Kiepe announced that its U.S. engineering team was working with German battery manufacturer, the BMZ Group to customise its MAGNUS+ battery to fit with its own electric systems.  

According to Kleanbus, conversions cost just 20% of the cost of a new battery-electric bus and offer, when completed, significantly lower emissions to the diesel powered vehicle it replaces.

The aim of the project is to convert, rather than replace, current engines on the road, which would negate the need for “significant investment in supply chain manufacturing and assembly infrastructure”.

The truck conversion is based on a Mercedes Benz Actros chassis (4x2), equipped with a 7.8-litre Deutz six-cylinder in-line diesel (converted to run on hydrogen) engine with an output of 210 kW (281 hp) providing a maximum torque of 1000 Nm. The truck is fitted with an Allison 3000 Series TM fully automatic transmission.

Repower said in a press release dated 20 December 2024 that it acquired the entire intellectual property and patent portfolio from ‘Zevx Liquidators LLC’, a special-purpose entity which was formed to liquidate ZEVx’s assets and pay back creditors as an alternative to Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

The Slovak company unveiled the tractor unit at a press event – a Ford F-Max truck retrofitted with a range-extended electric powertrain and dubbed ‘M&I RH120R’.

The vehicle, a 12-tonne Renault Trucks ‘D’ model, was tested and approved by UTAC, which assessed its electromagnetic compatibility in line with UN ECE R100 and the conformity of its braking system.

The USD 26 million contract will upgrade 170 New Flyer Xcelsior XT40 and XT60 trolleybuses originally designed to draw power from overhead lines.

The Northern Irish bus manufacturer says that the acquisition of RGI will mean that its retrofit business, dubbed ‘NewPower’, will now be able to refurbish old buses in addition to replacing their engines with electric powertrains.

This investment will support the expansion of KleanDrive’s retrofitting capacity and the increased manufacturing capacity of its proprietary advanced ePowertrain technology used to repower diesel ICE buses to electric drive.

Grants totalling USD1.7bn will be made available to support as many as eleven closed or at-risk automotive manufacturing and assembly facilities in switching to the production of electric vehicles and components.

Wrightbus has chosen the Zen Plus batteries due to their high energy density (180 Wh/kg) and long cycle life (5,000). The Zen Plus battery utilises a 77 kWh NMC lithium-ion cells.