Truck & Bus Builder

30/07/2024

Last month T&BB attended ZF’s ‘Global Technology Day’ held at its test track in Jeversen, in the north of Hanover. ZF used the event to promote one of its latest innovations, a new hybrid drive system.

Read the full report here:

At this year’s ‘Global Technology Day’ – held at its test track on 27 June in Jeversen, to the north of Hanover – ZF Group’s CEO, Dr Holger Klein, observed that, while sales of fully electric cars are slowing down, hybrids are seeing “a renaissance”. Fittingly, ZF used the event to p...

25/07/2024

Another trip T&BB made in June - Schmitz Cargobull AG's re**er factory in Vreden, Germany, for its pre-IAA press event.

Read the full article for free to learn about the trailer manufacturer's investments in its "smart" factory in Vreden:

Between 12-13 June, Schmitz Cargobull AG hosted members of the press at its trailer factory in Vreden, located just on the border with the Netherlands. The ostensible reason for our visit was to receive a sneak preview of the company’s newest transport refrigeration product, which will be unveiled...

23/07/2024

Somewhere in western Poland, there is a charging station which was installed by T&BB's Bradley Osborne (with a bit of help, of course!).

It was installed near the HQ of Ekoenergetyka, who made the charger and hosted the CharIn conference in early June.

During the conference, members of the press were taken round the Polish firm's production facility and were informed about the technology - including megawatt charging for trucks.

Read the full report for free at Truck & Bus Builder:

Somewhere in the industrial estate of a small city in western Poland, there is a charging station which was installed by me. The site of the installation was near the headquarters of Ekoenergetyka, the manufacturer of the charging station in question, and the hosts of a conference which brought toge...

18/07/2024

Turkish bus manufacturer Karsan has earned a reputation as a “dark horse” – a previously unknown company which has very quickly surged to prominence in the domestic and European markets.

Karsan apparently owes its growing recognition to its swift adoption of new technologies.

For instance, it was the first to launch an autonomous city bus (to Level 4) on the European and North American markets in 2021 (the ‘Otonom e-Atak’).

Members of the press at Busworld Turkey got to visit the Karsan headquarters and tour its bus plant just outside of Bursa at the end of May.

Read our report on Karsan for free at Truck & Bus Builder:

https://truckandbusbuilder.com/article/2024/07/18/busworld-turkey-2024-karsan-press-visit

16/07/2024

Today we posted one more show report from the last few months - this time from Busworld Turkey, held in Istanbul at the end of May.

Read it for free at Truck & Bus Builder:

In a market like Turkey, it is crucial that domestic and international attendees are able to communicate with one another. One the one hand, Turkey is a giant market with growing infrastructure and, therefore, growing demand for goods and passenger transportation. On the other hand, it has long been...

11/07/2024

This snap came from last week's press trip to Renault Trucks, when T&BB's Bradley and other journalists were taken round the 'Fondation Berliet' near Lyon.

The Berliet T100 behind us was the largest truck in the world when it launched in the 1950s - and, as you can see, it's still a stonking big truck today!

The occasion of the trip was RT's 'Electromobility Days', which involved a tour of the Bourg-en-Bresse heavy truck production line and a ride in the new 'E-Tech T' truck model.

The battery electric T is not as big as the T100, but it's still an impressive truck in its own right!

Many thanks to Renault Trucks France & Renault Trucks UK for organising the trip!

09/07/2024

Earlier this year the T&BB team attended the premier North American Commercial Vehicle technology show. The 2024 Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT Expo / ACT News) Expo was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center between May 20-23.

There was certainly a sense of optimism in the air, with a feeling that the industry is moving in the right direction. Having said that, many of the bottlenecks that plague Europe, such as the lack of charging/hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, remain an impediment to the widespread adoption of zero-emission commercial vehicles.

Read the full show report here:

There was plenty to report from the 2024 edition of the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo held at the Las Vegas Convention Center between May 20-23.

04/07/2024

The bus builders, electric charging manufacturers and components suppliers gathered in Milan from 8 – 10 May at the Next Mobility Exhibition.

Under the themes of “energy transition and sustainable mobility”, the European public transport industry met to demonstrate its new sustainable products/technologies as the sector looks to rapidly decarbonise to meet climate pledges outlined in the European Green Deal.

Read the full show report here:

Under the themes of “energy transition and sustainable mobility”, the European public transport industry met to demonstrate its new sustainable products/technologies as the sector looks to rapidly decarbonise to meet climate pledges outlined in the European Green Deal.

02/07/2024

The 2024 Transpotec Logitec Exhibition took place in the Fiera Milano, Italy, from 8 – 11 May. Most of the European OEMs were present, along with many component manufacturers from around the world. T&BB was of course in attendance to compile a show report from the event.

Read the full show report here:

The 2024 Transpotec Logitec Exhibition took place in the Fiera Milano, Italy, from 8 – 11 May.

27/06/2024

We are attending ZF’s global technology day at its test track in Jeversen, Germany. The company is demonstrating its latest Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) technology in anticipation of the implementation of the EU’s General Safety Regulation’ (“GSR II”) on July 7 this year.

This law requires all newly registered vehicles in the European Union to be installed with more ADAS technology. These include systems for intelligent speed assistance; reversing detection with cameras and/or sensors; attention warnings in case of driver drowsiness or distraction; event data recorders; and emergency stop signals.

For buses and trucks, the regulations are more stringent: in addition to the aforementioned systems, they must also come with blind spot detection, collision mitigation, and tyre pressure monitoring.

For our full interview with Martin Mayer, Head of Global Product Segment ADAS & Electronics at ZF Group, click here:
https://truckandbusbuilder.com/article/2024/02/27/from-passive-to-active-martin-mayer-talks-to-tbb-about-zfs-adas-suite-for-general-safety-regulation-ii

25/06/2024

In April T&BB was in attendance at the new Continental HQ in Hanover, as the company launched the new Conti Eco Gen 5 truck tyre for freight transportation. Hundreds of journalists packed the plush conference room on the first floor of the brand-spanking-new building for the big reveal.

Interestingly, the themes continually reiterated by the various Conti staff included sustainability, cost pressure, digitalisation driving efficiency as well as compliance & safety.

Read the full report here:

Hundreds of journalists packed the plush conference room on the first floor of the brand-spanking-new building for the big reveal. Interestingly, the themes continually reiterated by the various Conti staff included sustainability, cost pressure, digitalisation driving efficiency as well as complian...

20/06/2024

We're always making small improvements to the Truck & Bus Builder website, but here's a recent one we'd like to bring to your attention: A new "Driveline" category, with sub tags including "Battery Electric", "Fuel Cell Electric", and "Hydrogen Combustion".

Previously, we were tagging articles about electric vehicles under Components and Technology: "Electric Drive", "Hydrogen Fuel Cells", etc

From now on, articles specifically about components (motors, fuel cells, engines, etc.) will be tagged separately from those about vehicles with combustion engine or electric drivelines.

At some point, we will retag older articles to reflect this change.

The point is to make it as easy as possible for our readers to find exactly the kind of news and information they're looking for.

18/06/2024

Today we posted our report from Busworld Southeast Asia 2024, held in Jakarta, Indonesia - much larger in scale and well attended following the final removal of all pandemic-era restrictions!

Read the full article for free on our website:

After the 2022 edition of ‘Busworld Southeast Asia’, I argued that the divergent priorities of the Indonesian government and the country’s longstanding bus and coach manufacturers were on full display at the show. At this year’s show, held between 15-17 May at the Jakarta International Expo,...

13/06/2024

T&BB attending a press conference at Schmitz's Vreden (Germany) plant for re**er & dry freight trailer production. The company has been giving us a sneak peek of what they'll present at IAA later this year.

Stay up to date with all the latest developments at Schmitz Cargobull AG here: https://truckandbusbuilder.com/companies/schmitz-cargobull-ag

11/06/2024

Next on our itinerary of shows we attended over the past couple of months: 'Bus2Bus' in Berlin, held at the end of April.

Read the full report on our website:

Truck & Bus Builder attended ‘Bus2Bus’ for the very first time this year since the show’s debut in 2017. It is a biannual event which was postponed in 2021 due to COVID-19; for the 2024 edition (24-25 April), as in previous years, it was held at the Messe Berlin, in the city which is the admin...

06/06/2024

Late last month T&BB was at the 2024 Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham. Plenty of exhibitors turned up to display their new product offerings and of course, we have compiled a show report for you!

Read the full show report here: https://truckandbusbuilder.com/article/2024/06/06/2024-commercial-vehicle-show-report

04/06/2024

One of our editors, Luke, is attending the Road Transport Expo at the NAEC in Stoneleigh to find out more about the latest technological innovations, fleet decarbonisation and the UK's road transport journey to net zero emissions.

Look out for his report on the developments at the show at https://truckandbusbuilder.com/.

30/05/2024

T&BB has been following the launch of Geotab’s long-awaited generative AI-powered fleet management software, Geotab Ace. The software has emerged out of the beta version of Project G, gaining a quiet reputation in the industry as a value-added necessity for fleet managers.

We interviewed David Savage, Geotab’s Vice President for the UK and Ireland to get a better sense of the planned rollout of this new and exciting product.

Read the full article here:

We interviewed David Savage, Geotab’s Vice President for the UK and Ireland to get a better sense of the planned rollout of this new and exciting product.

21/05/2024

Bradley and Luke from our editorial team are at ACT Expo / ACT News in Las Vegas this week. Now the largest commercial vehicle technology show in the US. They are looking forward to meeting up with colleagues and learning more about the latest products, solutions and vehicles designed to decarbonise transport and pave the way to a cleaner, greener future.

Watch out for Truck & Bus Builder’s full report on developments at the show.

16/05/2024

Our editor, Jim Gibbins, is at the autonomous bus station in Zhengzhou, where 12, Level 3 autonomous buses operate daily on a 19-kilometre route around the city. Each vehicle can manoeuvre itself for parking and for pantograph charging. The vehicles use a mix of radar, LiDAR and camera imagery to see and sense the environment. The buses are managed and operated from Yutong’s Cloud Control Centre, which is also located at the bus station.

This project is one of several in cities across China. Yutong says it has collected 120,000 kilometres of data from just the Zhengzhou project alone. Its aim is to make the autonomous bus without a driver safer than with one. Only when this is achieved will Yutong and the government operate the bus without a driver. The timeline is not yet defined when this might happen.

14/05/2024

T&BB recently spoke to REE Automotive - not "ar ee ee" nor "R 3 E", but "ree" - about its unique product and business strategy.

The startup company's dream? To see every CV on the road "powered by REE".

REE is selling two on the American market, but the company's real aim is to get its "by-wire" technology into every truck.

The 'REEcorner' is a module sitting between the wheel and the axle, connecting to driver controls not by mechanical linkages but by wires.

Dr Peter Dow, VP of Engineering, told T&BB about the company's incredibly lean assembly process at its facility in Coventry.

The British site will serve as the blueprint for other "integration centres" which REE plans to set up all over the world as it picks up customers.

It is a small company with large ambitions, but Kim Mathers, VP of Product Marketing & Strategy, told T&BB that REE is cautious about expanding too fast.

It is currently focusing on the American market. REE will showcase its products next week at ACT Expo / ACT News in Las Vegas.

Read the full article at Truck & Bus Builder:

Redesign, reinvent, reimagine: whole new ways of approaching the old problems of engineering and producing a saleable vehicle are encapsulated in two letters, ‘re–’, a tiny prefix which carries a lot of semantic weight. It was while mulling over the possibilities of “redesigning”, “reinv...

09/05/2024

Earlier last month, Omnibusspiegel organised test drives of vehicles from Ebusco, MAN, Daimler Bus, Solaris, MCV, and Rampini.

Read our report on the vehicles and the company presentations from Bonn, Germany:

The European e-bus market gathered in Bonn, Germany to test drive several OEM’s new electric bus (some articulated) offerings. T&BB was in attendance as we gathered at the Stadtwerke Bonn bus depot to begin comparison testing.

07/05/2024

Last month, we attended the official opening of VDL Bus & Coach bv's new bus manufacturing facility in Roeselare, Belgium.

VDL executives and local government officials cut a ribbon to commemorate the opening of the new factory.

However, local media were more interested in an entirely different topic: the bankruptcy of commercial vehicle manufacturer Van Hool and VDL's plan to rescue it with GRW.

The bad news from outside was easily forgotten once we were inside the factory, with its immaculately clean and modern assembly line.

It is dedicated to building the next-gen electric 'Citea'. Across two lines, the factory boasts an annual production capacity of 800 buses.

Read the full article for free at Truck & Bus Builder:

On 10 April, members of the press descended on the Flemish city of Roeselare to visit a new bus factory operated by Dutch company VDL Bus & Coach. Ostensibly, they were there to report on the factory itself and the ribbon cutting ceremony which marked its official opening, but I suspect that the loc...

02/05/2024

It is less than a week to Transpotec Logitec and Next Mobility Exhibition at the Fiera Milano (8 – 11 May) in Milan, Italy. T&BB will be sure to bring you all the latest Commercial Vehicle developments from these two shows.

Tickets can be found here:

Tickets | The trade exhibition organised by Fiera Milano and dedicated to the world of transport and logistics. Next edition: 8-11 May 2024.

30/04/2024

Did you know that in 2023, Isuzu Truck UK was the market leader in the 7.5-tonne UK market? They secured 34.79% of the UK market, up from a 28.32% share in 2022. T&BB decided to delve into the success of Isuzu Truck UK, by interviewing the top management of Stuart Beeton, Head of Sales & Marketing and Peter Murphy, Managing Director of Isuzu Truck UK to get a better understanding of this sales success.

The company is continually looking to expand its business and plans to take advantage of growth in multiple business segments and parts of the United Kingdom. Murphy confirmed that to achieve this, Isuzu Truck UK is making a concerted effort to increase its presence throughout the UK. Furthermore, Isuzu Truck UK plans to have a large presence at this year’s Road Transport Expo (2024) taking place from 4 – 6 June at the NAEC, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, UK.

25/04/2024

T&BB is all over Europe this week. Today we are attending the 2024 BUS2BUS trade show taking place at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. Top themes at the show include the future of mobility, retrofitting, fleet management and digital solutions.

23/04/2024

T&BB attending the Commercial Vehicle Show (2024) at the NEC in Birmingham.

18/04/2024

Presidents of both the European Council and European Parliament signed the proposed Euro VII (7) legislation last week, which now needs to be published in the “Journal” of the European Union and will enter into force after 20 days.

For the first time, it covers cars, vans, and heavy-duty vehicles in one single piece of legislation. The above-mentioned agreement retains the Euro 6 emissions limits for cars and vans but reduces the Euro VI limits for buses and trucks, whilst introducing limits for particles emitted from the exhaust, brakes and tyres. Besides gas emissions and particulates, the legislation sets limits for battery durability incorporating what the EC calls, a “whole vehicle approach” as opposed to just engine testing.

Read the full article here:

According to the EU, the dates of application depend on vehicle type: “30 months for new types of cars and vans, and 42 months for new cars and vans. 48 months for new types of buses, trucks and trailers, and 60 months for new buses, lorries and trailers. 30 months for new systems, components or s...

16/04/2024

A truck wheel is easily taken for granted. In fact, its plainness and simplicity are the products of great care and ingenuity on the part of its designers, who are always treading a fine balance between weight and strength.

Although it has plans to produce aluminium truck wheels, Maxion Wheels is keen to emphasise that steel wheels have a bright future – not least because of their smaller carbon footprint.

It remains the case that steel is easy to form to the desired shape while also being remarkably robust.

CV steel wheels accounted for 22% of the net revenue of the Iochpe-Maxion group.

Today, Maxion is truly a global supplier of wheels to the CV industry, but it was formed by several acquisitions and mergers of companies which began by serving local customers.

In our discussion with Maxion, we tackled various questions, asking how steel wheels will be made differently, how they will adapt to electric vehicles, and even how they may look in the near future.

Read the full article on our website:

A truck wheel is easily taken for granted. In fact, its plain appearance and simple construction are the products of no less care and ingenuity than most any other part essential to the making of a truck. For Karl Rode, who is Director of Engineering for passenger car and commercial vehicle steel wh...

11/04/2024

Having announced its ‘E-Mobility kit’ in 2023, ZF Group is now planning to ramp up production from 2025 to meet demand for electric vehicles.

ZF told T&BB there is no "silver bullet" solution able to provide the full range of capabilities of a traditional diesel-powered vehicle.

Therefore, future commercial vehicles will be powered by a combination of technologies, including (not limited to) batteries and fuel cells.

ZF’s E-Mobility kit is a suite of modular components that are combined to create and deliver a mixture of electric drivelines for commercial vehicles.

Full system solutions offered by ZF include AxTrax, CeTrax, and AxTrax LF for low-floor buses.

Find out more about ZF's electric portfolio in this exclusive article on the Truck & Bus Builder website:

Having announced its ‘E-Mobility kit’ in 2023 – a portfolio of advanced electric drives, auxiliary components and complete systems for medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles – ZF says it plans to ramp up production from 2025 to meet demand.