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 Now, the progressive state has repealed the mandate, after the Environmental Protection Agency in January 2025 withdrew the waiver which allowed California to enforce zero emission quotas on fleets;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.

The American startup announced a partnership with the Japanese giant for the supply of cylindrical lithium-ion ‘2170’ cells, offering an energy density above 800 watt-hours per litre.

New pickup truck to go on sale in China in late 2025.

Trial production to start in Q4, 2025.

At the end of January, the European Commission kicked off a series of strategic dialogues with business leaders from the automotive industry to review regulations which set mandatory CO2 emission targets for newly-registered vehicles. In a press release, the ACEA alleged that car and van manufacturers could face fines of up to EUR16bn this year for failing to comply with the regulation. Cummins expects that a similar target for CVs – a 43% reduction starting in 2030 – will not be achieved without a drastic transformation of the market. Echoing the opinion of the ACEA, Lamb told Truck & Bus Builder that “the rollout of infrastructure for both electric and hydrogen vehicles is slower than will be needed to meet the 2030 target”.

The truck developed by Scania is a 230-kW series hybrid running primarily on battery-electric power, with a 120-kW petrol-powered generator to provide backup energy.

Farizon signs local joint venture partnership.

The contract stipulates a firm order for 75 ‘Xcelsior’ hybrid electric buses (40 feet in length) and 25 ‘Xcelsior Charge NG’ battery electric buses (35 feet in length).

Chinese automaker continues global roll-out.

T&BB spoke with BAE Systems, who have thirty years of proven experience delivering hybrid electric drivetrains. They are proposing its parallel hybrid technology to help truck OEMs meet their emissions obligations on both sides of the Atlantic.

According to its trials so far, the hybrid system helps extend the range of the Hiace by 20%, increasing it to 250 km compared with models powered solely by a hydrogen engine.

Set to be launched in 2027, the system integrates the Cummins B-Series engine with Allison's eGen Flex electric hybrid propulsion technology, meeting the EPA's Phase 3 greenhouse gas emissions standards.