The first series produced Cristal Shuttle Bus has come off the production line in February this year at the premises of the New Mobilities division of the Lohr Group in Hangenbieten, France.

Toyota Motor Corporation of Toyota, Japan has developed packaging to house fuel cell systems into compact modules, which, it says, it plans to begin selling it in the spring of 2021 or later. The new module is designed to be utilised easily by companies developing and manufacturing fuel cell systems for a wide variety of applications, including transport such as trucks, buses, trains and ships.

Solaris Bus & Coach is trialling its new 15-metre intercity version of its Urbino LE Electric bus as part of a demonstration programme involving several Norwegian operators from Oslo and the surrounding area.

Westport Fuel Systems Inc of Vancouver, Canada and AVL, the Austrian-headquartered independent specialist in development, simulation and testing of powertrain systems, have jointly released a report entitled: ‘Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis for Heavy Duty Hydrogen Fuelled Powertrains.’

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg have produced a structural battery claimed to perform ten times better than all previous versions.

Alexander Dennis Ltd of Larbert, part of NFI Group, has secured a further 172 electric bus orders through the Scottish Government’s award of GBP40.5m in funding to bus operators through a second round of the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme.

The Lion Electric Company, a Canadian manufacturer of all-electric medium and heavy-duty urban vehicles, is investing in the construction of a battery manufacturing plant and innovation centre in Quebec.

Dennis Eagle, part of the Terberg RosRoca Group, is entering the US waste disposal and refuse collection market with a new specialist truck.

Alexander Dennis Ltd of Larbert, UK, part of Winnipeg, Canada’s, NFI Group Inc, says its next generation double deck hydrogen bus can deliver a zero-emission range of up to 300 miles (480km).

Dana has acquired Detroit-based Pi Innovo, a specialist in embedded software solutions and electronic control units to support the light vehicle, commercial vehicle and off-highway markets.

Highland Electric Transportation (Highland) of Hamilton, Massachusetts, a provider of turnkey electric fleet solutions has been awarded a contract by the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Board of Education (Maryland) to change its entire school bus fleet to electric, starting with 326 school buses over the next four years.

ARBOC Specialty Vehicles LLC (Arboc), a mobility accessible midi-bus builder and subsidiary of NFI Group Inc based in Middlebury, Indiana, USA has launched a battery-electric low-floor bus called the Equess CHARGE.