Schaeffler will use the ‘Nvidia Omniverse’ platform to develop “digital twins” or simulations for entire plants and production equipment.

Startling claims were made by two panellists on the mainstage of the Anaheim convention centre on the first day of the ACT Expo. The first – Peter Ludwig – announced that software-defined vehicles will make today’s vehicles look as outmoded as the steam train. The second claim came from David Liu, who said that self-driving vehicles will be the industry’s greatest invention since the diesel engine. These men have business interests in the development of software-defined and autonomous vehicles; we would expect them to say as much. A moderate response to the advent of these technologies came from Sherry Sanger – executive vice president of strategy and marketing at Penske Transportation Solutions – who sat on a different panel: she warned delegates not to rashly take up a new technology or “solution” without first having a clearly-defined problem for it to solve.

Chinese manufacturer agrees to supply 3,000 battery packs to electric bus-maker VKTR in 2025

PEI announced that it has worked with Spanish bus manufacturer Castrosua to develop an articulated version of the ‘Nelec’ electric bus range which is mounted on a chassis supplied by China’s BYD.

Over 150 delivery vehicles to be deployed in Tokyo from September.

Volvo’s new ‘Dynamic Steering’ can detect a puncture in the truck’s front tyre(s) and respond immediately in order to mitigate the impact.

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 new Class 8 truck has a bumper-to-back-of-cab length of 113.5 inches, 3.5 inches shorter than the preceding Anthem generation and a full 12 inches shorter than the newly-released ‘Pioneer’ range.

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

The software is set to debut in select markets in late 2025, with full commercial rollout anticipated by early 2026. Delivered through a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, the platform allows businesses to subscribe based on fleet size and feature requirements.

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.