Cummins Inc. announced the company was awarded a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a Class 6 commercial plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that can reduce fuel consumption by at least 50 percent over conventional Class 6 vehicles. When fully loaded, Class 6 vehicles weigh between approximately 19,000 and 26,000 pounds and typical examples include school buses or single axle work trucks.
On 14 April, the transport ministers of all 28 EU member states signed the Amsterdam Declaration, laying down agreements on the steps necessary for the development of connected, autonomous driving technology in the EU. The signatories pledge to draw up rules and regulations that will allow autonomous vehicles to be used on the roads.
One of the biggest Polish bus companies, the Warsaw firm Raf Trans Sp. z o.o., took delivery of around 60 new Mercedes-Benz Tourismo coaches and three Setra ComfortClass 500 touring coaches.
Otokar has won the competitive tender to supply hundred articulated buses to Izmir Metropolitan Municipality’s ESHOT transport service. Otokar will deliver the vehicles during 2016. The contract also covers maintenance and service support for the vehicles.
RATP (Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) recently launched a tender for the supply of natural gas powered buses to replace part of its Paris fleet. Among the different consulted manufacturers, Scania France was chosen as one of two lots constituting the tender, to deliver Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to the authority over four year period.