Author: Ryan Whitmore

A consortium of 30 partners from ten countries is developing lightweight electric commercial vehicles tailored for urban logistics under the European Union–funded Shift2Zero project, with prototype testing planned in six major cities including Oslo and Thessaloniki. The initiative focuses on refining six electric vehicle prototypes based on the Iveco eDaily and Alkè ATX platforms. The vehicles are designed for real-world delivery and municipal operations, with trials scheduled in Bergen, Oslo, Thessaloniki, Bologna, Brussels and Wrocław to evaluate performance under diverse urban conditions. Funded through the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, the project operates with a total budget of €12 million, including…

Adoption of zero-emission trucks (ZETs) in the United States showed mixed progress through mid-2025, with deployment slowing overall but accelerating in certain vehicle segments and states, according to a report by clean transportation nonprofit CALSTART. Cumulative deployments surpassed 59,000 vehicles nationwide by June 2025, spanning cargo vans, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, refuse vehicles and yard tractors. However, only about 6,526 new zero-emission trucks were deployed in the first half of the year, a 49.2% decline from a year earlier and roughly 1.32% of all new truck deployments. See also: Tesla Confirms Semi Truck Specifications, Sets Two Variants Ahead of Production…

Stagecoach is withdrawing bus services from two streets in Torquay in south-west England after finding that newly introduced battery-electric buses are too large to operate safely on the narrow roads, the BBC reported. From Feb. 1, services on Park Road and Hartop Road will be removed from the 35A and 35C routes as part of changes linked directly to the rollout of Stagecoach’s electric fleet. While the new zero-emission buses replace diesel vehicles, their slightly larger dimensions have made them unsuitable for some older streets originally built long before modern bus standards. See also: Stagecoach West, Gloucestershire to Add 42…

Chinese electric truck developer Windrose Technology is establishing operations at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, where it plans to assemble battery-electric trucks for the European market and set up research, development and aftersales functions, the port operator said. Under the project, branded Windrose Park Antwerp, components will be shipped from China to Belgium and assembled locally, with finished vehicles expected to receive full European certification before being distributed across the continent. The new site will be located along the Noorderlaan within the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. See also: Windrose Bundles Free Electric Charging With Global E700 Truck Sales Windrose operates a design-led…

The UK installed 14,097 new electric vehicle charging stations in 2025, with the fastest growth concentrated in high-power chargers, according to figures published by charging data platform Zapmap. By the end of the year, Great Britain had 87,796 charging stations across 45,033 locations, Zapmap said, underscoring steady progress in expanding the country’s EV infrastructure. These stations comprised 116,052 EVSE units, supporting a total of 122,071 connectors, although multiple connectors on a single unit cannot be used at the same time. See also: Suzuki Selects Ohme as Exclusive UK Charging Partner for e Vitara Launch Zapmap said growth was strongest in…

New registrations of battery-electric vehicles in the United Kingdom rose sharply in 2025, with electric cars approaching a quarter of all new passenger vehicle sales and light electric commercial vehicles setting a fresh annual record, according to industry data released this week. A total of 473,348 battery-electric passenger cars were registered in the UK in 2025, up 23.9% from the previous year, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed. The share of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) in new passenger car registrations increased to 23.4%, from 19.6% in 2024, as overall new car registrations climbed 3.5% year on…

FIAT has announced immediate price reductions across its battery-electric passenger car range in the United Kingdom, including models sold under its Abarth performance brand, as the Stellantis-owned automaker prepares for the market launch of new models later this year. The Italian brand said the cuts are intended to align pricing between its existing electric lineup and upcoming vehicles, notably the electric Grande Panda and the new 500 Hybrid due later in 2026. As a result, entry prices for the Fiat 500e and Fiat 600e have been lowered to match those of their new counterparts. Under the revised pricing, the Fiat…

French sports carmaker Alpine has announced UK pricing for its upcoming electric flagship, the A390, with order books set to open in early 2026 ahead of first customer deliveries planned for the spring. The electric fastback will start at £61,390 on the road in the UK for the entry-level A390 GT, Alpine said. Prices rise to £65,390 for the Premiere Edition and £69,390 for the range-topping GTS variant. The UK pricing follows the opening of order books in mainland Europe late last year, where the model launched with a starting price of €67,500. The A390 marks a key step in…

French logistics company Vallée Group has begun deploying battery-electric heavy-duty trucks from Mercedes-Benz Trucks as part of a gradual transition of its drivetrain strategy, adding three eActros 600 models to its fleet and commissioning new charging infrastructure at its headquarters. Vallée Transports, which employs around 850 people and operates a fleet of roughly 650 vehicles, is based in La Madeleine-de-Nonancourt, west of Paris. The first eActros 600 was delivered around six weeks ago, with the remaining two units scheduled to arrive before the end of the year, the company said. The electric trucks will be charged at a newly installed…

Refrigerated vehicle rental specialist Petit Forestier has expanded its electric fleet with the delivery of nearly 300 battery-electric Iveco eDaily vehicles, as part of a broader transition toward lower-emission urban logistics. The company said 275 Iveco eDaily vehicles fitted with refrigerated box bodies have now been delivered to its French operations and other European branches. The deliveries form part of a memorandum of understanding signed in September 2022, under which Petit Forestier agreed to order up to 2,000 eDaily chassis, to be equipped with refrigerated bodies by Lecapitaine. The vehicles delivered so far represent nearly 14% of the total volume…

U.S. electric commercial vehicle maker Workhorse Group Inc. said it has completed its merger with Motiv Electric Trucks, forming a unified original equipment manufacturer aimed at the North American medium-duty electric vehicle market and backed by up to $50 million in new financing. The combined company will continue to operate under the Workhorse name and trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker WKHS, the company said. Management estimates the addressable medium-duty commercial vehicle market in North America at around $23 billion. As part of the transaction, the company secured new debt financing capacity from Motiv’s legacy controlling investor, providing up…

Renault Trucks said it has electrified a major internal logistics corridor linking its sites in Blainville-sur-Orne, Bourg-en-Bresse and Lyon, moving critical components almost entirely with battery-electric trucks as part of its decarbonisation strategy. Working with French haulier Malherbe, the truck maker now transports cabs, engines and axles on a just-in-time basis using electric vehicles, supplying assembly lines without interruption. Heavy-duty cabs produced in Blainville-sur-Orne are shipped to Bourg-en-Bresse for assembly, while engines and axles manufactured in Lyon are delivered to Blainville-sur-Orne for integration into medium-duty trucks. See also: Renault Trucks Launches E-Tech D12 and D14 Electric Models for Urban Distribution…

German infrastructure investor Palladio Partners is making a substantial investment in electric truck rental company Hylane, acquiring majority voting rights in key areas as part of a capital increase aimed at accelerating the rollout of zero-emission commercial vehicles. Hylane said it has signed an agreement with DEVK, its founding shareholder, and Palladio Partners, transforming the company into a joint venture. DEVK has owned 100% of Hylane since its establishment in 2021. Financial terms of the transaction and the resulting ownership structure were not disclosed, though Palladio said it plans to invest a triple-digit million-euro amount over the coming years to…

Karin Rådström, chief executive of Daimler Truck, has been elected Chair of the Commercial Vehicle Board of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), effective Jan. 1, 2026, the industry body said. Rådström will succeed Christian Levin, chief executive of Traton Group and president and CEO of Scania, who steps down at the end of the year. The appointment keeps leadership of ACEA’s commercial vehicle arm in Swedish-German hands. ACEA said the association as a whole will continue to be led by Ola Källenius, chief executive of Mercedes-Benz, who was re-elected in December to serve another term as ACEA President in…

DHL has put eight Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 battery-electric trucks into operation in Germany under a partnership with commercial vehicle lessor Hylane, expanding its original order to 42 vehicles and marking the first time Hylane has rented out battery-electric trucks. Six of the trucks have been deployed at DHL’s parcel centre in Dorsten, near Düsseldorf, with two additional vehicles operating from a site in Hamburg, DHL said. The remaining 34 trucks are scheduled for delivery by the end of the second quarter of 2026. See also: DHL Supply Chain Accelerates Electric Truck Pilots Across Africa Amid Infrastructure and Regulatory Hurdles “The…

De Lijn, the Flemish public transport operator, has signed a new framework agreement with Daimler Buses for up to 500 electric buses and simultaneously placed fresh orders with both Daimler Buses and BYD Europe. The company has already committed to more than 80 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro units under the new agreement, leaving roughly 420 vehicles available for future procurement. The first deliveries are scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. See also: Belgium’s De Lijn Awards 290 Electric Bus Contracts to BYD, Iveco and VDL, Eyes 500 More in 2025 In parallel, De Lijn has ordered 268 additional 12-metre electric buses…

Swedish truck manufacturer Scania and state-owned mining company LKAB have intensified their collaboration on mine transport electrification, deploying a new, fully electric 8×4 heavy tipper at LKAB’s Malmberget mine in northern Sweden. The vehicle, which Scania has named “Sleipner,” is the first electric truck from the company worldwide to be equipped with two steerable front axles. Developed on Scania’s modular electric platform, the 8×4 configuration is designed to provide increased stability and capacity for heavy loads on challenging mine roads, serving as a direct replacement for its internal-combustion equivalent. See also: Scania Showcases Sub-Second Precision in Autonomous Truck Demonstration, Advances…

Windrose Technology, a developer of all-electric heavy-duty trucks, has significantly scaled its operational reach since its founding in 2022, with its long-haul electric trucks now deployed across five continents and 22 countries, covering major highway corridors globally. The company is preparing to deliver its second-generation Global E700 truck starting in December 2025. This model features $700$kWh-plus battery capacity utilizing both NMC and LFP chemistries and is designed to achieve a loaded range of $670$ km at $49$ tons gross weight. A third-generation truck targeted for 2027 aims to push that loaded range to $800$ km. Windrose trucks have demonstrated high-performance…

Mercedes-Benz Trucks officially began series production of the second-generation eActros 400 at its Wörth plant in Germany in early December. The new model, which is based on the technology of the eActros 600 long-haul truck that entered series production at the end of 2024, is part of a broad expansion of the manufacturer’s electric vehicle (EV) portfolio. The new eActros 400 features two lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery packs, totaling 414 kWh of installed capacity. This configuration is designed for heavy-duty distribution transport, offering a lower vehicle weight that yields a payload increase of over three tonnes compared to the…

Volvo Trucks has expanded its medium-duty battery-electric truck offering with a new entry-level version of the Volvo FL Electric, featuring a 14-tonne gross combination weight (GCW) and a specific new battery configuration. The new variant is explicitly designed for inner-city operations, emphasizing agility and maximum payload capacity for door-to-door deliveries in tight urban environments. The new configuration will feature $145$ kWh of usable battery energy, providing an electric range of up to approximately $200$ km, depending on operational factors. See also: Volvo Trucks’ Electric Fleet Surpasses 250 Million Kilometers Jan Hjelmgren, Head of Product Management at Volvo Trucks, explained the…