With deliveries set for Q4 of 2023, the lithium-ion battery pack comes in two forms, the HV-90 (35 kWh) and HV-180 (70 kWh) and will serve both 400V and 800V applications. With a 25-year projected lifetime, the company claims these are the longest-lasting high-voltage batteries available on the market today.

On 3 August, the company celebrated the opening of its 100th Fleetrite location at Kyrish Truck Center, based in Willis, Texas.

The Primaax EX is recommended to customers who need trucks for vocational and heavy haulage applications.

Blue Bird has expanded its production capacity to 5,000 electric school buses a year after it recently opened its ‘Electric Vehicle Build-up Centre’ at the company’s primary U.S. production facility in Fort Valley, Georgia.

In his role as Chair of the Audit Committee, Foulston will be expected to secure the financial stability of the company whilst ensuring that it remains on track for the series production of its new 200kW fuel cell system in 2024.

The school bus utilises 196kWh batteries which have 25 percent more capacity than previous generations and fast charging capabilities allows the bus to be fully charged in three hours. Furthermore, this generation is 450 kg (1000 pounds) lighter, making it more efficient than its predecessors.

The recent expansion involved deploying a third 2X8 assembly line to increase production rates, meaning that the annual total capacity of the facility now hits 2,400 vehicles per year.

Sigma Powertrain's flagship product is the EMAX, an electric drive system for electric vehicles in classes 6-8, as well as offroad vehicles and heavy equipment. It incorporates a transmission based on a patented design which uses no hydraulics.

The investment will go into preparing the plant for production of its next-generation internal combustion engine (ICE) for full-size light-duty trucks.

The decision symbolises a move towards electrification whilst the company will still serve the traditional ICE powertrains as the industry transitions to zero-emission transportation.

The merger with ElectraMeccanica, which is expected to complete in the fourth quarter of this year, is being made with the view of combining industrial assets on both sides of the Atlantic and scaling up electric vehicle production for the European and North American markets. 

It is believed that a defective component was responsible for a coolant leak which led to a truck fire at Nikola headquarters on 23 June, according to the findings of a third party investigation.