Chris Randall

In the south-west English city of Plymouth, 50 electric double-decker buses from Wrightbus will go into service this year. Plymouth Citybus, bus operator and part of the Go-Ahead Group, will replace almost half of its fleet with electric double-decker buses.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced the Fiscal Year 2025 Vehicle Technologies Office Program Wide funding program. This funding pot will award up to $88 million for projects that seek innovative transportation solutions for on- and off-road vehicles.

Volvo Car USA has announced complete pricing for its 2025 model year lineup in the USA, coupled with the introduction of two new fully electric SUVs: the Volvo EX90 and EX30.

Skoda has started series production of its second electric model. The Elroq is now rolling off the production line alongside the Enyaq at Skoda's main plant in Mladá Boleslav. According to the manufacturer, over 20,000 orders for the new electric compact SUV had already been placed by the end of the year.

In 2024 as a whole, 15,444 new-energy buses were exported from China, representing growth of more than a quarter compared to the previous year. As with NEV cars, BYD is the leading manufacturer.

The Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University has completed a study on the future production of solid-state batteries in Europe together with partners. Among other things, the experts analyze the global activities in this area and work out the unique selling points of domestic production.

The British battery materials and recycling company Altilium has received an investment of $5 million from the Japanese trading group Marubeni as part of its Series B financing round.

The Dutch food logistics company Bidfood is increasing its fleet of 25 electric Renault trucks by a further 25 electric units from the French brand by the end of the current quarter. As part of this follow-up order, Renault Trucks is celebrating its 2,000th electric truck rolling off the production line in Blainville-sur-Orne.

The Canadian bus manufacturer Nova Bus, which is part of the Volvo Group, has received an order for 80 electric buses from the regional municipality of York, which is located in the Canadian province of Quebec and is directly adjacent to the city of Toronto.

Citroën allegedly wants to breathe a second life into the classic 2CV model. Initial design work for a new electric edition of the 2CV is probably already underway, although the project is said to still be at an early stage. Competitor Renault is also attempting to make a big entry into the electric business with retro electric cars.