The Chilean commercial vehicle market in the first quarter of this year (2022) again saw different performance outcomes for the truck and bus segments, with 3,898 truck sales and 398 bus and coach sales.

The market for trucks and buses in Brazil in the first quarter of 2022 generally saw growth, although the breakdown by weight segment shows that results were mixed, as truck registrations rose 3% to 26,852 units while bus and coach registrations dropped 0.3% to 3,322 units.

Mercedes-Benz came out on top in registrations of bus and coach chassis locally manufactured in and imported to Brazil in the first quarter of 2022, with a 44.5% increase to 1,621 units.

Lightning eMotors Corp, based in Loveland, Colorado, has completed the expansion of its manufacturing facility to more than 226,000sq-ft, doubling its production capacity. The firm expects the investment of more than USD5 million to support an annual production capacity of up to 1,500 zero emission vehicles and powertrain systems by the end of 2022.

This partnership has many advantages, significant investment in the UK, the enablement of a state-of-the-art test facility to maintain Ceres’ technology leadership and support for our rapidly growing global partner base. We look forward to establishing a long-term partnership with HORIBA MIRA.

Nashville, Tennessee-based subsidiary of Japan’s Bridgestone Corporation, Bridgestone Americas Inc, has made a minority investment in May Mobility, an autonomous vehicle technology firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Easymile SAS, based in Toulouse, France, has provided its autonomous vehicles in Norway with a software update focussing on features specifically relevant to Nordic conditions, including enhanced ground perception and improved rain and snow filtering. The software development has been supported through EasyMile’s partnership with Applied Autonomy AS, based in Kongsberg, Norway.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has opened the application process for its Low or No Emission Program for buses. The scheme is offering USD1.1 billion in competitive grant funding. In addition, the government is offering USD372 million in funding under the Grants for Bus and Bus Facilities (BBF) Program.

Paris-based Forsee Power SAS has announced a new ultra-modular heavy-duty battery system, titled the ZEN PLUS. Forsee says the system offers a greater energy density to support high power applications, making it suitable for buses, off-road vehicle, and heavy trucks.

Grammer AG, based in Ursensollen, Germany, is serving as the coordinator for the Adaptive Process Chains for Increasing Production Quality and Efficiency (AdaProQ) project initiated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.

Bridgestone Corporation, based in Tokyo, Japan, has launched a joint programme to develop chemical recycling technologies that utilise used tyres to achieve high-yield production of isoprene, a raw material used in synthetic rubber production.

Weeks after opening its new silicon wafer fabrication facility in Dresden, Robert Bosch GmbH, based in Stuttgart, has announced it is to invest EUR400 million in its silicon chip manufacturing facilities throughout 2022. The investment will expand its wafer fabrication sites in Dresden and Reutlingen, Germany, and its semiconductor operations in Penang, Malaysia.