The bus manufacturer said it is looking to fill around 100 skilled and semi-skilled production positions at its factory in Northern Ireland, along with 50 apprenticeships.

The Enviro400EVs are fitted with roof-mounted charging rails that allow their 472kWh battery system to be topped up from pantographs installed at the Harrogate bus station.

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 company now aims to acquire certificates from FMVSS, as well as the California Air Resources Board and the Environmental Protection Agency, before the end of the year, making its ‘P7’ vehicles roadworthy and eligible for incentives.

The new test centre, jointly operated by FEV Group, in Oued Zem complements two cold weather sites in Finland, north of the Arctic Circle.

The company has started deliveries of its ATM 28T Full Elec electric yard tractors to Amazon in the United States, an order comprising 329 vehicles. The vehicles are produced at Gaussin’s manufacturing facility in Saint-Vallier, France.

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 prototype truck is a 560-horsepower plug-in hybrid which pulls an 18-metre trailer installed with solar panels.

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.

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

Corinne Aaron has been appointed as the new Chief Marketing Officer taking over from Linnéa Kornehed Falck, who will be focusing on her new role as Deputy CEO and Executive Member of the Board.