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Japan Sees Hydrogen as Main Fuel by 2030
Akihiro Komuro The government of Japan has set a target of 10 million tons of hydrogen to be used in Japan by 2030, enough to operate more than 30 nuclear power plants. This would be more than 10% of the total electricity capacity in Japan.
It will also hasten the practical application of hydrogen power generation and accelerate the spread of FCVs. The government will provide support through a newly established 2 trillion Yen fund and tax incentives for capital investment.
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Magni, Bobcat Reach New Heights
Emiliano Marzoli Magni TH, an Italian manufacturer of material handling equipment, has signed an agreement with Bobcat to supply a range of rotating telehandlers (RTH) between 18 and 39 meters.
The new machines will be produced in Italy, by Magni TH, with the Bobcat branding and stage V engines. In order to achieve demand Magni has already developed a new facility, allowing the company to produce 3500 rotating telehandlers per year, once at full capacity. This agreement will allow Magni to grow significantly according to their president and founder, Riccardo Magni.
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Powersports Segment Growth Ignores COVID-19
Michael Aistrup While much of the North American economy slowed to a crawl after COVID-19 shutdowns in 2020, the powersports industry posted significant growth. Many people, weary of staying at home, found a cure for cabin fever while riding an off-road vehicle or experiencing socially distant spaces on trails. By all indications, the sales increase in powersports equipment has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise grim COVID-19 economy.
According to Jeremy Jansen, senior vice president of Wells Fargo Commercial Banking’s distribution financing business, “What started out as a slight uptick has just taken off to record sales levels,” he said. “Dirt bikes, ATVs, side by sides, personal transport vehicles — everything in the book is retailing well above prior year.” After plummeting briefly in mid-March amid the initial shutdown, powersports sales skyrocketed in the ensuing months.
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DataPoint: U.S. Trenchers, 2020 Production Estimate, 5,768 Units
The 5,768 units is the estimate by Power Systems Research of the number of Trenchers to be produced in the U.S. in 2020.
This information comes from industry interviews and from two proprietary databases maintained by Power Systems Research: EnginLink™ , which provides information on engines, and OE Link™, a database of equipment manufacturers.
Market Share: With combined plant totals of 49.5% Charles Machine Works leads in production of trenchers in the United States. In second position is Vermeer with 13%; third, is Ground Hog with 11%.
Exports: Collectively, up to 30% worldwide, with buyers in South Africa and Russia making up the two largest segments.
Trends: In 2019, production of Trenchers in the United States increased nearly 3%. Production is expected to remain flat in 2020 with a slight decrease of 2%. Trenchers, typically wheeled or chain, are utilized in a variety of applications and these machines are quite diversified for various markets having a wide range of clients. Rental companies are hanging on to their trenchers longer, due to increased replacement costs. Also affecting production is the impact of Tier 4 engines that significantly increase trencher unit costs.
One more driver: trenchers go head to head with compact excavators. Many users prefer excavators because they are considered a more versatile machine. As market factors fluctuate, expect trencher production to gain up to 5% by 2025. PSR
Carol Turner is Senior Analyst, Global Operations, at Power Systems Research
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Power Systems Research Webinar Series
Interested in presenting a webinar with Power Systems Research? It could be an effective marketing opportunity for your company if COVID-19 continues to shutdown industry gatherings this year as it did in 2020.
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2020, A Year to Forget for MHV; 2021 Is Looking Better
Chris Fisher SUMMARY: In this article we provide a global overview on a regional basis of the medium and heavy commercial vehicle market (GVWR > 6 MT’s) along with current trends and OEM happenings in North America.
NORTH AMERICA. MHCV production in North America is expected to decline by 35% in 2020 compared to 2019. However, orders for class 8 trucks improved significantly in Q4 2020 as large fleets placed their orders for a 2021 build. This appears to signal an improvement in demand for 2021 as the market aligns itself with the expected freight level moving forward. The consumer segment was strong during the last half of the year and the industrial segment is now expected to improve, as well.
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PowerTracker™ Report: Gen-Set Sales Rebound in Q3 2020
Joe Zirnhelt SUMMARY: Our PowerTrackerTM dealer and distributor survey of 200 respondents reported that gen-set sales recovered some momentum in Q3 2020 up 11.9% from Q2 2020 levels. This increase follows a slow start to the year in Q1 2020 where overall dealer reported sales were down 9.8% from Q4 2019 levels and Q2 2020 where we observed a quarterly increase of 4.5% over the low Q1 2020 levels.
The only part of the market that seemingly did not recover in Q3 2020 was the diesel <20 kW with -8.3% for <10 kW and -3.6% for 10-20 kW. The remainder of diesel (>20 kW) had single digit quarterly increases across the power ranges. The gaseous fueled gen-sets had the most significant rebound this quarter with all power ranges up to 500 kW with a greater than 10% quarterly change – helping to offset the weak first half of 2020 as concerns and shutdowns ensued over COVID-19.
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PSR/JCB Power Systems Construction Outlook Webinar
On November 30th, Power Systems Research with JCB Power Systems presented a webinar providing the 2021 outlook for construction equipment production and engine emissions trends in North America, South America and Europe.
The presentation included the latest information on COVID-19 impacts on construction equipment production. JCB Power Systems provided details regarding emissions in developing engine technologies that are coming to market across the globe.
PSR-JCB Power Systems Construction Equipment…
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Thailand Sets Incentives for EV investment
The Thai government has introduced a new investment incentive program to encourage domestic production of EVs. The new incentives will exempt the payment of corporate tax for eight years for those who invest more than 5 billion baht (about 17 billion yen) to produce an EV.
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Hyundai’s Unmanned Cargo Plane Concept Aims for 2026
Akihiro Komuro Hyundai Motor Co. has begun developing an unmanned aircraft for cargo transport and has announced the concept of “air cargo” to be commercialized in 2026. The company is already developing a personal aerial vehicle (PAV) that will be responsible for moving people around in urban areas, and this technology will be applied to cargo transport aircraft. It is envisioned as a transport aircraft that will carry more cargo than drones carrying small cargo.
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