What a difference a year can make! A year ago, Truck & Bus Builder attended the “E-Bus Test” in the German city of Bonn, organised yearly by the German magazine Omnibus Spiegel. It is a fantastic opportunity for European journalists to ride on and test drive the latest electric buses, some of which have yet to launch in the market. In this regard, the 2025 edition of the e-bus test was no different. However, the outlook for the electric bus market in Europe is less certain now than it was even just twelve months ago. A representative of Stadtwerke Bonn, the operator of Bonn’s urban transport system which hosted the e-bus test at its depot, told attendees at the event that it is no longer looking for incentives to purchase electric buses from the European Union. Those dried up a while ago, and the city of Dortmund – to give just one example – has gone back to purchasing diesel buses. There is not a great deal of hope either that the new government in Germany will announce further support for electric buses and charging infrastructure.

The company demonstrated these products on its stand at the 2025 Advanced Clean Technology Expo (ACT Expo) (April 28 – May 1) in Anaheim, California.

Partnership allows Hino to access nationwide charging network in China

According to SMMT’s own post-show review, “more than 400 senior representatives from industry, government, and the infrastructure, energy, fleets, insurance and logistics sectors” were in attendance to discuss “the transition to zero emission mobility”. Certainly, the conference drew a large and diverse crowd of people, but while the auditorium spilled over with attendees, the speeches and panel discussions were light on substance. Lilian Greenwood, Member of Parliament and undersecretary to the transport secretary, did not explain how the Starmer government would provide certainty to the industry in its transition to electric, other than a bland assertion that the 2030 and 2035 bans on combustion-engine cars and vans, which have already been moved twice, were “iron-clad” targets that the current government would stick to.

This different approach involves installing Kempower's charging equipment below ground, effectively preserving truck parking space at logistics depots.

The partnership aims to simplify the transition to electric fleets by addressing challenges related to infrastructure, scalability, and cost. Bollinger's dealer network will offer EO Charging's solutions to ensure seamless electrification for businesses of all sizes.

These hubs will offer electric charging, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), hydrogen, and bio-compressed natural gas (bio-CNG) to support the rollout of zero-emission commercial vehicles.

The company stated that the market for electric charging infrastructure is labouring under “strong price pressures” and declining growth potential for low-power chargers.

The companies say the partnership aims to deploy 1,000 electric commercial vehicles (eLCVs and buses) over the next three to five years.

Mahle says it will supply its cooling systems to a European cable manufacturer and outfitter of megawatt chargers.

Flixbus - driving demand for e-coach in India.

Partnership will build a charging network across China for commercial vehicles