As manufacturers increasingly move towards producing electric, “software-defined” vehicles, Volkswagen CEO, Oliver Blume said that aesthetics will replace “traditional unique selling propositions” (i.e., technical design) as the key differentiator between brands.

According to group figures, the Commercial Vehicle Systems (CVS) Division has profited from positive market developments, with incoming orders and an order book of EUR 2,212 million, up 15.8% on the previous year’s corresponding order book value (H1/22: EUR 1,911m).

The new test rig is specifically designed to validate its hollow fibre membrane products for its OEM customers.

In order to drive up consumer interest, the company has been publishing many of its tests. The latest endeavour saw the eActros 600 complete a five-week test in temperatures of up to 44 degrees Celsius in Andalusia, Spain.

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

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.

Toyota Tsusho Nexty Electronics Europe GmbH will supply Toyota’s proprietary fuel cell to Pepper Motion, including auxiliary components.

The German company plans to develop 400-volt and 800-volt variants for its electric drive systems for passenger cars and commercial vehicles.

The company has broken ground on a new (EUR 85 million) 240,000 square foot (22,000 square meters) distribution centre in the city of Massbach, Bayern, Germany to support parts supply to DAF customers in Germany, Switzerland and France.

The company has produced and delivered over 28,000 units to date and, of these, around 85% are used for waste disposal applications, mostly across Europe.

The X-treme material has been specially developed for commercial vehicle applications that are subject to very high mechanical stress. The material is suitable as a side wall element due to its resistance to hailstorms and resistance to UV radiation.

Siemens said that the acquisition, which would merge Heliox into its existing eMobility portfolio of charging products, will expand its coverage to DC fast chargers for trucks and buses.