Daimler has announced the first intelligent commercial vehicle axle for its European Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks. The axle contains New Final Drive (NFD) technology that actively controls oil regulation inside the unit, which boosts fuel economy by up to 0.5%. The new axle will be assembled at a brand-new assembly line in Kassel, Germany, and in Detroit, MI.
The British midibus manufacturer Mellor will be showcasing its Orion E at the coming Busworld exhibition. The vehicle is created as a fully electric 16 seat bus, and is based on the Fiat Ducato. It’s development took two years. The Mellor Orion E has a single step entry and a completely flat, low floor saloon, which offers a flexible seating configuration and space for up to four wheelchairs, with passenger access through either a rapid sliding side entry door or the double doors at the rear.
Tata Motors launched the country’s first Bio-CNG (bio-methane) Bus at the Bio-energy programme which was organized by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
FPT Industrial has established a partnership with Zhongtong Bus Holding Co. Ltd. in order to develop its first Euro VI intercity bus for the Hong Kong market. The buses will have FPT Industrial’s Cursor 9 engines, which are equipped with the HI-eSCR technology, a breakthrough after-treatment system.
A system that did not work out till now in Europe and the USA, gets probably a renewed trial in India: battery swapping for electric vehicles. This time not applied on cars but on buses. Coming soon to India are fully electric buses that can swap batteries at petrol pump-like facilities.