The Iveco SpA / Plus Inc heavy-duty truck (Iveco S-Way) installed with Plus’s level 4 autonomous driving technology (‘PlusDrive’), is to begin its first customer trial in Q1 2024, with German drugstore retailer, dm-drogerie markt.

The company purchased the Delta S3 simulator from Ansible Motion and has been fine-tuning it for its specific use over the last 12 months. This will allow for virtual tyre tests, which is expected to shorten development times and save on raw materials when compared with track testing.

The new facility, spanning 1,300 square metres, can accommodate every stage of battery development between prototyping and small-scale production, according to Mahle Powertrain.

Representatives from Spain, France and Italy were in attendance. Under the theme of “Enginuity”, a comprehensive product range for the cargo transport, cold chain, and construction (tippers and platforms) sectors were on the stand.

The two sites set to close are the tyre plants located in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg and Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate.

The company has appointed Christian Wilz as the new head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks in Germany, taking over from Joachim Schlereth who is retiring at the end of the year. Wilz’s responsibilities will be for sales and service of Mercedes-Benz and Fuso brand trucks in Germany.

The largest battery conference in Europe is set to take place between November 5 to 7, 2024, at the Darmstadtium Science and Congress Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.

The joint venture, dubbed ‘Juna’, is based in Berlin and employs the digital freight-forwarding technology developed by Sennder.

Representing an approximate investment of USD600m, the new facility will be developed along “vertical production” principles a la Tesla, meaning that battery and vehicle assembly will take place at the same location.

YA II PN Ltd, a hedge fund managed by Yorkville Advisors, has agreed to invest an undisclosed sum in Sono Motors in order to keep it solvent until at least the end of 2024.

The market for electric vehicles in North America is currently a very crowded one. In the wake of two crucial U.S. government bills – the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021) and the Inflation Reduction Act (2022) – established OEMs and startups are enjoying a boost in interest as grants and tax incentives support the expansion of EV manufacturing, sales, and charging/fuelling infrastructure.

This will help Daimer Truck further assess the vehicle's capabilities as well as evaluate the viability of the charging infrastructure around the Wörth area.