Hyundai and LG Electronics To Collaborate on In-Car Appliances

Hyundai Motor will collaborate with LG Electronics on home appliances for the interior of electric vehicles. The two companies will work together to develop OLED TVs to be mounted on the ceiling and walls, as well as home appliances such as refrigerators and coffee makers that make the interior of the car more comfortable. They unveiled the next generation concept car “Ionic Concept Cabin.”

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Honda Forced To Reduce Car Features

FAR EAST: JAPAN REPORT
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

Honda will sell some of its new vehicles without a function that detects vehicles in the blind spot and warns the driver, saying the dedicated semiconductors required for this function have been in short supply.

To solve the situation where it takes about a year from order receipt to delivery, Honda will sell the new models with the function reduced so that they can be delivered in about six months.

Sales of the new SUV model “ZR-V” began with a specification that eliminates “Blind Spot Information (BSI),” which alerts the driver by detecting vehicles diagonally behind the vehicle and displaying them in the door mirror. Since the procurement of the necessary in-vehicle semiconductors was not completed in time and the delivery period was expected to be prolonged, the company decided to sell the car without this BSI function. Although it varies by store and model, the time from order to delivery can be reduced by half, from about one year to about six months.

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Edge Computing: Powering Greenhouses

John Krzesicki talks with Thomas Bourgeois from Pace Energy and Climate Center in his continuing series “Living on the Edge”. In today’s episode John discusses powering greenhouses and local food production.

Transcript

Welcome to the PSR PowerTALK podcast produced by Power Systems Research.

00:06 John Krzesicki

Hello, my name is John Krzesicki.

Today it’s my pleasure to host the Power Systems “Living on the Edge” series. The show revealed conversations with industry experts and their insight into the future with intelligent technology. With over 30 years of experience supporting the manufacturing industry, I’ve seen an unbelievable change in technology.

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Electric Boat Market Forecast To Grow by 12%

Michael Aistrup
Michael Aistrup

Gas-powered engines have been the backbone of boating since the advent of the internal combustion engine, but electric-powered boats could soon be claiming a significant share of the market.

Most of the fuel used in transportation is petroleum-based, but initiatives by many governments to reduce carbon emissions and to encourage consumers to adopt eco-friendly boats and ships is expected to boost growth of the electric boat market. The electric boat industry is still in early stages of development and there is a potential for growth.

Electric boats are defined as marine vessels with electric drive as propulsion. Electric boats can be only electric, hydrogen fuel cell electric, or hybrid electric.

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Colombia 2019 Car Sales Increase

This article initially appeared in the February 2020 issue of PowerTALK News.

Fabio Ferraresi
Fabio Ferraresi

Despite the poor performance of auto sales in Latin America countries such as Mexico and Argentina, Colombia keep growing sales of cars as Brazil, with 2.7% growth with 263,700 units in 2019. Colombia also leads in EV/HEV sales gains. The forecast for 2020 is that sales will continue growing at the same rate.

Source: Andemos     Read The Article

PSR Analysis:  Pent up demand for vehicles coupled with a strong economy is expected to keep the car market in Colombia growing. The currency devaluation in 2019 affected the market, since a significant portion of vehicles are imported or assembled in Colombia under the CKD model. It is an important time for exports from Brazil, that went through currency devaluation as well and for local producers such as GM Colmotores and Hino.   PSR

Russian Car Sales in September Drop 22.6%

Sales on new passenger cars and LCVs in September 2021 declined 22.6%, according to the Association of European Businesses (AEB). In total, automotive salons and dealers have sold 119,4 000 cars, which is 34,9 vehicles less than in 2020 September.

According to AEB head Tomas Schterzel, “negative trend is going on” (in August the sales dropped 17%), although the totals for the first nine months of 2021 are showing 15.1% growth versus the same period in 2020. The shortage of vehicles on the market is connected to decreased production and the deficit of semiconductors. The energy crisis in China and UK, growing prices of raw materials and other problems will support negative trend in the market during the near term.

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PSR Analysis: The problem here is not only in components deficit, but primarily in the car prices going up and the consumer’s incomes going down. So, the negative trend will develop further. PSR

Maxim Sakov is Market Consultant – Russia Operationsfor Power Systems Research

Embraer/Eve Formalizes Flying Car Register

SOUTH AMERICA REPORT

Eve Urban Air Mobility, the branch of aircraft giant Embraer, says it has started the process to register its eVTOL, Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing, vehicle at ANAC, the Brazilian bureau for aircraft certification and tied to international bureaus. Getting this documentation is the most important step for starting its commercial operation programmed for 2026. With this certification Eve will meet international standards of air navigation and safety.

Source: Automotive Business      Read The Article

PSR Analysis: Although the aircraft business is not exactly at the scope of products we currently cover, this launch will impact the mobility industry and we are monitoring it closely. Eve has already set 17 partnerships and has a booking of 1700 units, more than many EV makers making a lot of noise in the industry and media.   PSR

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

Car OEMs Announce US$ 14.3 Billion Investment in Brazil

BRAZIL/SOUTH AMERICA REPORT 
Fabio Ferraresi
Fabio Ferraresi

In the past three months, the aggregate investments announced by automotive manufacturers in Brazil have reached a total of US$ 14.3 billion. The largest individual investment came from Stellantis, committing US$ 6 billion to the country between 2025 and 2030, marking a record sum among major vehicle manufacturers operating within the nation. A significant portion of this investment will be directed towards the development of flex-hybrid models.

This investment influx began in December, with Renault earmarking US$ 500 million for the production of a new SUV in Paraná, featuring engine variants that blend ethanol, gasoline, and electricity. In January this year, General Motors (GM) unveiled investments totaling US$ 1.4 billion aimed at product rejuvenation.

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Hyundai Plant Can Produce 300,000 Car Engines Annually

Hyundai VIA has begun construction on an auto engine plant near St. Petersburg.

Maxim Sakov
Maxim Sakov

The enterprise initially plans to make 240,000 engines per year. Then, the capacity will increase, and the plant will make 300,000 Gamma I engines of 1.6 liters.

The project has been established under a special investment contract. The investors “injected” US$185 million  (13.1 billion Rubles) into the project. The plant will bring about 500 jobs to the city.

Test launch of the plant is planned in Q1 2021, and mass production is scheduled to start in October 2021.     Read The Article

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