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.

Why do tech startups tend to concentrate in certain countries and regions? Or, to put it another way, why are some places more favourable to the growth of new companies than others? These are questions that bear greater relevance to the commercial vehicle industry today, as manufacturers search for partners to work with on the digital technologies which will make our trucks and buses smarter and more connected.

Following its partnership agreement with REE, Knapheide will now be upfitting ‘P7-C’ cab chassis with bodies on a made-to-order basis.

The patented software helps detect early battery defects and will aid GM in developing an early hazard detection system for batteries. The value behind this software is that it doesn’t require additional hardware or sensors to monitor minor changes that have the potential to impact battery health.

The weight of the new generation i6S Efficient has been reduced by 950 kgs and its emissions reduced by up to 13% compared with previous generations. The vehicle is available on any chassis on the market and in an integral version with two or three axles, from 10.78 to 15 metres, between 36 – 55 seats and DAF engines from 364 hp to 522 hp.

The first driver-supervised road tests are taking place in Israel with an ‘eCentro’ midibus supplied by Otokar.

Mobileye will supply its autonomous driving hardware along with its ‘Road Experience Management’ real-time mapping software which uses dynamic roadmaps to inform the autonomous vehicle’s decision making.

The ‘P7-C’ adds a low, cab-over body to the front of the P7 modular “skateboard”, powered by REE Automotive’s electro-mechanical steering & braking system.

This will require the integration of wireless technology into new commercial vehicles released in the market in the future as well as the collaboration to shape the standardisation of wireless EV charging.

The company said it ended the year with liquidity of USD154m, which it believes will be enough to kickstart production of its ‘P7’ modular electric vehicle platform later this year.

REE has also entered into an agreement with Mitsubishi HC Capital America, which has committed to provide financing to its North American dealers and to help REE expand its distribution network further.

According to the terms of the supply and purchase agreement between the two companies, Microvast will provide ‘MV-C Gen 4’ battery packs to REE for its CV platform for weight classes 1 to 6.