‘Vehicle markets worldwide are seeing governments introduce legislation to fast track the shift in powertrain type from vehicles with traditional combustion engine technology to vehicles powered using zero emission electric drive systems,’ writes Voith Turbo of Heidenheim in a recent press release.

Two Dutch bus builders, Ebusco Holding N.V., based in Deurne, and VDL Bus & Coach B.V., headquartered in Valkenswaard, have been awarded the Red Dot Award for their 3.0 and Citea models. VDL has previously won the award for its Citea bus in 2017.

Solaris Bus & Coach s.p. z o.o., based in Bolechowo-Osiedle, Poland, has released performance figures for the 2021 financial year, highlighting that the firm held a 15.1% market share of European zero-emission bus registrations. ¹ Additionally, Solaris sold 400 zero-emission buses to its customers out of a total 1,492 units sold, representing 41% of total sales.

Hyva Pacific, based in Thornton, New South Wales, Australia (a subsidiary of Hyva Holding BV of Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands) has announced the acquisition of Truck Cranes Australia Pty Ltd of Brisbane, Queensland.

Heliox B.V., based in Best, Netherlands, has installed charging infrastructure in a total of 100 cities worldwide. The 100th city, Seattle, is one of Heliox’s larger projects. Other significant charging installations include Amsterdam, Glasgow, and Hamburg.

e-Charging company, Enel X, based in Rome, Italy, has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Iveco, based in Turin, Italy. As part of the agreement, the two firms will assess the interoperability of Enel X’s charging infrastructure with Iveco Group electric vehicles; they will also evaluate the best ways that Iveco vehicles can support Enel’s transition to a zero-emission vehicle fleet.

Greenpower Motor Co, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, has launched a Type A battery electric school bus named Nano BEAST (Battery Electric Automotive School Transportation) for the US market. The firm claims the Nano BEAST is the only purpose-built zero-emission Type A school bus on the market. In addition, GreenPower claims that the vehicle will feature the largest standard battery pack for a Type A school bus on the market, providing up to 150 miles of range.

Macon, Georgia-based school bus manufacturer Blue Bird Corp has received the largest order of electric school buses in its history from Modesto City Schools in California. The order covers 30 units, enough to convert nearly half of the school district’s fleet to zero emission vehicles. Deliveries of the vehicles are scheduled for Q4 2022.

Fuel cell manufacturer Loop Energy Inc, based in Vancouver, Canada, has announced its financial results for 2021, highlighting a 161% growth in revenue over 2020.

Compression system specialist Haskel International, a subsidiary of Ingersoll Rand, based in Sunderland, UK, has released a white paper stating the firm’s outlook towards hydrogen fuel and its role in decarbonising heavy goods vehicles. In the report, Haskel examines hydrogen infrastructure funding and global projects that are currently underway.

Shell plc, now headquartered in London, UK, and BYD Auto Co Ltd of Shenzhen, China, have signed a cooperation agreement focusing on the supply of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across Europe and China. As part of the agreement, the two firms will also establish a joint venture to develop EV charging networks in China.

Finnish electric charging provider Kempower Oyj has announced it is bringing its Kempower C- and S-Series range of electric chargers to the North American market.