Readers of Truck & Bus Builder will be accustomed by now to news stories reporting the demise of yet another electric vehicle startup. Particularly in Britain and in the USA, several new companies in receipt of millions of dollars of investors’ money – either through venture capital funding rounds or the stock market – have faltered in the past year, reducing their business activities to a fraction of their original scope or ceasing to trade altogether. Yet, in late 2024, while all of this was going on, a small British firm successfully raised a sum of GBP17.3m from investors who could justifiably have refused to cough up a single penny towards yet another electric vehicle proposition. Bucking the trend, Sunswap Ltd is showing that a new entrant can bring out a product that is economically as well as environmentally sustainable.

An ‘eTGX’ tractor unit will be put on the road, pulling DPD semi-trailers on a route from the firm’s delivery hub in Hinckley in central England.

This agreement aims to combine resources to improve on the existing cab designs in terms of aerodynamics, comfort and safety. Production of the first cabins is anticipated to commence by 2028.

We spoke with Tim Dortans, Vice President Global Sales – Mobility Road at Hübner, who explained the strategy for growth in two key markets, Turkey and India.

This marks a significant growth of 1,791% in its electric vehicle service portfolio over the past 12 months.

Ten ‘Trollino’ 18-metre trolleybuses will be used to transport passengers in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo.

The ‘RD1’ is an upgrade on Masats’ previous ramp designs which combines an electric ramp with a manual ramp, meaning that the latter can be employed in the case of a power failure.

New European legislation mandates tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) for all new commercial vehicles, including trailers, requiring real-time alerts for pressure changes exceeding 20%.

The new-gen Strata provides improved accessibility and greater interior room for up to thirty passengers in its largest configuration.

Webasto claims that, using a combination of mechanical, thermal, and hydrometallurgical methods, Cylib can fully recover lithium, graphite, and other materials from a used battery pack, exceeding the requirements of upcoming European Union regulations.

The millionth truck was a diesel ‘Renault Trucks T’, a heavy-duty model which will be used by Portuguese haulier TJA.

This figure of 14,405 for city buses with alternative drivelines was marginally higher (+6.5%) than the 13,466 units registered in 2023, which was due, DVV explained, to higher volumes of electric buses.