COVID-19 Update: Europe Slowly Resuming Production

April 21, 2020–After four weeks of lockdown, some European countries are slowly lifting restrictions, allowing industrial production and some commercial operations to restart, and restoring some freedoms to their citizens.  

Emiliano Marzoli
Emiliano Marzoli

In Italy, this week represents a key moment as some industries can resume production.  Agricultural and Lawn&Garden OEMs can reopen their factories, although respecting strict regulations that will reduce factory capacity.  The same is happening in Spain starting April 13, with all segments resuming work, but with differences across regions.  Moreover, many OEMs were not able to meet the new working regulations and could not resume production.

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Hyundai Exports Fuel Cell Trucks To Europe

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor announced on July 6 that it has begun exporting commercial hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) to Europe. The company shipped 10 trucks to Switzerland, and it plans to export 1,600 units by 2025 using a long-term lease contract system.

Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

Hyundai has set up a joint venture company to build a hydrogen infrastructure in Switzerland; it also plans to develop hydrogen stations and other infrastructure in cooperation with a local company. They plan to use Switzerland as a base for expanding their exports throughout Europe.

The South Korean government is also focusing on the spread of the hydrogen-based society and will appeal to the governments of other countries. The trucks exported this time will be used by the food distribution industry. The route for these trucks is fixed, making it easy to set up the infrastructure for refueling.

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Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Happenings in Europe

Chris Fisher
Chris Fisher

We have heard during the past few years that battery electric commercial trucks will ultimately replace the diesel-powered internal combustion engine for commercial trucks.  At some point in the future this might be true for short and regional haul freight carriers, but what about the long-haul heavy truck segment? 

Currently, the lack of charging infrastructure, range anxiety and the extreme weights associated with the batteries will be a significant deterrent to mass adoption of long-haul battery electric trucks. 

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Strong E-Bike Market Growth Seen

The pandemic bike boom boosted e-bike sales 145% from 2019 to 2020, more than double the rate of classic bikes, according to the market research firm NPD Group.

Research by Power Systems Research estimates the global e-bike market size at US$ 23.2B in 2022 and expects the market to reach US$ 78B by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 10.5%.

E-bikes are bicycles equipped with electrical motors for transforming electrical energy into mechanical energy to assist pedaling. They use rechargeable batteries that require minimum maintenance and provide power to the motor.

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Brazilian Marcopolo OKs Fuel Cell bus in Europe

With a capacity of 53 passengers, Marcopolo’s model, the Audace Fuel Cell, is a road unit. The version of the product made in China that has been exhibited and already approved for Europe, carries the cylinders in the luggage rack. Kent Phang, the Sales Director of Allenbus, partner of Marcopolo on the FC vehicle, says there is also an option to place the hydrogen cylinders over the body. With four cylinders, the vehicle exceeds 500 kilometers, according to the company. With six cylinders it is possible to reach 900 kilometers.  

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Battery Recycling Center Will Have A Big Impact On Europe

Guy Youngs
Guy Youngs

Recycling lithium-ion batteries is extremely important, as these batteries contain valuable metals such as cobalt, copper, and lithium that can be recovered and reused. By recycling these metals, we can reduce our reliance on mining and extractive activities that aren’t free or even cheap.

Li-Cycle (a recycling company) and Glencore (a mining company) have partnered to do something significant in this space. The proposed “Portovesme Hub” would focus on producing essential battery materials like cobalt, lithium, and nickel by recycling used battery content. A letter of intent has been signed to commence the preliminary discussions.

Source: CleanTechnica   Read The Article

PSR Analysis:  This facility can’t take care of Europe’s full battery recycling needs, but the research and development of mass recycling processes sets the stage for future facilities that will take care of the rest of the needs. So, this announcement is both good for the near-term and the long-term future.   PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

Vinfast To Export Initial 5,000 EVs To Europe and the U.S.

SOUTHEAST ASIA: VIETNAM REPORT

Vinfast has announced plans to export approximately 5,000 EVs to the U.S., Canada, and Europe by the end of 2022. This is the first time for them to export EVs. The company also plans to start construction of a new EV plant in the U.S. by the end of this year, accelerating its global strategy.

According to the plan, exports to the U.S. and other countries will begin in early November, with delivery to customers starting in December. Vinfast’s CEO revealed that the company has orders for approximately 65,000 EVs worldwide.

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Strong Growth Will Continue into 2022-23

Yosyf Sheremeta
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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New Cars in Russia Cost More Than in USA and Europe

The prices for cars in Russia now exceed the prices abroad. The high prices are caused by high custom taxes, certification for Glonass satellite systems and exchange rates of national currency. After many global OEMs built assembly plants in Russia, prices for cars were equal to cars in other markets, and after fall of the Ruble exchange rate in 2014, cars became even cheaper. However, in 2021 prices have grown significantly because of a shortage of semiconductors.

For example, the minimum price of a Hyundai Sonata in the USA is US$ 24,150, equivalent to about 1,725,000 rubles. In Russia, a similar car is priced at 1,799,000 rubles. A Kia Seltos in the USA costs US$ 22,490 (about 1,605,000 Rubles); in Russia, the minimum price is 1,734,000 rubles. Cars such as the Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla and RAV4 are also more expensive in Russia by about US$ 3,000-5000.

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PSR Analysis: Actual prices are even higher in Russia because of dealer mark-ups. Sometimes, to buy a car, it’s necessary to pay 1.5-2 times the prices as a cost for “options”. As a result, there has been a 20% fall of sales in the country.   PSR

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