New company to help improve competitiveness of battery-powered trucks

Readers may recall that, two years ago, we published a feature on TCCI Manufacturing, explaining why the longstanding Midwest supplier of compressors had decided to invest in a new facility on its home turf in Decatur, Illinois. In that article, Richard and Kara Demirjian outlined their plan to open a 260,000-square-foot “Clean Energy Innovation Hub” comprised of three facilities: a plant dedicated to the production of compressors for electric vehicles; a whole-vehicle test centre; and an academy to train the next generation of EV technicians. The innovation hub was officially unveiled by the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, at the end of April 2025, and so Truck & Bus Builder used the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo to get an update on TCCI’s newest investment.

This product launch aligns with Daimler Buses’ wider strategic pivot toward electrification and digitalisation.

It is less than a year since German automotive components giant Schaeffler merged with Vitesco Technologies Group to form a single “motion technology company”. Retaining the Schaeffler name, the new company is now in the process of combining the two product lines of Schaeffler and Vitesco together under a single brand. At the company’s stand at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo – held between 28 April and 1 May in Anaheim, California – the two companies’ portfolios were nearly indistinguishable. It marked the first time that the newly-merged company presented itself as a supplier of comprehensive system solutions to the North American commercial vehicle market.

This initiative underscores Bosch's commitment to fostering technological innovation, particularly in areas such as energy efficiency, artificial intelligence (AI), automation, climate technologies, and healthcare systems.

Currently, PMI Electro claims to operate 2,000 electric buses across 31 cities in India and has an order book of more than 3,000 vehicles.

The joint initiative plans to launch its first 2.5 MWh energy storage system in the UK by the final quarter of 2025. This system will utilise retired Forsee Power batteries, transforming them into a resource for grid support and renewable energy integration.

As part of the agreement, Volvo will support GB Auto in upgrading its bus manufacturing facility by providing corporate and technical expertise as well as ongoing guidance with quality control and sustainable sourcing.

This will help the customer ramp-up of hydrogen-powered vehicles and aligns with Keyou’s broader strategy to offer "H2 Mobility as a Service," providing holistic hydrogen solutions for zero-emission transportation.

The announcement was made following a launch event held in the city of Dubai in the middle of April together with MAN’s local importer, Darwish bin Ahmed & Sons, which has sold MAN trucks in the emirates for thirty years.

This year’s edition of the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo featured a more balanced range of driveline technologies, from battery and fuel cell electric at one end of the scale to propane, natural gas, and hydrogen combustion at the other. However, decarbonising the internal combustion engine is not as simple as replacing diesel with a different fuel; the different combustion characteristics of natural gas and hydrogen require alterations be made to the engine so that it works optimally with the new fuel type. One company which has thought long and hard about how to make these necessary tweaks is Eaton Corp. Scott Adams, who is senior vice president of technology and global products for Eaton’s Mobility Group, guided Truck & Bus Builder through the company’s portfolio, showing cutting-edge prototypes as well as its established range of power management technologies.

After attending the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in the past two years, we were of the view that the USA may catch up with Europe to become the world’s largest electric vehicle market after China. Following the 2025 edition of the ACT Expo – held between 28 April and 1 May in Anaheim, California – I now have serious doubts about how long it will take for America to overtake Europe, if it happens at all. There was a palpable shift away from electric vehicles in favour of alternatives such as natural gas, propane, and hybrid vehicles. Once the stars of the show, these options faded into the background when California’s zero emission vehicle mandate passed into law. Now, the progressive state has repealed the mandate, after the Environmental Protection Agency in January 2025 withdrew the waiver which allowed California to enforce zero emission quotas on fleets; consequently, the low-emission alternatives to diesel and electric are enjoying a revival of interest from many kinds of customer.