new chief executive officer, Jon Foster, and a supply agreement with ZF Group for its ‘AxTrax 2’ e-axles. I spoke with founder Ali Javidan – now chief technology officer – and Foster about what the company hopes to achieve in the next five years.

This strategic move underscores Valeo’s commitment to supporting India’s electric mobility transition.

New company to help improve competitiveness of battery-powered trucks

The German company used the show to present two new products: its upcoming ‘Traxon 2 Hybrid’ powertrain, making its North American market debut; and a third-generation air compressor for the global electric vehicle market.

BAE Systems is simplifying heavy-duty vehicle electrification with a modular, scalable platform approach. Its Gen3 power systems—MPCS and MAPS—streamline integration, reduce complexity, and cut costs for OEMs.

ZF will supply several thousand units of its latest e-axle range, ‘AxTrax 2’, to a “leading customer” in India over several years.

The prototype, dubbed ‘Alumotor’, is a synchronous reluctance motor which does not require rare earth metals or cobalt in order to work.

'Kunshi' chassis offers improved range and higher payloads.

Acelera powertrains to be used in US-made F-series truck.