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.

The Enviro100EV body was constructed in Zhuhai, China, and the chassis assembled at Alexander Dennis's facility in Scarborough, England.

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.

According to Kleanbus, conversions cost just 20% of the cost of a new battery-electric bus and offer, when completed, significantly lower emissions to the diesel powered vehicle it replaces.

The Northern Irish bus manufacturer announced its re-entry into the British coach market with the launch of a new diesel model and the promised launch of a fuel cell electric variant in the near future.

The UK government committed GBP 86 million to improve air quality in the region, of this amount, GBP 51.1 million is allocated directly towards bus investments, which includes the acquisition of 40 fully electric buses and the necessary charging infrastructure.

Kögel aims to strengthen its market presence in the UK and Ireland with a medium-term objective of capturing a 10% market share.

Bosch announced its decision to discontinue collaboration on solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technologies with Ceres and to consider selling its 17.44% stake in the company which led to a sharp decline in the British firm's share price.

Volvo says the order books are “open” for the UNVI-bodied coach, which is based on the ‘B13R’ chassis produced by Volvo at its factory in Boras, Sweden.

In the 2000s, there were three major manufacturers of buses and bus bodies in the United Kingdom: Alexander Dennis of Scotland; Wrightbus of Northern Ireland; and Optare, a relatively young company based in the north of England. For a time, Optare probably accounted for a quarter of the buses and coaches produced in the UK. Optare entered the 2020s under a new name, Switch Mobility Ltd, signalling its intention to embrace the electric era wholeheartedly. However, among the British manufacturers, it remains firmly in third place: according to statistics provided by Switch, it sold 33 buses in 2022, 44 in 2023, and 125 in 2024. In that same period, Switch’s plant in England has produced more than two hundred vehicles, the vast majority of which were sold to various UK operators, including Stagecoach, Arriva, and many more. 

Some 50 speakers will be making presentations on the UK’s CV industry over three days at the CV Show - April 29th to May 1, 2025.

‘Renault Trucks UK Training Academy’, located in the village of Whetstone, near Leicester, will provide accredited and manufacturer-specific technical training to technicians and apprentices, combining practical and classroom-based learning.