2023-08-20
Read several articles about the development of new alternative power products in the August issue of Alternative Power Report. Articles cover topics from golf carts as second vehicles, discoveries by VW research team, a new EV fast charging program in Europe and more news about hydrogen power.
Liebherr’s managing director of its combustion engine business unit, Stefanie Gerhardt, has outlined four major hurdles to resolve before hydrogen can become mainstream.
Gerhardt asserted that hydrogen combustion engines can be used everywhere where electrically powered machines and hydrogen fuel cells reach their limit. And she suggested that they would be particularly useful in construction applications where economy, robustness, and high performance are required.
VW’s US Innovation Hub just announced four breakthroughs in electric mobility and sustainable transport. First, the team used artificial intelligence on University of Tennessee’s high-performance computer cluster to develop a modular structure in the shape of tiny pyramids; the structure can be 3D-printed from liquid resins and can hold 30K times its own 0.15 lb weight (68g), so this frame would be up to 60% lighter than the steel frame.
Second, they have developed a method of using paper as a recyclable alternative to plastic parts and foils for EV interiors.
New Machinery requirements have been published for Europe and will replace the existing Machinery Directive Jan. 20, 2027. OEMs will have to be compliant with the new requirements on that day since there is no transition period.
With a heavy focus on safety, the environment and machine learning, the main takeaways are that these are EU regulations. This means that manufacturers will not have to wait for each member state’s upgrade of the regulation into law. This may streamline the process although it could mean big changes for some member states that previously had fewer requirements.
And there’s another important consideration. Since we have entered the digital age, all certifications and instructions can be in digital format. One exception is the non-professional machinery’s safety measures which must be included in paper format.
2023-07-27
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).
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 the brand in that country from 2024.
The new assembly line in Córdoba occupies an area of 15,000 square meters to produce the VW Delivery 9,170 and 11,180 trucks, the VW Constellation 17,280 in chassis-cab and horsepower versions, as well as the Volksbus 15.190 OD bus chassis.
Source: Press Release Read The Article
PSR Analysis. This production is an important milestone for VW’s plan to produce in scale in 2024 and forward. Forecasts of introduction and production/sales ramp ups are available in PSR’s OE Link/OE Link Sales databases. PSR
Fabio Ferraresi is Director Business Development-South America for Power Systems Research
European energy policy makers apparently are taking a DNV report on offshore hydrogen manufacturing seriously. But this doesn’t stand up to scrutiny, in either its assumptions or its conclusions, according to this article.
DNV is an international classification organization that sets standards for ships and offshore structures, according to Wikipedia.
Chinese automotive conglomerate BYD is establishing a joint venture with Huaihai Holding Group to establish themselves as the world’s largest supplier of sodium-ion batteries for small EVs. Previously, we’ve seen CATL (BYD’s main competitor), announce plans to produce sodium-ion cells.
Sodium-ion batteries deliver a lower energy density than traditional lithium-ion cells but cost notably less to produce. Their main component (sodium) is also safer and more abundant than lithium. The chemistry is ideal for smaller EVs that generally deliver less range and have less demand on a daily mobility basis.
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.
World Headquarters
St. Paul, MN USA
Detroit Regional Sales
Ann Arbor, MI USA
Campinas, Brazil