In December 2022, the Brazilian Government published regulations for the Fleet Renewal Program authorized by the law that was published in H1 2022. Under this regulation, truck owners may receive the old truck market value from companies in the Oil and Gas exploration chain, provided that they prove the truck was taken out of circulation, disassembly and recycled. The program is voluntary, both for owners selling the old truck and for O&G companies designating resources for the program in exchange for a reduction of duties on O&G exploration contracts.
PSR Analysis. Preliminary analysis suggests the program won’t be very effective, since significant recycling and paperwork efforts are required to sell the old truck at market prices. It seems this is a regulation published to show environmental efforts, but one that will have limited effectiveness. No impact is seen in the Truck Market now unless market conditions change drastically. PSR
Fabio Ferraresi is Director Business Development-South Americafor Power Systems Research
Cost increases in several areas caused HanseYachts AG to report a loss of EUR 20.72 million (US$25 million) for the fiscal year 2021/2022 ended June 30, 2022. However, because of the great demand during the pandemic for sailing boats and fully complete order books, production increased from 446 to 568 boats, compared to the previous year.
Revenues totaled EUR 132,38 million, an increase of 22.8% compared to the previous fiscal year. But, at the same time, costs of materials increased 40.7%, personal expenses climbed 22% and other operating costs increased 58%. All this led to a net loss higher by 130.5% compared to the previous fiscal year.
The recent Covid-19 shutdown and worker absenteeism heavily impacted the finances of the group for fiscal year 2021/2022.
HanseYacht Group said it will not exhibit this year at BOOT, the biggest indoor pleasure boat trade show held in Dusseldorf, Germany.
CNH Industrial Group says it is stopping the sales of construction machinery and equipment in the Chinese market after Dec. 31, 2022. This is another significant development by foreign brands in the Chinese market.
John Deere withdrew from the Chinese market after the original industrial structure was changed by the merger of the Chinese plant of Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. At the same time, Hitachi Construction Machinery also made changes to Hitachi Construction Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., which is responsible for sales and services in China, and set up a new sales and service company, “Hitachi Construction Machinery Sales (China) Co., Ltd.”, which began operating Nov. 1, 2022.
On Dec. 29, 2020, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced that from Dec. 1, 2022, all off-road mobile machines below 560kw (including 560kw) produced, imported and sold and their diesel engines installed shall meet the requirements of the Chinese IV emission standard. The implementation time of Chinese IV emission of off-road mobile machinery above 560kw and its installed diesel engines has not been announced.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) now requires shippers that transport a large volume of freight to set a target of using 5% electric light-duty trucks by FY2030, which includes EVs and fuel cell vehicles (CVs), but not hybrids.
They will also be required to submit periodic reports on their progress toward this target. If the efforts are significantly inadequate, the committee can make recommendations to shippers and publicly announce the names of the companies involved.
Of the 800 major manufacturers, retailers, and other companies with large annual transportation volumes, those that are also involved in their own transportation or those that request exclusive transportation from a specific company are eligible for the program.
PSR Analysis: The fact that hybrids are not included in this goal effectively means that the next-generation development of light-duty trucks has been narrowed down to BEVs or FCVs. However, FCVs still lack hydrogen stations, and the construction cost of hydrogen stations is higher than that of EV charging stations, so the shift to EVs will be promoted first. Light-duty trucks are numerous and can be said to be the artery of domestic logistics. With about seven years to go until 2030, the number of vehicles that will be replaced by EVs will increase every year. PSR
Akihiro Komuro is Research Analyst, Far East and Southeast Asia, for Power Systems Research
Hyundai Motor Company is getting serious about developing the software needed for automated driving, etc. It has decided to invest $14.7 billion by 2030 and has begun building a development structure and embarking on M&A.
Hyundai Motor Company has achieved record profits through a shift in strategy in conjunction with a generational change. The company plans to further improve profitability in the software field, where customers can add functions to their cars after purchase. But acquiring human resources will be an immediate challenge for Hyundai.
The “Over the Air (OTA)” function, which updates the latest software via the Internet, will be standard on all new models released in 2023 and after. The plan is to establish a system that allows users to be charged according to function updates. The company will first introduce content such as car navigation systems, audio, lighting, and remote-control functions, and then expand into peripheral areas such as auto insurance policies, to diversify and upgrade services in response to customer needs.
Indonesia plans to introduce a subsidy program to encourage the purchase of EVs starting in 2023. The goal is to increase the number of EV users to 2.5 million by 2025 and reduce air pollution. The EV purchase subsidy program will be added to the list of EV policies introduced by President Joko Widodo over the past year.
Transportation Minister Boudi Karya Sumadi said the government is also considering subsidies for retrofitting internal combustion engine vehicles, but the government is carefully considering this plan because it would bring major changes to the labor-intensive auto industry. The Ministry of Transport plans to approach existing Indonesian automakers, such as South Korea’s Hyundai Motor and China’s BYD, to create an EV ecosystem for Borneo’s new capital city, he said.
The electric vehicle market in India is mostly dominated by lithium-ion battery technology, which powers two-, three- and four-wheeler vehicles. But this situation comes with its own set of challenges.
For instance, each battery chemistry has a different energy density, peak power output and charging time. Hence, the industry is working on alternative green solutions, and the government of India is aggressively working on hydrogen as a fuel option.
In terms of refueling time, hydrogen has a definitive advantage over batteries. It takes just a couple of minutes for a hydrogen vehicle to be refueled, irrespective of size, compared to the hours it takes to recharge an electric vehicle.
The union cabinet approved US$ 2.4 trillion (Rs 19,744 cr) for National Green Hydrogen Mission. The mission has four components aimed at enhancing domestic production of green hydrogen and promoting the manufacturing of electrolysers — a key constituent for making green hydrogen. The initial target is to produce 5 million tons of green hydrogen annually.
Along with the government, other industry stakeholders are taking significant steps to develop hydrogen fuel. Ashok Leyland (one of the largest CV makers) is working with Reliance industries on the development and supply chain of hydrogen-powered engines.
Ashok Leyland plans to install fuel-cell engines in an existing fleet of 45,000 trucks that RIL has hired to transport refined products and other marketing goods as a first stage in the strategy. Also, Adani (diversified business portfolio) and TotalEnergies (French energy and petroleum company) have entered into a partnership to jointly create the world’s largest green hydrogen ecosystem.
The potential of the country towards the production of hydrogen is attractive to many companies. European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is looking to source green hydrogen from India as well as Australia and Latin America.
“India is an amazing location with huge potential for the production of (green) hydrogen at a very exciting cost,” says Glenn Llewellyn, VP Zero-Emission Aircraft at Airbus.
In the 16th edition of the motor show Auto Expo Toyota, MG motors, Tata motors, Hyundai, and VECV, showcased their hydrogen-powered vehicles across several segments. It’s evident that OEMs are seriously exploring the option of Hydrogen powered vehicles. PSR
Aditya Kondejkar is Research Analyst – South Asia Operationsfor Power Systems Research
