The total number of alternative drivelines in city buses in Western Europe (+Poland) totalled 7,747 units accounting for 58.9% of total city bus registrations in 2020 of 13,140 units, according to market analysis by Wim Chatrou of Chatrou CME Solutions of The Netherlands.

Tyre manufacturer, Michelin of Clement-Ferrand, France, has launched its first range of dedicated electric bus tyres with the introduction of the new Michelin X InCity EV Z for the original equipment and replacement markets.

Renault Trucks SAS of Lyon, a Volvo Group subsidiary, is planning to offer electric trucks in each market segment from 2023 – covering distribution, construction and long distance. To support these developments and be able to offer a complete and competitive Renault Trucks range on the market, the company is setting up an organisation dedicated to electric mobility.

With an investment of more than USD30m, the Michelin Group of Clermont-Ferrand, France has started construction of its first ever end-of-life tyre recycling plant in the Antofagasta region of Chile, South America.

Kögel Trailer GmbH of Burtenbach has appointed Lionel Blancheton and Hernán Ceballos as country-specific consultants in the Kögel After Market division in France and Spain/Portugal.

Turin, Italy-based FPT Industrial is celebrating the production of its 10,000th Cursor NG. The natural gas engines are produced at its Bourbon-Lacey factory in France.

Paris-based transport operator, Transdev Group, is planning to introduce autonomous shuttles into global transport systems starting in Europe.

The first series produced Cristal Shuttle Bus has come off the production line in February this year at the premises of the New Mobilities division of the Lohr Group in Hangenbieten, France.

Forsee Power is launching a new generation of extra-thin batteries called SLIM. They are said to compose the thinnest modular range in the world and will be equipped with a liquid cooling system and can be applied for use in all types of heavy vehicle.

Paris-based Forsee Power, producer of smart battery systems for electro-mobility markets, has secured a loan of EUR50m from the European Investment Bank (EIB) taking finance borrowings in 2020 and to date to EUR105m for investment and in support of its growth into new electromobility markets and geographies.

French group, UTAC CERAM and British test engineering group, Millbrook Proving Ground Ltd, both key engineering partners to automotive customers in Europe and around the world, plan to merge operations to create a market leading group in vehicle testing, homologation, and emerging technologies for autonomous, connected, and electric vehicles.

Groupe Renault and Plug Power Inc have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch a 50-50 joint-venture based in France by the end of the first half of 2021.