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BYD Expands Production in Brazil
BRAZIL/SOUTH AMERICA REPORT
Fabio Ferraresi BYD announced the installation of an industrial complex in Camaçari, Bahia. The largest manufacturer of electric vehicles in the world, the Asian giant will invest, in five years, about US$ 600 Million (R $ 3 Billion) in the installation of three factories at the Bahia complex, generating about 5,000 direct and indirect jobs. In addition to passenger vehicles, electric bus and truck chassis will be made on site, as well as a battery split.
The company will take over Ford’s facilities. The deal, however, has not yet been officially announced. The Camaçari pole is the last factory that still belonged to the North American brand in Brazil. The automaker, which announced the end of its local production in 2021, has already sold its facilities in Taubaté (SP) and São Bernardo do Campo (SP).
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First VW Truck Produced in Argentina
The first Volkswagen truck has just left the new exclusive area for the assembly of commercial vehicles of the Industrial Center of Córdoba, Argentina. The vehicle, a VW Delivery 11,180, will be used in the validation of the manufacturing process and for the training of employees. Then it will be part of the fleet that will run tests around the country. The agreement announced by Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus and Volkswagen Argentina in December 2022 provides for the manufacture of five models of…
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Scania Launches HV Truck with 900km Range
The X-gas line, presented by Scania in June 26, in Piracicaba (SP) will have versions with powers of 280, 340 and 410 horsepower, and has a range of 900 kilometers, 400 km more than Scania’s debut version in the gas segment.
The longer range was made possible by increasing the number of cylinders that store fuel in the chassis of the vehicles. There are 16 tanks, eight on each side, with a capacity ranging between 118 and 95 liters. In the gas truck previously launched by Scania, there were eight tanks in total.
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Cummins Accelera Delivers Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck
CHINA REPORT
Jack Hao Accelera and Shaanxi Auto’s Dechuang Future have jointly developed a 31-ton Hydrogen fuel battery residue vehicle. Sixty Cummins Accelera Hydrogen fuel cell driven muck trucks were delivered and put into operation in Shanghai.
It is reported that this vehicle is matched with Cummins 125kW Hydrogen fuel battery engine system and 127kWh Lithium iron phosphate power battery, and uses the 410kW drive motor and AMT automatic transmission with ultra-low system energy consumption independently developed by Dechuang in the future to form a “new energy power chain,” so that the vehicle’s power performance indicators such as maximum speed, hill starting ability, climbing ability, loading capacity, etc. are higher than the industry average.
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Hino Motors and Mitsubishi Fuso To Merge
FAR EAST: JAPAN REPORT
The announced reorganization of several commercial vehicles companies came suddenly and was one that few in the industry expected.
On May 30, Toyota Motor Corporation and Daimler Trucks of Germany announced a business merger between Toyota-owned Hino Motors and Daimler-owned Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation. The merger is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
The four companies have reached a basic agreement that calls for Toyota and Daimler to establish a holding company by the end of 2024 with the aim of going public. Hino Motors and Mitsubishi Fuso will become part of the holding company. Toyota and Daimler will hold the same percentage of shares in the holding company, and Hino Motors will cease to be a consolidated subsidiary of Toyota after the merger.
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XCMG To Produce EV Trucks in Brazil in Two years
Fabio Ferraresi XCMG announced plans to produce battery electric trucks in Brazil at Pouso Alegre (MG) plant in two years. Until then, the company expects to build a local network of suppliers and wait for new industrial policies that are expected for the electric vehicle segment.
The current plan consists of starting with the assembly of chassis and cabins at the Minas Gerais plant with components produced by local suppliers. Batteries and other components of the electric powertrain will be imported from China.
This first stage fits the company’s electric trucks within the scope of Finame, the BNDES credit line that finances the acquisition of machinery and equipment. To access this line, the product to be financed must have a certain percentage of parts and components produced in the country.
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Brazil Announces Incentives for MHV and LV
BRAZIL/SOUTH AMERICA REPORT
The Brazilian Federal Government this month has announced a package of incentives for the automotive sector during a press conference held in Brasilia (DF). The program intends to bail out the country’s automakers at a time of weak demand for new vehicles.
The final text includes passenger cars, Minivans and SUVs, Trucks and Buses through discounts granted to the consumer, and not by tax reduction to automakers, as was expected.
Total spending of Federal Government is US$ 300 Million (R$ 1.5 Billion). Funds are expected to come from the return of taxes on diesel sales, which was planned to happen in January 2024, but it is anticipated to meet the program of the automotive sector.
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CARB Is Phasing Out Heavy Trucks
NORTH AMERICA REPORT
Chris Fisher In April, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted unanimously to finalize its Advanced Clean Fleets rule that requires all new medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold or registered in the state of California to be zero-emission by 2036.
Among these requirements is a new 2036 target for an end to diesel truck sales. This was lowered from an early 2040 target, with the thought that 2040 would be too late to reach California Governor Gavin Newsom’s goal for 100% zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2045.
The 2036 target is only one year after the 2035 target for passenger cars. Also in the rule, state and local agencies must purchase 50% ZEV by 2024, and 100% ZEV by 2027.
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Kia Plans Customer Specific EVs
FAR EAST: SOUTH KOREA REPORT
Kia is pursuing its own EV strategy centered on specific applications such as delivery vehicles and cabs. The company is jointly developing delivery vehicles with Korea’s largest online retailer, Coupang, and customer specific EVs will account for 1 million of the 1.6 million EV sales target for 2030. A dedicated plant will also be built in the suburbs of Seoul.
The company and Coupang will develop vehicles with increased cargo capacity and refrigerated and frozen interior equipment, with the assumption that only one driver will be on board. Coupang will have its own distribution center and delivery vehicles for high-speed delivery and will hire drivers directly. Coupang has indicated that it plans to operate 10,000 EV delivery vehicles in the future.
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Weichai, BYD To Jointly Produce Batteries
CHINA REPORT
Jack Hao Weichai Power and BYD have agreed to jointly produce power batteries in Shandong, and to cooperate in programs to develop EV commercial vehicles. On May 23, the companies signed an agreement to build a research and development and manufacturing base for power batteries, continuously strengthen the new energy industry chain, innovation chain, and value chain, and make positive contributions to promoting the industrialization development of China’s new energy commercial vehicles.
Weichai Power is the largest manufacturer of diesel engines in China. Since 2010, Weichai Power has set a strategic goal of leading the global industry development in the new energy business by 2030. Weichai Power has invested more than 4 billion yuan in this effort. It has strategically restructured the Canadian Ballard hydrogen fuel cell, the British Siris solid oxide fuel cell, and the Swiss rapid air compressor, developed the first hydrogen internal combustion engine heavy truck in China, comprehensively laid out the three technical routes of pure electric, hybrid power, and hydrogen fuel cell, and dispersed the risks brought by the uncertainty of industrial development with the investment strategy of coexistence of multiple technical routes.
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