Van Hool will supply 54 units of the ‘A15LE E’ line of buses which are powered by two ZF ‘Axtrax’ wheel hub motors (2 x 140kW) and Akasol batteries providing up to 686 kWh energy capacity.

The German retrofit firm announced a series of appointments to key leadership positions in its ‘Quantron USA Inc’ subsidiary, which it established late last year. 

Refrigerated Trailer Rentals Holland BV of Barendrecht fitted the engineless ‘Advancer-e’ to a trailer which it has now leased to Dailycool, a transporter of groceries.

Two bodies - a caged dropside van and a refrigerated box van - are targeted at commercial and vocational applications.

Siemens will supply its newest iterations of the long-running ‘Simatic’ line of PLCs (i.e., industrial computers) and will train Continental engineers in the use of its ‘Totally Integrated Automation Portal’.

Once it is outfitted with equipment, the factory will employ more than 160 people, who will be engaged in producing an internal combustion engine platform for new vehicles sold under Traton’s brands.

Daimler Truck’s aim is to replace legacy systems inherited from its former parent, Mercedes-Benz Group, with a new system which integrates workflows and product design across all of its brands.

The Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr (“Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport”, or BMDV) has committed a total of EUR24.6m in subsidies to Volta Trucks’ German customers.

The German component and mobility systems manufacturer published its annual report for 2022, showing a 14% increase on its total sales for 2021, which were EUR38bn.

Over the next five years the global market for bus and coach is expected to almost double from around 169,000 in 2022 to 309,000 in 2027, according to Krishna Achutan, Program Manager at Frost & Sullivan speaking at a Busworld foundation seminar at Busworld North America.

Its subsidiary, PowerCo, will build gigafactories for EV battery cells in Sagunto, near Valencia, Spain, and in St Thomas, Ontario, Canada, to open in 2026 and 2027 respectively.

The agreement with Italian lightweight automotive components manufacturer, Poggipolini, will see both companies combine resources, skills and research and development projects regarding battery module and pack design solutions to service the automotive EV sector.