Easymile SAS has begun an autonomous vehicle pilot project at the Wörth plant of Daimler Truck AG. The TractEasy project is operating an autonomous tow tractor to transport production parts outdoors across a 900m route with mixed traffic conditions.

The Northern Irish coachbuilder will supply Volgren with all the necessary components to assemble a hydrogen powertrain, so that they can be integrated into buses built locally in Australia.

V Orlandi SpA is an Italian manufacturer known for its various components for connecting tractor units to semi-trailers. As it happens, so is its parent company SAF-Holland SE, which acquired Orlandi in 2018. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that SAF-Holland is currently merging Orlandi more closely with its own business operations, with the aim of combining them into a single business unit for towing systems.

The startling ambition of Evum Motors GmbH is evinced by its name. It is derived from the Latin word aevum which, among other things, means “eternity” – a grandiose claim for a company which is only five years old. But what Evum Motors may lack in experience is made up for by its sheer confidence: confidence, that is, in a unique proposition which might well sidestep and get ahead of the more conventional designs of the commercial vehicle giants.

Benalu SA is a formidable presence in its home territory of France. The specialist manufacturer of aluminium tippers and moving floor semi-trailers claims that it controls 32% of the tipper market in France; a marked contrast to its performance in Italy where it sold just 30 units from its entire portfolio in 2021.

The Pommier Group of Cergy-Pontoise, France is diligently working to expand the range of products that it is well known for – couplings, protection, fixings, locks, and lights for all kinds of truck and trailer bodywork.

Tecnokar Trailers Srl is one of the major players in the Italian trailer market. As of 2021, it is fifth place in the semi-trailer market, with a 7.4% share, down only slightly on the previous year.

Sales figures by semi-trailer brand for 2021, published by the Associazione Nazionale Filiera Industria Automobilistica (ANFIA), show the predominance of foreign companies in the Italian trailer market.

The E-Tech Master OptiModale is a battery-electric box truck with two compartments which open to reveal storage and charging spaces for an electric cargo bike and a parcel-carrying drone.

The components division of DAF Trucks N.V. is set to supply 100 PACCAR MX-11 engines to Turkish bus manufacturer Otokar. The Euro VI engines will be fitted to 100 Otokar Metrobuses for operation in Istanbul.

Daimler Truck AG has upgraded its Mercedes-Benz OC 500 bus chassis for Euro VI engines with new models for both the RF (raised floor) and LE (low entry) models. The new variant features ADAS systems such as sideguard and brake assist to improve safety.

cellcentric GmbH & Co, a 50:50 joint venture between Daimler Truck AG and AB Volvo, has announced it intends to build a hydrogen fuel cell production facility in Weilheim, Germany.