Ronn to establish a hydrogen truck factory: US-based Hydrogen automaker Ronn approved a three-year contingency framework to set up a USD 4 bn hydrogen vehicles production JV in Saudi Arabia, according to a press release. The framework would see Ronn establish two facilities in Saudi Arabia to produce 10k hydrogen-electric trucks, along with 1k Ronn Phoenix sport vehicles and one-off Halo Hypercar.

What else do we know? The technical details of the production plants were not disclosed, but Ronn said more details will be announced as more project phases are approved. Engineering plans will be developed in the US and training programs will run for Saudi engineers.

Not a first for Saudi: Chinese automaker Hyperview Mobility is also planning to establish the Kingdom’s first hydrogen-powered truck factory under an MoU signed in February with the Public Investment Fund. The project will kick off with a USD 50 mn investment for its initial phase and looks to produce 1k hydrogen trucks annually, with 60% of the output earmarked for export. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam obtained 80 electric trucks from Chinese heavy equipment maker Sany late last year as part of some SAR 7 bn investment made by the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) and Saudi Global Ports (SGP).

Against the tide: The big push in Saudi comes despite the global headwinds facing the green trucking sector, which saw at least six Western startups go bust over the last seven months, including US-based Nikola and Hyzon Motors and EU-based Hyvia and Quantron, in addition to electric truck and bus makers Arrival and Proterra. Tepid demand, high hydrogen prices, and lackluster infrastructure are among the major challenges facing the industry.

About the company: Ronn designs passenger and commercial vehicles and urban logistics trucks in partnership with manufacturing and engineering firms like Roush and Magna Styer, according to its website. The company is also working on launching strategic frameworks for hydrogen infrastructure in a few regions in cooperation with the contractor firm BayoTech.

MORE INVESTMENT NEWS FROM THE REGION-

Abdul Lateef Jameel-backed EV maker Rivian is investing USD 120 mn to build a supplier park expansion near its facility in Illinois, according to a press release issued. The planned project will boost the company’s supply chain as it ramps up production of its smaller and cheaper R2 SUV models next year. Construction is set to be completed in 2026.

The rationale: The park is expected to reduce shipping, logistics, and warehousing costs as suppliers relocate closer to the Rivian production facility. It will also support increased production of its R1 SUVs and commercial vans while creating hundreds of jobs over the next two years.

There’s more in the works: Rivian signed a USD 6.6 bn federal loan agreement with the Biden Administration for its stalled Georgia plant. The company is planning to build the production facility in two phases with a 200k annual production capacity each. Phase 1 is set to begin production in 2028.

REMEMBER- Rivian has seen some challenges with deliveries: Rivian reported a 36%decline in 1Q deliveries in April after it expected to deliver between 46k-51k EVs this year, falling short of Wall Street analysts’ estimates of around 54.8K. The company also lowered its annual production forecast for 2024 last October by over 14% due to parts shortage and demand slowdown.

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