The assets include production lines for battery pack assembly, battery testing and validation equipment, computer numerical control equipment, and module enclosure production.

The planned factory will be built in the Rijnmond region of the Netherlands before 2026 and will allow the Dutch startup to scale up production of its fuel cell systems to 1,000 units annually.

As manufacturers increasingly move towards producing electric, “software-defined” vehicles, Volkswagen CEO, Oliver Blume said that aesthetics will replace “traditional unique selling propositions” (i.e., technical design) as the key differentiator between brands.

The vehicle shown was a 26-tonne ‘E-Tech D Wide’ 6x2 chassis with inward folding "bus-style" doors and low step height.

The battery assembly launch will allow Scania to commence serial production of heavy-duty electric vehicles at Södertälje.

The Satellite Technical Centre is to focus on end-to-end software, system engineering, electronics, and mechanical engineering, addressing core market trends in electrification, autonomous driving, and reinvention of interior equipment, notably lighting systems.

The new test rig is specifically designed to validate its hollow fibre membrane products for its OEM customers.

Intellectual property, offices, and testing facilities based in Apeldoorn, Netherlands have now been transferred to ConMet, and former staff associated with the heavy-duty motor development have moved to ConMet as well.

Dr Gruner brings with him 25 years of experience in the industry, having worked for Porsche and Mercedes-Benz in marketing and strategy roles.

A multi-year deal signed earlier this year with waste management company, Biffa, ensures that an initial order of up to ten 26-tonne Mercedes-Benz Econic diesel-powered refuse vehicles will be repowered with Lunaz electric drivetrains, saving an estimated 210 tonnes of carbon a year.

Vesco spent much of his 30-year career working at Wisconsin-based logistics firm Schneider National Inc.

In order to drive up consumer interest, the company has been publishing many of its tests. The latest endeavour saw the eActros 600 complete a five-week test in temperatures of up to 44 degrees Celsius in Andalusia, Spain.