Norway May Block Acquisition of Bergen Engines Plant

Maxim Sakov
Maxim Sakov

The Department of National Security of Norway may block the purchase of engine OEM Bergen Engines belonging to Rolls-Royce by Russian Transmash-Holding. According to Justice Minister of Norway Monica Melan, the acquisition may be a threat to national security. The deal is estimated at €150 million. According to the minister, it’s necessary to suspend a deal to collect information for making a final decision.

Bergen Engines was founded in 1946. Since then, the company delivered more than 7,000 engines, 5,000 of them still operating. Current personnel number is 900 people.

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Sinara May Dismiss 20% of Workers Because of Reduced Orders

Maxim Sakov
Maxim Sakov

The machine building company “Sinara – Transport machines” (STM), says it may be forced to dismiss 20% of personnel because it has lost most of its orders from Russian Railways for cranes and other railway service machines.

Sinara has lost 85% of the orders from Russian Railways for railway service machines. Because of decreasing orders from the railway monopoly, the main client of STM, 7,000 people on its plants have not worked since August. The total personnel number in STM is 32,000 people, so about 20% of its personnel is questionable. Now, the company is looking for a way to re-qualify these people

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EU May Impose Tariffs on Chinese EVs

In her annual State of The EU address on Sept. 13, 2023, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested that Chinese manufacturers are dumping Chinese EVs on EU customers that are priced below what domestic manufacturers charge.

She suggested that the root cause of the problem is the heavy subsidies provided to Chinese automakers by the central government — subsidies that allow them to sell Chinese EVs at artificially low prices to the detriment of domestic companies. If so, she warned the EU would consider imposing new tariffs on Chinese cars to level the playing field.

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Plant-Based Bio-fuel May Not Replace Fossil Fuels

EUROPE REPORT
Christopher Bamforth
Christopher Bamforth

Over the last decade we have worked to reduce fossil fuel consumption in Europe without cutting back the use of our cars, trucks, and motorbikes. It was thought that by mixing diesel and fuel with crop-based bio-fuel it would reduce fossil fuel usage.

However, over the last 30 years the emission of CO2 has increased, raising questions about the effectiveness of this measure. After extended analysis from the Environmental Action Germany (DUH), it has been concluded that this may not be a solution to the problem of reducing carbon emissions.

Consider that the production and consumption of immense areas of land across the globe dedicated to the cultivation of these fuels actually have a huge environmental cost. For example, to satisfy Germany’s appetite for these natural bio-fuels, 1.3 million hectares of land have been converted to its production. This equates to 9.2 million tons of CO2 saved each year. However, if we were to dedicate this land to natural restoration projects with a portion dedicated to solar energy production, we would be able to save 27.5 million tons of CO2 each year.

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PowerTALK™ News, May 2020

COVID-19 continues to make a huge impact on global production of engines and equipment. While the impact is stabalizing in some areas, it is growing rapidly in other regions, such as Brazil and South America. Read about it in the May issue of PowerTALK News.

In This Issue:

  • NA: COVID-19 Webinar Scheduled with HDMA
  • NA: Vertical Integration Key for EVs
  • NA: New Class of Hybrids
  • NA: CORVID-19 Cuts Profits at HOG and PII
  • NA: DataPoint: PWC
  • Europe: ARGO Tractors Resumes Operations
  • Brazil: Commercial Vehicle Production Slides
  • Japan: Fuel Cell Joint Development Advances
  • Korea: Hyundai and Kia Expand EV Models
  • Southeast Asia: COVID-19 Stalls China Belt & Road
  • India: COVID-19 Lockdown
  • Russia: April New Car Sales Drop 70%
  • Russia:  Automaker To Receive Support
  • Russia: KAMAZ Driverless Trucks Tested
  • Russia: Electric GAZelle LCV Launched

Recession May Come Before CASE Is Realized

GUEST EDITORIAL


President and Founder, Japan Electrification Research Institute, Ltd.

SUMMARY. The global auto industry is bubbling with changes and dramatic new ideas, but the current declining financial performances of Japanese auto OEMs may force them to drop out of the race temporarily before they can take advantage of the growing demand for autonomous vehicles.

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California May Ban Gas-Powered Lawn Mowers and Leaf Blowers

Michael Aistrup
Michael Aistrup

California may soon ban the sale of gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers under a bill the Legislature passed and sent to Gov. Newsom.

Assembly Bill 1346 would direct the California Air Resources Board to phase out the sale of “small off-road engines” by 2024, or as soon as the board finds feasible, whichever is later.

The bill’s author, Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, tweeted that the state will spend $30 million “to help gardeners transition to cleaner, greener equipment.”

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Strong Post-pandemic Growth Expected into 2022-23 for North America

Yosyf Sheremeta
Yosyf Sheremeta

SUMMARY.  After the GDP declined 3.5% last year, the worst performance in almost 75 years, the US economy is set for a strong comeback.  There are many reasons to be optimistic about the economy for the next few years, including strong readings of macro-economic factors combined with the economic cycle reset backed by government initiatives and policies.

Our positive outlook is based on the reviews of key economic indicators, including GDP, unemployment, and inflation. 

During H1 2021, we witnessed a strong level of activities and a rebound for many industries.  As local governments eased lockdown restrictions, service-oriented industries gained traction and that translated to an overall increase of economic activities across many industries. 

We expect this level of rebound to continue and we now expect even stronger overall growth for 2021.  The US economy is on track to reach or even surpass the growth level of 1984 – the highest one since 1950s.  In the near term, consumer spending will help drive demand and support the strong growth trend.

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