February saw PepsiCo take delivery of its first electric heavy-duty truck in Brazil; a semi-heavy rigid (15t ≤ gvw up to 40 tons) P25 6x2 Scania truck, produced in Sweden, which is to be used for internal logistics goods distribution operations between PepsiCo’s four factories* in the state of São Paulo.

According to the latest agreement, the companies plan to co-develop electric heavy-duty trucks (both battery-electric and fuel-cell electric) for the European market.

The acquisition is part of a EUR54m investment by the National Transport Authority which will fund the replacement of Limerick’s bus fleet with battery-powered vehicles.

The funding is being allocated to the government’s Zero Emission Buses Regional Area (ZEBRA, now ZEBRA 2) Scheme, initially launched in 2021 to allow local transport authorities to bid for funding for zero-emission buses and supporting infrastructure.

Due to the next-generation battery technology supplied by Polish battery company Impact Clean Power Technology, ADL has increased its “warrantable energy throughput” of its next-gen electric buses (Enviro400EV and Enviro100EV).

The first vehicle is being tested over 2,500 kilometres on the streets of Plzeň, after which it will be delivered to the customer later this year.

The truck is travelling over 10,000 kilometres between April and July, making 60 stops in 7 European countries.

The startup manufacturer says that one of the key changes to the 2024 model ‘Xos SV’ is the addition of an anti-lock braking system with hill hold to improve its drivability.

Electric vans developed under the joint venture, called 'Flexis SAS', will be serially manufactured at Sandouville, where Renault has produced over a million mid-sized vans (‘Trafic’) since it opened ten years ago.

The eTrucks will be offered in 4x2 and 6x2 axle configurations and a myriad of options affecting the wheelbase, the cab, the number of batteries, the battery pack layout, the position of the charging port, suspension, and so on.

New York Mayor, Eric Adams, announced USD 77 million in federal funding for the New York School Bus Incentive Program (NYSBIP), which provides subsidies to help NY school districts fund the acquisition of 180 new electric school buses.

The first project is a joint program with Czech truck manufacturer, Tatra Trucks to co-develop a specialised off-road truck prototype called the “Battery Electric Tatra Truck” with multi-speed Transmission (BETTT). Eaton will be responsible for the development of the power distribution unit (PDU) and 4-speed EV transmission.