Product Descriptions by Segment and Application Power Systems Research tracks some 250 products in 13 major industrial segments. This Guide defines each product that PSR lists in its proprietary databases. Segment: Agriculture Application: 2-Wheel Tractors 2-Wheel Tractors Application: Ag Tractors 2-Wheel Drive Tractors 4WD Articulated Ag Tractors MFWD Tractors (Mechanical Front Wheel Drive) Tracked Ag
The Tokyo Motor Show was a major event that attracted 2 million people from the 1980s to the 1990s, but in recent years the number of visitors has decreased and the last exhibition in 2017 drew only 770,000 attendees.
The word “hybrid” in the power generation universe has generally been understood to mean a fossil-fuel engine supplemented by another power source, usually a renewable.
Then, the word grew to include vehicles and equipment that ran primarily on battery power but could be switched to a smaller engine that would recharge the battery while it ran.
Now, we are entering a time when “hybrid” includes drive systems that are primarily renewable-based and supplemented by an additional renewable system.
In this sphere, alternative power has primarily meant batteries and hydrogen fuel cells; one of the major impediments to wide adoption has always been range.
On March 28, Kubota unveiled the first prototype of a fuel cell-powered tractor. Although no release date has been set, the company will consider installing fuel cells in unmanned, automated tractors. Kubota is also developing battery-powered agricultural equipment, but the company believes that hydrogen-powered fuel cells will be effective for medium-large sized agricultural equipment.
Kubota is rushing to commercialize fuel cells because it believes demand will grow in developed countries such as Japan, Europe and the United States as a result of the trend toward decarbonization. The prototype machine has about 60 horsepower and has three hydrogen tanks installed above the cabin, which are used in Toyota’s Mirai fuel cell car. It generates electricity by reacting hydrogen with oxygen to power the engine. In the experiment, a tractor was equipped with a plowing unit to till the soil.
Cummins plans to introduce their agnostic ICE engine platforms with testing to begin in 2024 and series production to start in the 2026/2027 timeframe. The engine platforms use a common base engine. Below the head gasket the engines will mostly have similar components and above the head gasket the engine will have different components for different fuel types. The new platforms will include the B6.7, X10 and the X15 engines. The X10 will ultimately supersede the current L9 and X12 engine platforms.
In North America, Cummins plans to introduce the agnostic engine platforms starting in 2026. Diesel and natural gas will be the first fuel types introduced and hydrogen versions will soon follow.
Sources: FleetOwner Cummins X Series Agnostic Engines Cummins Agnostic Overview
Cummins, Inc., is working to develop hydrogen-powered engines, using approaches for Hydrogen combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cells.
Both hydrogen engines and hydrogen fuel cells are better suited for long haul and many regional-haul truck applications than pure battery electric vehicles.
In North America, Cummins plans to introduce hydrogen internal combustion engines across their existing engine platforms starting in 2024.
Haval Motor Manufacturing has recalled 16,075 cars F7/F7x, sold from May 2019 until January 2021. This affects about all the cars in the market.
A fuel system problem in some cars in low temperatures has caused several cars to catch fire in cold weather.
Australia is already the largest exporter of lithium in the world and has the largest lithium mine in the world. Each quarter, the Australian government produces a report from the Department of Industry Science and Resources which discusses Lithium and most of the other minerals needed to support the EV revolution.
The report is 175 pages long and this article focusses on the sections dealing with copper, nickel, zinc, and lithium.
Best known for its world-class transport solutions, Volvo unveiled its first commercial electric truck –the Volvo FL Electric – in 2019, this was followed by the Volvo VNR Electric in 2020. Volvo introduced three 44-ton electric trucks this past September, some of the heaviest in its line up, bringing its portfolio to six commercial EV trucks, designed to cover everything from city distribution and handling to construction transport and regional hauling.
On May 13, Komatsu announced that it had developed a fully electric compact excavator equipped with lithium-ion batteries. This is Komatsu’s first excavator that does not use cylinders or other hydraulic equipment in the drive unit. In addition to emitting no exhaust gas, the new excavator can be operated remotely and can be used in dangerous places.
Komatsu, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding on May 13, announced this concept model as a response to a decarbonized society.
For the time being, the company does not plan to sell it to the general public. This model is connected to the outside world via wireless LAN, and the driver can operate it remotely without boarding the machine. The remote operation makes it suitable for indoor demolition, disaster rescue, and other dangerous work sites.
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