European bus manufacturer Solaris will buy 1,000 hydrogen fuel cell engines from Vancouver-based Ballard through 2027 to deploy across Europe. It’s the largest order of fuel cell engines in Ballard’s 45-year history, the company said in a release. Ballard also announced it will get US$54 million in investment tax credits to fund its new Texas gigafactory. (The Logic)

Talking point: Ballard’s Toronto-listed shares closed up around 18 per cent. The engine order is a sign of optimism for the company, after it said in its fourth-quarter earnings report that an unnamed customer’s financing delays had hampered Ballard’s business. While Ballard has spent many years perfecting its hydrogen fuel-cell technology, CEO Randy MacEwen said in a press release on Monday that it is now at the “convergence of the megatrends of decarbonization, energy security and technology change.”