XL Fleet Corp. and ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc., one of the world’s leading independent global bus manufacturers, have announced a partnership to electrify ARBOC Freedom low floor buses with the XL Hybrid (XLH) electric propulsion system. The wheelchair-accessible buses are built on the GM 4500... Read more →

Surf Air Mobility Inc., has signed a purchase agreement with Textron Aviation for up to 150 Cessna Grand Caravan EX single-engine turboprop aircraft, with an initial fleet order of 100 aircraft and an option for 50 more. The Cessna Grand Caravan EX is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc.,... Read more →

De Lijn, the public transport operator (PTO) in the Flemish part of Belgium, is ordering 44 new articulated plug-in e-hybrid buses; further, the operator confirmed the upgrade of 280 if its current hybrid buses into e-hybrids. Their extended zero-emission range will contribute significantly towards improving air quality in the cities... Read more →

Universal Hydrogen (earlier post) has signed LOIs with Icelandair Group (Iceland), Air Nostrum (Spain), and Ravn Air (Alaska) for aftermarket conversion of aircraft to hydrogen propulsion and for the supply of green hydrogen fuel using Universal Hydrogen’s modular capsules. Rendering of regional airplane with conversion kit and fuel capsules. Icelandair.... Read more →

XL Fleet Corp. announced that its XL Hybrid electric drive system is now available as an upfit solution for the new Isuzu NPR-HD. The electrification system is XL Fleet’s newest product release and enables Isuzu customers to electrify one of its newest and most popular medium-duty low cab forward vehicles,... Read more →

VivoPower International has entered into a binding Letter of Intent with Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Limited to create a program for the electrification of Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles using conversion kits designed and manufactured by VivoPower’s wholly-owned electric vehicle subsidiary, Tembo e-LV B.V. The binding LOI sets out the terms... Read more →

UK-based ULEMCo signed an exclusive MoU with ENGV Pty Ltd to collaborate on developing a market for its hydrogen dual fuel technology in Australia. The scope of the agreement extends across Australia and into commercial vehicles, particularly heavy-duty applications like refuse collection, urban trucks, buses and prime movers. By using... Read more →

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) will convert 200 new Ford F-250 service pickup trucks to run on renewable natural gas (RNG). The service trucks will be outfitted with the newest Landi Renzo Eco Ready equipment, a California Air Resource Board (CARB)-certified ultra-low emissions vehicle system. Equipping these 200 service vehicles... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems will provide fuel cell modules to Sierra Northern Railway—the freight division of privately-owned Sierra Energy Corporation, operating in Northern California—to power a zero-emission switching locomotive. A purchase order for the fuel cell modules is expected to be issued by Sierra by mid-year 2021. The pilot program will... Read more →

Commercial vehicle manufacturers Lightning eMotors and REV Group, Inc. are co-developing all-electric ambulances with Leader Emergency Vehicles, a REV Group subsidiary. Available to government agencies, municipalities, commercial operators, hospitals, and non-profit organizations, delivery to customers will be at the end of this calendar year. The new Leader ambulances will be... Read more →

Apex Clean Energy has ordered 19 electrified Ford F-series pickup trucks from XL Fleet, including ten plug-in hybrid electric and nine hybrid electric systems for pickups in its service fleet, for delivery in the second quarter of 2021. Apex is a leading clean energy company that develops, constructs, and operates... Read more →

Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS)—the UK SME leading the Project Fresson consortium—will exploit recent advances in hydrogen fuel cell technology to develop a commercially viable, retrofit powertrain solution for the nine-passenger Britten-Norman Islander aircraft. Following a rigorous assessment of hydrogen technology innovators, CAeS welcomes Ricardo UK Ltd and Innovatus Technologies Ltd... Read more →

The California Energy Commission has awarded GTI and Sierra Northern Railway nearly $4,000,000 to fund the design, integration, and demonstration of a hydrogen fuel cell switching locomotive to support the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Demonstrations in Rail and Marine Applications at Ports (H2RAM) initiative. The locomotive will show the potential of... Read more →

Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with OCI N.V. (OCI) and MAN Energy Solutions (MAN) to develop methanol and ammonia as marine fuels to support industry-wide decarbonization and environmental preservation efforts. The partnership involves using select conventional vessels from EPS’ existing tanker fleet that use MAN... Read more →

Continuing to speed up the adoption of hydrogen in long-haul transportation, Hydra Energy—the first Hydrogen-as-a-Service provider for commercial fleets—announced a strategic partnership with Chemtrade. The long-term contract is a pillar of Hydra’s Hydrogen-as-a-Service (HaaS) business model and includes Hydra capturing, cleaning, and compressing hydrogen sourced from Chemtrade. In exchange for... Read more →

Développement Effenco Inc., a Canada-based company specializing in the design of electric propulsion systems for heavy-duty vocational vehicles, has launched an all-electric system at the same purchase price as diesel alternatives. Using ultracapacitors and high-power wireless charging stations, Effenco’s solution optimizes on-board energy without sacrificing vehicle vocation and performance. This... Read more →

Bombardier Transportation (now part of Alstom) introduced a variety of green innovations to reduce CO2 emissions and pollution in the railway sector. One of our first sustainable mobility solutions was a dual-mode Autorail à Grande Capacité (AGC) train, designed and developed by its Crespin site in France; the AGC was... Read more →

Moscow-based NPP ITELMA, a leading developer and manufacturer of vehicle and transportation electronics, has presented a full powertrain system for electric bus manufacturers. The system will also make it possible to upfit any modern bus to an electric bus, the company said. The developers promise to reduce energy consumption of... Read more →

Toyota Australia has partnered with BHP to trial a battery electric (BEV) LandCruiser 70 Series at a WA mine site. The small-scale trial involves a LandCruiser 70 Series single-cab ute that has been converted to a battery-electric vehicle by Toyota Australia’s Product Planning and Development division in Port Melbourne. The... Read more →

Lightning eMotors, a leading provider of commercial electric vehicles for fleets, announced a $45-million order for its zero-emission powertrain systems from Faribault, Minnesota-based motorcoach supplier ABC Companies. The first zero-emission motorcoach was delivered in December. The T2145e electric motor coach undergoing final testing in Colorado. The order includes a mix... Read more →

Scottish Enterprise, Transport Scotland and the Hydrogen Accelerator, based at the University of St Andrews, have appointed Arcola Energy and a consortium of industry leaders in hydrogen fuel cell integration, rail engineering and functional safety to deliver Scotland’s first hydrogen powered train. A key objective of the project is to... Read more →

Lightning eMotors has announced a new model of its Class 3 Lightning Electric Transit Van. The new, longer-range Lightning Electric Transit Van is the fourth generation of its battery-electric and fuel cell electric platform, based on the Ford Transit 350HD chassis. The Gen 4 powertrain, with new battery technology and... Read more →

XL Fleet announced that Essential Utilities, Inc. one of the largest publicly traded water, wastewater and natural gas providers in the US, serving approximately 5 million people across 10 states under the Aqua and Peoples brands, is launching a pilot program to electrify its two most popular commercial GM vehicle... Read more →

Optimal Electric Vehicles and Olathe Ford, one of the nation’s largest Ford Commercial Vehicle Centers (CVCs), announced a new partnership in the sales and distribution of Optimal-EV’s E1 series battery-electric cutaway chassis platform. Under the partnership terms, Optimal will supply Olathe E1 Battery Electric Chassis for sales and distribution to... Read more →

Lunaz, a creator of electric classic cars, announced the first tranche of production availability for classic electric Range Rovers. The company, based in Silverstone, England will create an initial run of 50 of the luxury SUVs built in the ‘classic era’ between 1970 and 1994. Prices for classic electric Range... Read more →

XL Fleet announced that Farmbro Inc., an Ontario-based upfitting solutions service provider specializing in commercial and work vehicles, expects to double its sales volume from approximately 1,000 XL unit installations in 2020 to more than 2,000 in 2021 to meet the increasing demand for fleet electrification in Canada. As part... Read more →

XL Fleet announced that the Company’s XLP plug-in hybrid electric drive technology is being expanded for use across a range of fleet vehicles from General Motors. The platform is expected to begin shipping on select configurations of the Chevrolet and GMC Silverado / Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD pickup... Read more →

Motiv Power Systems announced a renewal of its partnership with Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU), the largest bakery in the United States. This follows a successful 12-month pilot of five Motiv-powered electric trucks that performed flawlessly on real-world delivery routes. (Earlier post.) BBU and Motiv are now strengthening their partnership, with... Read more →

ABC Companies, a leading provider to the motorcoach, transit and specialty passenger transportation market in the United States and Canada, will soon be the first to offer a motorcoach-diesel-to-electric-repower program for North American operators. Together with Lightning eMotors, formerly known as Lightning Systems, the partners have created a five-step process... Read more →

At SEMA360, Chevrolet will showcase a 1977 K5 Blazer converted to all-electric propulsion. The K5 Blazer-E is a functional proof of concept of the upcoming Electric Connect and Cruise package Chevrolet Performance plans to sell in the second half of 2021. During the virtual event, Chevrolet Performance will survey SEMA... Read more →

XL Fleet and Pivotal Investment Corporation II, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), have recently entered into a definitive merger agreement. Upon closing, the combined company will be named XL Fleet and is expected to remain listed on the New York Stock Exchange under a new ticker symbol,... Read more →

Endera, a technology company specializing in commercial electric vehicles, charging stations and software solutions, delivered 18 all-electric passenger shuttles to ACE Parking, for use at the San Diego International Airport. By the end of 2020, 29 all-electric vehicles will be delivered, making it the largest deployment of an all-electric fleet... Read more →

ULEMCo, the UK company converting commercial vehicles to run on hydrogen, has commenced the largest single deployment of hydrogen dual fuel vehicles yet. This follows an order secured with Scottish company James A Cuthbertson Ltd, to transform Glasgow City Council’s existing fleet and some new gritters to be hydrogen-enabled. With... Read more →

Commercial electric vehicle manufacturer Lightning Systems is lowering the prices of its 2021 battery and fuel cell electric vehicles by 10 to 50% for Class 3 to Class 8 vehicles. In addition to lower prices, zero-emission vehicles from Colorado’s Lightning Systems also will have new features, including: High-speed Level 2... Read more →

Since 2016, Mercedes-Benz has been offering its customers the option of equipping as yet unconnected vehicles from older model series dating back to 2002 with the Mercedes me Adapter. Connecting the adapter with a smartphone means that connectivity services are no longer solely reserved to customers buying new cars. More... Read more →

Lightning Systems has introduced an all-electric powertrain for the popular Ford F-550 Chassis Cab. The new Lightning Electric Ford F-550 will be available in gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) of 17,500 to 19,500 pounds. Orders from fleets are being accepted immediately. The new Lightning Electric Ford F-550 model will offer... Read more →

With more than $32 million in pending orders from commercial and government fleets, commercial electric vehicle supplier Lightning Systems is more than tripling the size of its manufacturing, research and development facility in Loveland, Colorado. Lightning moved its headquarters, manufacturing, and R&D into the former Hewlett-Packard/Agilent campus in southwest Loveland... Read more →

Motiv Power Systems announced the deployment of nine electric box trucks with Community Resource Project (CRP). The electric trucks will be deployed in greater Sacramento to provide home energy audits, weatherization and HVAC services to low-income residents in an area where air quality is some of the worst in the... Read more →

UK-based ULEMCo has worked with Yorkshire Water to produce what is believed to be the first water tanker anywhere to operate on hydrogen fuel. The new 7.5 tonne bowser has been converted from a standard truck to use hydrogen dual fuel, an approach that allows fleet managers to transition more... Read more →

Customers can now order Swindon Powertrain’s High Power Density (HPD) EV system with deliveries starting in August. The 80kW production unit is smaller and lighter than the concept, making it suited for sports, recreation and light commercial applications as well as classic car conversions. Prices start at £6,400 (US$7,900) +VAT... Read more →

Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has approved various retrofit systems to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. This means that Euro 4 or Euro 5 diesel cars can be retrofitted and exempted from traffic restrictions in certain regions. In addition to new, low-emission vehicles and emission-reducing software solutions, hardware retrofits offer... Read more →

Lightning Systems, a global developer of zero-emission drivetrains, announced an order from the California Department of State Hospitals for 12 zero-emission, all-electric Ford Transit 350HD models. The Lightning Electric models are being provided to the hospital system by Wondries Fleet Group, a leading fleet dealer in California. All twelve are... Read more →

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) unveiled the e-BULLI. Equipped with the drive system components of the latest Volkswagen electric vehicles, the concept vehicle is based on a T1 Samba Bus produced in 1966 and comprehensively restored. The stage for the world premiere was to have been Techno Classica 2020. As it... Read more →

In joint trials, Blidösundsbolaget, a subsidiary of Transdev, has teamed up with Scania to refit M/S Rex for hybrid operations. The boat, built in 1937, is now is ferrying commuters on behalf of Stockholm Transport. We’re encouraged by what we’ve seen so far. There’s still a lot of development and... Read more →

Hyliion Inc. will be providing three vehicles to Penske Truck Leasing, all of which will incorporate its 6X4HE Class 8 hybrid system. (Earlier post.) The solution was developed in partnership with Dana Inc., whose Spicer Electrified components are part of the e-Powertrain solution. The Hyliion 6X4HE’s modular design allows for... Read more →

Voltabox AG secured a long-term framework contract with e-troFit GmbH as the preferred supplier of high-performance battery systems for e-troFit’s conversion solutions for diesel buses. e-troFit is individually adapted to the customer’s requirements: Based on an analysis of the route profile, the company determines the actual battery capacity requirement and... Read more →

Pioneering methods to accelerate electric fleet adoption, AMPLY Power will demonstrate and document its Charging-as-a-Service approach for an all-electric school bus fleet in New York City. Logan Bus Company is providing a fleet of five electric school buses for the demonstration, Black and Veatch will be bringing its depth of... Read more →

ABC Companies, a leading provider of motorcoach sales and support in the USA and Canada, has finalized an agreement with Lightning Systems, a Loveland, Colorado-based developer of zero-emission electric drivetrains for commercial vehicle fleets. Under the new partnership, the two companies will launch their first joint project: an electric powertrain... Read more →

Showcasing the possibilities of the e-Golf powertrain to motivate classic VW models, Volkswagen of America recently commissioned west coast electric vehicle conversion specialist EV West to construct an electrified Volkswagen Type 2 Bus. The professionally harvested stock powertrain and 35.8 kWh battery system from the donor 2017 e-Golf gives the... Read more →

XL, a growing provider of vehicle electrification solutions for commercial and municipal fleets, made two significant announcements designed to capitalize on the company’s current momentum and position the business for rapid, sustainable growth in 2020 and beyond. First, on 4 October, XL acquired the electrification division of Quantum Fuel Systems,... Read more →