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Brazil Motorcycle In-Service Population Grows
Fabio Ferraresi During the pandemic, the number of motorcycles in Brazil grew with the demand for delivery and e-commerce and boosted other business, from clothes for motorcyclists to spare parts.
Source: M&T Read The Article
PSR Analysis: The effect is seen not only because of the incremental sales and consequent in-service population increase, but because of the profile of utilization that changed. Motorcycles in Brazil are used for last mile delivery and delivery…
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Komatsu To Expand Autonomous Truck Operation in Brazil
In line with global trends of automatization, Komatsu is expanding its autonomous Truck operation in Brazil. It already has six trucks operating in the mining complex of Carajás (PA) and other four trucks will be introduced this year. Komatsu says the autonomous driving technology brings 40% savings on tires and brakes, 13% on overall maintenance and 15% on productivity, considering the elimination of stops for driver changing and rest.
Source: M&T Read The Article
PSR Analysis:…
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Volvo Builds Loader with Fossil-Free Steel
Christopher Bamforth Volvo Group and SSAB have unveiled an autonomous loader made of fossil-free steel, claimed to be the world’s first vehicle made from that material. Manufactured at Volvo Construction Equipment’s facility in Braås, Sweden, this is said to be “just the start” as a few more will be produced in 2022 with mass production set to follow.
This machine is a load carrier for use in mining and quarrying and is built using a new fossil-free steel from SSAB. Volvo’s CEO Martin Lundstedt has already said that this new machine is a first step in incorporating this new steel in all of their products and components to help reach their goal of being completely carbon neutral by 2040.
Along with the electrification of its vehicles and machines, Volvo adds that it is determined to reduce the carbon footprint of its entire supply chain and this latest innovation is one step forward on this path.
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Strong Growth Will Continue into 2022-23
Yosyf Sheremeta The third quarter of 2021 brought steady economic activities and strong economic recovery in North America. Despite this strong economic recovery, many existing and new challenges developed. Pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, logistics backlogs, shortages within semiconductor products and new virus re-problems, labor market issues (shortages across service industry as well as skilled labor)- have contributed to slower growth in Q3 2021 than previously expected.
With the help of government support and targeted fiscal policies, the US economy is showing a strong comeback in 2021. Furthermore, it is on a positive trajectory to continue to grow in the next few years. There are many reasons for us to be optimistic about this trend. Our positive outlook is based on the reviews of key economic indicators, including GDP, unemployment, and inflation. In our previous forecasts, we discussed recovery trends for the post-pandemic period, and we called for a return of demand for most markets in 2021, especially during H2 2021.
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Q3 2021 Truck Production Index (PSR-TPI) Falls 10.7%
St. Paul, MN — The Power Systems Research Truck Production Index (PSR-TPI) dropped from 131 to 117, or 10.7%, for the three-month period ended Sept. 30, 2021, from Q2 2021. The year-over-year (Q3 2020 to Q3 2021) loss for the PSR-TPI was 141 to 117, or 17%.
Except for China, all regions are expected to experience solid commercial vehicle demand growth this year and into 2022. Chinese heavy truck demand is expected to decline this year primarily due to the implementation of…
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Second Wave of COVID-19 Hits India Commercial Vehicle Market
Aditya Kondejkar The second wave of COVID-19 has put the brakes on a rebound in India’s commercial vehicle market, reports Aditya Kondejkar, Power Systems Research Analyst for South Asia Operations, in the May 2021 issue of Motorindia magazine.
Kondejkar notes that the second wave of the pandemic has caused shortages of semiconductors and steel as well as weaker consumer demand. These forces have pushed commercial vehicle production down nearly 60% month-on-month (MoM) in April.
Kondejkar points out that the India CV market witnessed a strong performance in 2018 with more than 1.13 million
units produced, owing in large part to GST implementation and replacement demand. In 2019, however, the Indian CV market began shrinking as it faced headwinds from revised axle load norms, vehicle over-capacity, BS-VI transition, and a liquidity crunch. -
Mercedes Announces BEV Bus for Brazil
Fabio Ferraresi Mercedes says it has committed an investment of US$ 20 million for the launch of the eO500U, the first electric bus by the German OEM, the market leader in Brazil. Roberto Leoncini, Sales Director said that Mercedes opted for beginning the electrification of the MHV segment by the Bus products because it has higher impact on the population.
One of the key drivers for this launch is the new legislation for São Paulo city that aims to convert 50% of the fleet to electric by 2027. This…
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Jacto Announces Hybrid Self-Propelled Planter
Jacto has entered the planter segment with three products, Uniport 500, Lumina 400 and Meridia 200. Uniport is the first hybrid self-propelled planter in Brazil. It has a Diesel ICE working as an electric power generator and independent electric drives in the four wheels of the equipment. This design promises less fuel consumption, because of a better traction system and uniform planting speed, and consequent better uptime since it reduces stops for refueling.
Source: Press Release / SAE Brazil Mobility Forum Read the Article
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Eletra Converts Trucks and Buses to Electric in Brazil
Eletra started converting Trucks and Buses from 3.5 to 54 Tons for the range of 50km to 150km by replacing the actual Powertrain (ICE, Transmission, Axels,) and suspension with batteries, electric drive and new suspension. The main benefits for the approach is to provide 30% less cost than a new Electric Truck and shorten the timing to meet sustainability targets, since the retrofit is done quickly. Companies like Ambev (AB-Inbev) announced 102 trucks retrofitted with Eletra.
Source: M&T Read The Article
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Toyota To Invest 1.5 trillion Yen in Auto Batteries
FAR EAST: JAPAN REPORT
Akihiro Komuro Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that it will invest 1.5 trillion yen in automotive batteries by 2030. Of this amount, 1 trillion yen will be used to increase the production capacity to 200 GWh, 33 times the current level. This is an increase of more than 10% over the previous target.
The company also announced that it will invest 500 billion yen in research and development, with the goal of reducing the cost of batteries per electric vehicle by more than half. As demand for electric vehicles is sure to grow, the battle for leadership among manufacturers will intensify.
Toyota’s investment in batteries was 80 billion yen in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, and it is calculated to continue to exceed 100 billion yen per year until 2030. The total amount of capital investment is expected to be 1.35 trillion yen in the fiscal year ending March 2022, of which more than 10% will be allocated to batteries.
Source: The Nikkei
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