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Hyundai To Start Operations at Plant in Vietnam
FAR EAST: SOUTH KOREA REPORT
Akihiro Komuro A joint venture between South Korea’s Hyundai Motor and Vietnamese conglomerate Thanh Cong Group has started operations of an automobile plant in the northern Vietnamese province of Ninh Binh.
With an annual production capacity of 100,000 vehicles, the combined annual production capacity with the existing plant will reach 180,000 by 2025. The company will ship domestically as well as to neighboring countries. The new plant, operated by the joint venture Hyundai Thanh Cong, will have an investment of 3.2 trillion dong (about 18 billion yen). The plant will cover an area of approximately 50 hectares and include a test driving course.
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Thailand Kubota Takes Measures To Secure Manpower
SOUTHEAST ASIA: THAI REPORT
Akihiro Komuro In Thailand, one of the most industrialized countries in Southeast Asia, automation is accelerating in the manufacturing industry as the working population tapers off. Workers’ attitudes are changing, and fewer Southeast Asians are migrating to Japan. Business models based on cheap labor are no longer viable in Asia.
When I visited the Amata City plant of Siam Kubota, a locally incorporated subsidiary of agricultural machinery giant Kubota Corporation, I saw countless automated guided vehicles (AGVs) running in every direction.
Sales of tractors and combine harvesters are booming, thanks in part to the government’s special demand for subsidized farm machinery for those who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 disaster and are now returning to their hometowns to start farming. The fruits of this policy are being returned in the form of year-end bonuses, and Siam Kubota is not suffering from a labor shortage at this time.
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Union Budget 2023 Focuses on Capex
INDIA REPORT
Aditya Kondejkar As part of its 2023 Budget, the government has reiterated its focus on capital expenditures, the vehicle scrappage policy, and a reduction in customs duty for electric vehicle components that is designed to stimulate new vehicle sales. A reduction in customs duties and a plan to replace older, polluting vehicles will boost the adoption of green mobility.
“The increase in capex on infrastructure and the emphasis on green growth will help the mobility sector,” said Sudarshan Venu, MD, TVS Motor Company. “This budget gives something to everyone, from rural India and start-up India, to middle-class India and digital India. It is about inclusive growth and building on the recovery we are seeing after the pandemic. It strikes a fine balance between growth and fiscal prudence.”
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Alternative Power Report, January 2023
Download PDFThe January 2023 Alternative Power Report produced by PSR’s Guy Youngs and other analysts at Power Systems Research includes several articles on hydrogen power. New applications of hydrogen power from construction to marine are discussed in this issue. Plans by OEMs Audi and BMW for new EV cars also are discussed. PSR
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Q4 2022 Power Systems Research Truck Production Index (PSR-TPI) gains 3.7%
Download PDFSt. Paul, MN (Janaury 23, 2023)— The Power Systems Research Truck Production Index (PSR-TPI) increased from 101 to 105, or 3.7%, for the three-month period ended Dec. 31, 2022, from Q3 2022. The year-over-year (Q4 2021 through Q4 2022) loss for the PSR-TPI was, 122 to 105, or -13.2%.
The PSR-TPI measures truck production globally and across six regions: North America, China, Europe, South America, Japan & Korea and Emerging Markets.
This data comes from OE Link™, the proprietary database maintained by Power Systems Research.
Global Index. Global medium and heavy vehicle production is expected to decline by 15.8% in 2022 when final numbers are available in Q1 2023, primarily due to a significant drop in heavy truck demand in China. Global MHCV demand is expected to improve by 4.6% in 2023 even with concerns of a slowing global economy. Ongoing supply chain disruptions along with generally higher inflation and a risk of Covid variants returning are also a concern moving forward.
All Regions. Medium and heavy commercial vehicle production will be mixed in 2022 due to a variety of issues. In China, truck overcapacity continues to hinder demand while the Russian-Ukraine war is significantly impacting demand and production in Eastern Europe. While the global supply chain is showing improvement, it will remain a problem in 2023 for all regions. There is serious concern about a major slowdown in the North American and European economy as a direct result of higher fuel and energy prices and overall inflation which doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.
North America. Medium and heavy commercial vehicle production is expected to increase by 12.5% in 2022 over last year primarily driven by improved class 8 truck production. While not back to pre-pandemic levels, the supply chain has seen improvement during the past few months. Within the class 8 truck segment, PSR expects truck demand to remain strong into the first part of next year as a result of significant pent-up heavy truck demand. While commercial vehicle demand is expected to decline slightly in 2023, production levels are expected to remain strong through at least the first half of the year. PSR
Jim Downey is Vice President – Global Data Products at Power Systems Research
Chris Fisher is the Senior Commercial Vehicle Analyst at Power Systems Research
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Are Hydrogen Engines in Your Future?
Guy Youngs According to newly published research by Interact Analysis, hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2 ICE) are forecast to be sold in 220,000 vehicles in 2035.
On the plus side, H2 ICE vehicles have some notable advantages. The engine technology is reasonably similar to diesel engines, enabling use of existing knowledge, design and production vehicles. The vehicles can deliver high power, work with impure fuel, work in dirty and dusty conditions and refuel quickly.
On the downside, there is no hydrogen infrastructure in place in almost all locations in the world, there is a lack of awareness about the technology and limited development so far. Most importantly, the current cost of hydrogen fuel is high – it will need a big reduction before the vehicles can become competitive. Even at half the cost of today, H2 ICE vehicles do not have a good total cost of ownership. The cost of the engine is not substantial, but the cost of the tanks adds a lot to the cost of the vehicle, then there is infrastructure and above all hydrogen fuel.
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Growth of Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines (H-ICE)
Hydrogen ICE vehicles offer an alternative to traditional gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles and have the potential to reduce emissions and reliance on fossil fuels. These vehicles are becoming increasingly popular and more automakers are starting to offer hydrogen-powered options in their vehicle lineups.
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JCB Reaches Hydrogen Milestone
JCB’S £100 million investment in a project to produce super-efficient hydrogen engines is going full steam ahead. A team of 100 engineers has been working on the exciting development for more than a year and the 50th JCB hydrogen combustion engine has now come off the production line as part of the development process.
JCB’s hydrogen-fueled backhoe loader is one of three hydrogen vehicles the OEM is developing. JCB hydrogen engines are powering prototype backhoe loaders and Loadall telescopic handlers and the company has recently unveiled its very own designed and built mobile refueling bowser to take fuel to the machines. The bowser has enough hydrogen to fill 16 hydrogen backhoe loaders and can be transported either on the back of a modified Fastrac tractor or on a trailer.
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Hyster Begins Pilot of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Container Handler
Hyster Company is testing a top-pick container handler powered by hydrogen fuel cells (HFC) at Fenix Marine Services in the Port of Los Angeles.
Based on the standard Hyster H1050-1150XD-CH top-pick container handler design, the truck is powered by two 45kw hydrogen fuel cells from Nuvera, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyster parent company Hyster-Yale Group. The HFC-powered top pick is designed to provide the zero emissions benefits of a battery electric option, with enough capacity to keep operators moving and avoid the need to stop in the middle of a shift to refuel or recharge.
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U.S. Economy Faces Multiple Problems
NORTH AMERICA REPORT
SUMMARY. Many of the biggest challenges facing the U.S. economy in 2022 are continuing into 2023. These problems include supply chain disruptions, the migration of production and use of internal combustion engines to alternative drive types, uncertainty of inflation and rising interest rates, and the war in Ukraine.
There were also positives which came out of 2022, including a return to more face-to-face business transactions and meetings. Trade shows made a big comeback in 2022, and this trend will continue in 2023 as the huge CONEXPO-CON/AGG will be held in March in Las Vegas.
The push towards electrification is not all negative either. Innovation and action around alternative drive types will continue to grow.
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