Under the themes of “energy transition and sustainable mobility”, the European public transport industry met to demonstrate its new sustainable products/technologies as the sector looks to rapidly decarbonise to meet climate pledges outlined in the European Green Deal.

The specialist facility offers HVS complete build capabilities encompassing a complex toolroom ensuring quality design and prototyping. Each of the prototypes will be used to test specific aspects of the vehicle involving strength, durability and efficiency.

The EUR3m investment into Zepp has come from an “energy transition” fund provided by the City of Rotterdam and an unnamed private investor who is “deeply embedded in the Rotterdam tech scene”.

The bus will integrate BAE System’s electric powertrain, Ballard’s hydrogen fuel cell and Gillig’s low-floor body. Production is set to begin in Q1 2026 for the North American market.

The 2023 strategic highlights include the second-generation stack design, offering performance improvements. Furthermore, a megawatt electrolyser demonstrator completed testing in Germany and has arrived at partner Shell’s R&D centre in Bangalore, India for further testing.

Ballard has announced an additional USD 54 million in U.S. federal funding (investment tax credits) for its planned fuel cell production facility in Rockwall Texas. This brings the total in federal funding to USD 94 million, through various U.S. departments including the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office and now the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as part of the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit (48C*), funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

HVS has appointed Dr Utz Claassen as the new Chairman of the Board. Claassen is tasked with overseeing the growth strategy and bringing the HVS Hydrogen Fuel Cell HGVs to market next year.

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.

The HVS tractor unit was powered by green hydrogen with the aim of demonstrating its real-world capabilities with each testing phase concentrating on specific aspects of the vehicle design and performance (electric and thermal) in various weather conditions.

Dedo has over four decades of experience in the transportation and electrified propulsion industries, co-founding Aware Mobility LLC and working in senior management positions for Dana Holding Corp, Motorola and Bosch Corporation. Currently, she sits on the boards of Li-Cycle Holdings Corp, Workhorse Group Inc, Carbon Revolution and the Cadillac Products Automotive Company.

It is designed for commercial vehicle fuel cell engines (150-200 kW) but can also be applied to larger engines (240-260 kW) under turbine energy recovery.

The Department of Energy claims that, by funding these projects, it will facilitate the production of up to 50,000 new medium- and heavy-duty trucks and the supply of enough hydrogen to fuel nearly 170,000 long haul trucks in a single year.