Daimler AG, a parent company of Thomas Built Buses, has purchased a 10 percent stake in electric vehicle company Tesla Motors, according to a press release. The companies said they will cooperate on battery drive systems, electric drive systems and vehicle projects. Could this put Thomas closer to an all-electric school bus? The company is already working on a hybrid Saf-T-Liner C2. According to the release, Daimler and Tesla were already working together to integrate Tesla’s lithium-ion battery packs and chargers into Daimler’s electric smart car. The release goes on to note that Daimler just founded the Deutsche Accumotive GmbH, a joint venture with Evonik Industries AG, which makes the company “the first vehicle manufacturer worldwide that develops, produces and markets batteries for automotive applications.”
