The Ghent factory is assembling battery electric versions of the heavy-duty FH, FM, and FMX ranges on the same production line as the diesel and natural gas ones.

The vehicle shown was a 26-tonne ‘E-Tech D Wide’ 6x2 chassis with inward folding "bus-style" doors and low step height.

A multi-year deal signed earlier this year with waste management company, Biffa, ensures that an initial order of up to ten 26-tonne Mercedes-Benz Econic diesel-powered refuse vehicles will be repowered with Lunaz electric drivetrains, saving an estimated 210 tonnes of carbon a year.

A European customer has now taken five vehicles, and Quantron’s CEO, Michael Perschke, said its orders amount to up to 100 units.

Tractor sales in the first quarter (April to June) of 2023-24 increased by 51.9% to register 14,479 units compared with 9,535 units in the same quarter of the previous year (FY 2022-23).

The FH – standing for ‘Forward control High entry’ – was launched to replace the ‘F’ series of trucks which had been in production for over 15 years.

The vehicle presented at the show was a first demonstrator, but Schaeffler and VDL have plans to produce more, with the aim of commencing customer pilots in Germany in 2025.

Sales of medium and heavy-duty rigid trucks (7.5t gvw and above) in India experienced a contraction of 10.4% in Q1 (April-June) of FY2023-24 to register 52,356 units, down from 58,443 units in same quarter of the year 2022-23.

There are now seven autonomous FH trucks operating at the site, managed remotely via a touch screen in the wheel loader. 

Latent demand has boosted sales of buses and coaches (7.5t GVW and above) in India, amongst other reasons, with registrations up by 38.9% in the first quarter (April to June) of the financial year 2023-24 to register 10,939 units compared with 7,876 units in the same quarter of the previous financial year (FY2022-23).

Sales of light-duty buses and coaches (7.5t & below) rose by 24.6% to register 14,438 units in the first fiscal quarter (April to June) of 2023, up from 11,590 units in Q1 of FY2022.

Sales of light-duty trucks (goods carrier vehicles of GVW ≤ 7.5t) in the first quarter (April to June) of fiscal year 2023-24 decreased by 8.9% to 124,834 units, down from 137,044 units in same period of Q1/FY2022-23.