The EPA’s latest “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles”, now in its third phase, stipulates the maximum permitted emissions in grams per ton-mile that will be allowed for each subcategory of vehicle – divided according to its weight and application.

Delegates of Hydrogen UK’s annual conference, held at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham on 12 March, left the event with no doubts about the future of the burgeoning hydrogen economy. Opening the conference, Clare Jackson, CEO of Hydrogen UK, declared that “net zero is not possible without hydrogen”. The burning question is, will the UK have any significant part in its development?

Kempower has won a grant for EUR 10 million from Business Finland, a state development agency, to develop a heavy-duty electric truck charging network across the country. The government funds will be paid over five years, whilst an additional EUR 20 million will finance future projects under the charging infrastructure development programme (Heavy Electric Traffic Ecosystem).

The German Ministry of Transport confirmed to local media, that this is the last time the federal government funds or subsidises e-buses or e-trucks. Funds allocated for projects up until 2027 will remain. A combination of high inflation, energy instability (gas supply from Russia) and a downturn in productivity has resulted in the German government revising its 2024 economic forecast down from 1.3% to just 0.2%.

MoRTH has issued a new regulation mandating that the trucks manufactured on and after October 1, 2025, must be fitted with air conditioning for drivers; the new regulation will apply to trucks above 3.5 tons gross vehicle weight (GVW) – applies to trucks in the N2 and N31 categories.

The European Parliament in Brussels has agreed improved Weights and Dimensions Directive rules, moving from an initial 40-tonne heavy-goods gross vehicle weight limit to 44-tonnes. The caveat, however, is that after 2034, these weight exemptions will only apply to zero-emission vehicles.

For the first time, the legislation covers cars, vans, and heavy-duty vehicles in one single piece of legislation. The above-mentioned agreement retains the Euro 6 emissions limits for cars and vans but adds stricter limits for buses and trucks, whilst introducing new limits for particles emitted from the exhaust, tyres and brakes.

From 7 July this year, all newly registered vehicles in the European Union must comply with the second tranche of rules known as the ‘General Safety Regulation’ (“GSR II”). These regulations will require all new road vehicles to be installed with more advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) which employ some of the latest innovations being made at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence. These include systems for intelligent speed assistance; reversing detection with cameras and/or sensors; attention warnings in case of driver drowsiness or distraction; event data recorders; and emergency stop signals.

The money will finance the construction of a 72,000-square-foot extension, which will expand the total size of the facility to 352,000 square feet.

At the show, Hyvia presented a Renault Master van with fuel cell electric driveline which was converted into a workshop vehicle by Kollé of Santeny.

Specific testing will evaluate the electric and thermal performance of the HFC in real-world conditions. Ultimately, this is another step in bringing this product to market.

Hexagon has supplied Ford Trucks with a complete hydrogen fuel storage system for the development of a fuel-cell electric-powered truck (F-Max FCEV) prototype. As a partner in the project, Ford Trucks will develop and deliver the F-Max FCEV, which will operate as part of a larger fleet of zero-emission trucks collecting data from around Europe.