Hyundai Doosan Infracore Plans Hydrogen Engine

FAR EAST: SOUTH KOREA REPORT

Hyundai Doosan Infracore announced that it has been selected as the lead company for the national project “Development of Hydrogen Engine System and Storage and Supply System for Construction Machinery and Commercial Vehicles” by the Industrial Technology Evaluation and Management Agency.

Through this project, the company plans to develop a 300kW, 11-liter class hydrogen engine and hydrogen tank system with zero carbon emissions, which will be installed in commercial vehicles such as trucks and large buses, and construction equipment such as excavators by 2024. After verification, the company aims to begin full-scale mass production in 2025.

“Although hydrogen engines have high energy density, they are expensive and require technological maturity to ensure durability under adverse operating conditions,” said a company official. “For this reason, the engine system is more suitable for construction machinery and medium- to large-sized commercial vehicles than for passenger cars.”

Source: Wow! Korea

PSR Analysis: Hydrogen products in Korea are still far from practical at this point. Hydrogen can be classified as green, blue, or gray depending on the cleanliness of the production process, and the hydrogen fuel cell power plant in Korea that began operating in June emits 10 tons of carbon for every ton of hydrogen it produces. At this point, Korea’s hydrogen industry is still in the gray stage, but I do not think it is time to discuss whether the technology is good or bad, as it will take time for the technology to become more advanced.

The idea that hydrogen is better suited for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles than for passenger cars makes a lot of sense. However, mass production of a commercial model by 2024 is certainly a very high goal. With the lithium-ion battery industry currently thriving in South Korea, I will keep a close eye on the future development of hydrogen in the country. PSR

KAMAZ Launches 720 hp Engine

RUSSIA REPORT

PowerTALK, January 2022

Maxim Sakov
Maxim Sakov

KAMAZ said it is installing new 6-cylinder engines working on methane gas and having 720 HP on its trucks. Switching to NG fuel is one of the main trends of the Russian automotive giant. It builds Inline 6 and V8 engines

Inline 6 cylinders engine will be made in several versions but the 720 hp will be available in the top model only. For the economy segment, the OEM will offer a 450 hp engine;  the price of this model will be significantly cheaper.     Read The Article

PSR Analysis: A few years ago, KAMAZ started developing new 6-cylinder inline engines in co-operation with Liebherr. The R&D now is program successfully expanding into a new stage, developing a new range of HHP NG-powered engines.    PSR

Maxim Sakov is Market Consultant – Russia Operations, for Power Systems Research

FPT Developing Ethanol or Biomethane Engine in Brazil

FPT, Mahle and Brazilian universities are working to develop an FPT F1C Bi-Fuel engine to meet Brazilian transportation needs using Ethanol, or Biomethane and Hydrogen for use in hybrid vehicle applications.

The project involves the creation of mathematical models, which will be used to characterize and predict the behavior of the engine operating with ethanol and biomethane, assisting in the development of components and hardware, and testing the equipment at Mahle’s technology center in Jundiaí (SP).

Read The Article

PSR Analysis. Brazil and much of South America have extensive renewable sources  for fuel. FPT and Mahle are betting on alternatives that cost effectively meet the decarbonization needs consistent with infrastructure restrictions.   PSR

Fabio Ferraresi is Director Business Development-South America for Power Systems Research

Impact of COVID-19 in India on Engine-driven Applications

As of today, India is relatively less impacted by COVID than other nations. Because of the very bold and unprecedented move of a complete lockdown for about 40 days, India has managed to restrict the number of positive cases to 17,000.

Ritvik Kulkarni
Ritvik Kulkarni

Considering that India is a country with a population of over 1 billion persons living in challenging on-ground conditions, it is a phenomenal effort of proactive and timely response from the government as well as restraint observed by citizens.

Read More»

COVID-19 and Lockdown Have Major Impact on Engine-Driven Applications

Even before the COVID-19 crisis, the Indian automotive sector was facing a severe downturn, but the problems were amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns across India and the rest of the world. The situation was compounded because India was transitioning from BS-IV to the BS-VI era.

Aditya Kondejkar

These are challenging times for the Indian automotive sector because of slow economic growth, negative consumer sentiment, axle load norms, a liquidity crunch, low capacity utilization and potential bankruptcies. The current lockdown has  severely affected the entire ecosystem of engine driven applications in India.

For the first time, automobile OEMs reported zero domestic sales and very limited exports in April.  According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the industry is losing more than $300 million per day.

Read More»

Tupy Developing Efficient Hydrogen Powered Engine

Fabio Ferraresi
Fabio Ferraresi

Brazilian Tupy is working with AVL and Westport Fuel Systems to develop a high efficiency ICE powered by Hydrogen, targeting long haul Trucks. Tupy supplies superior materials casting and high precision machining for high pressure injection engines designed and tested by AVL and Westport. First outcomes of the work are expected at the beginning of 2022.

Source: Automotive Business     Read The Article

PSR Analysis: With the Zero Emissions target and the need for efficient fuel that allow short time for refueling or recharging, Hydrogen looks promising. It can be either used as a source for electricity with the Fuel Cells or burned in the engine combined with other fuel or alone, as in this initiative. It is still preliminary and depending on the results, it may be the salvation for many companies in the ICE supply chain. PSR

Fabio Ferraresi is Director, Business Development-South America, for Power Systems Research

Scania Tests Euro VI Engine in Brazil

SOUTH AMERICA REPORT

The 13 liters with Scania Twin SCR aftertreatment developed in Sweden is tested in Brazil for the new Proconve P8 products, already in place for new models and mandatory for all models by January 2023. The homologation process at IBAMA is already advanced but may show adaption needs to Brazilian environment. This engine is part of a completely new powertrain and brakes system with higher efficiency and lower emission. The power range vary from 420 to 560 hp and it is prepared for HVO use.

Source: Automotive Business     Read The Article

PSR Analysis: The use of edge technology at Scania Trucks in Brazil is in line with the amount of exports Scania makes to Europe and to lower emission regions. The higher efficiency will bring increased sales to South America as fleet owners seek lower fuel consumption. PSR

Fabio Ferraresi is Director, Business Development-South America, for Power Systems Research

GM Opens Third Shift at Joinville Engine Production Plant

GM has added a third shift at its plant in Joinville, SC, Brazil, to increase production capacity and supply engines for the Montana, the new Light Pickup below the S10 size. The capacity production increase forecast is 30%.

Source: Automotive Business     Read The Article

PSR Analysis: The new GM Montana pickup is aimed to complete with the Fiat Toro and Fiat Strada, and grab market share from the leaders. GM also expects to export engines, if the shortage of semiconductors can be solved, which will allow the plant to reach the desired production levels.    PSR

Fabio Ferraresi is Director-Business Development, South America, for Power Systems Research