Lithium Deposit In Nevada Could Be World’s Largest

The Chinese were way ahead of the rest of the world when it came to recognizing the value of lithium. While most nations slept, China was busy identifying lithium deposits around the world and either buying them or negotiating deals with those who may not have fully appreciated lithium’s value.

It incentivized others to seek alternatives. New companies sprang up to extract lithium from salt brine, especially in the Salton Sea area of California. But these are years away from being able to supply America’s and the world’s needs.

Read More»

VW Plans To Add €1 Billion for Electrics

Volkswagen’s commercial vehicle subsidiary Traton says its MAN, Scania and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus (VWCO) brands plans to invest more than one billion euros in e-mobility by 2025.

“Our goal is to become the leading provider of e-trucks and e-buses,” explained Traton CEO Andreas Renschler, mostly through research and development. Traton is developing a common modular electric powertrain to be used by all brands, much like Volkswagen’s MEB platform.

Read More»

Chinese IV Standard for Off-road Machinery To Be Implemented Dec. 1, 2022

CHINA REPORT
Jack Hao
Jack Hao

On Dec. 29, 2020, the Ministry of ecology and environment announced that Dec. 1, 2022, all off-road mobile machines below 560kw (including 560kw) produced, imported and sold and their diesel engines installed shall meet the requirements of the Chinese IV emission standard.

The implementation time of Chinese IV emission of off-road mobile machinery above 560kw and its installed diesel engines will be announced separately.

In 2022, due to adverse factors at home and abroad, enterprises in the industry will generally face market pressure. In order to better switch the upgrading of Chinese IV emission standards from the aspects of supply chain and industrial chain, steadily promote the implementation of Chinese IV emission standards, reduce the operating pressure of enterprises, and maintain the stable and sustainable development of the industry, the Association recently submitted the “request for instructions on the implementation time delay of Chinese IV emission standards for off- road mobile construction machinery” to the atmospheric environment department of the Ministry of ecological environment according to the policy advice and suggestions of enterprises on Chinese IV emission, It is suggested that the conversion time of the whole machine products with the national three emission standards for construction machinery to the national four emission standards be postponed from December 1, 2022 to April 1, 2023.  Regarding the application submitted by the association to the Ministry of ecology and environment for “postponing the implementation time of the ‘National four’ emission standard for off-road mobile construction machinery”, the Association received a clear reply: it will not be further extended! Therefore, the “national four” emission standards for off-road mobile machinery will be switched as scheduled from December 1, 2022.

Source: Sohu     Read The Article

Read More»

The Future of Diesel Engines in Metropolitan Areas

Introduction

Our team at Power Systems Research, as a lead global Market Intelligence Company and specialized in Propulsion Systems and Powertrain for Vehicles and Equipment, is frequently asked about the future of Diesel Engines.

It is impossible to provide a complete answer for this question due to the wide range of applications, as well as the excellent performance and versatility of Diesel Engines.

Thus, in this article we focus on the Diesel Engine application in Commercial Vehicles in metropolitan areas, and more specifically, in Urban Buses.

Read More»

Show Report: Hannover Messe 2023

EUROPEAN REPORT 
Guy Youngs
Guy Youngs

General Observations. The core topics at HANNOVER MESSE included artificial intelligence, hydrogen, energy management, connected and intelligent production, and the new Manufacturing-X data ecosystem.

More than 4,000 exhibitors presented their solutions and welcomed 130,000 visitors from around the globe. There seemed to be a very large Chinese contingent at the show (both as visitors and exhibitors), as well as a large number of local governments, universities and startups. There seemed to be a predominance of exhibitors showing bearings, copper fittings, cables and components as well as systems / electronics companies.

There was also a large number of independent robots in evidence, ranging from robotic dogs and robotic servers to robotic messengers following pre planned routes.

Read More»

Cummins Accelera Delivers Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck

CHINA REPORT
Jack Hao
Jack Hao

Accelera and Shaanxi Auto’s Dechuang Future have jointly developed a 31-ton Hydrogen fuel battery residue vehicle. Sixty Cummins Accelera Hydrogen fuel cell driven muck trucks were delivered and put into operation in Shanghai.

It is reported that this vehicle is matched with Cummins 125kW Hydrogen fuel battery engine system and 127kWh Lithium iron phosphate power battery, and uses the 410kW drive motor and AMT automatic transmission with ultra-low system energy consumption independently developed by Dechuang in the future to form a “new energy power chain,” so that the vehicle’s power performance indicators such as maximum speed, hill starting ability, climbing ability, loading capacity, etc. are higher than the industry average.

Read More»

Hyundai China Sales Drop 77% in Six Years

FAR EAST: SOUTH KOREA REPORT

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor has announced that it will sell two plants in China. Beijing Hyundai, a joint venture with China’s state-owned auto giant Beijing Automotive Group, will reduce the number of plants in operation to two. Sluggish sales in the Chinese market have prompted the company to make structural reforms.

Hyundai Motor’s sales in China were 260,000 units in 2022; in 2016 it sold 1.13 million units, a 77% decline in six years.

Read More»

China Auto OEM To Invest in Thai EV Motorbike Plant

THAILAND REPORT

Chinese automotive equipment manufacturer Suzhou Harmontronics Automation Technology plans to build an electric motorcycle factory in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), eyeing a market set to grow, thanks to government subsidies.

The company plans to invest $281 million (10 billion baht) to secure annual production capacity of 150,000 units by 2028. The plans were revealed by the office of the EEC.

Suzhou Harmontronics will build the factory at an industrial park in Chonburi Province, within the EEC zone, and will assemble electric motorcycles and manufacturing replaceable batteries and charging equipment at the facility. A start date for operations was not disclosed.

Read More»

Q1 2019 Power Systems Research Truck Production Index (PSR-TPI) falls 5.2%

The Power Systems Research Truck Production Index (PSR-TPI) decreased from 115 to 109, or 5.2%, for the three-month period ended March 31, 2019, from the fourth quarter of 2018. The year-over-year (Q1 2018 to Q1 2019) change for the PSR-TPI was basically flat,  moving from 110 to 109, or .91%.

The PSR-TPI measures truck production globally and across six regions: North America, China, Europe, South America, Japan & Korea and Emerging Markets.

Read More»

Publications Small Engines Placing Big Demands on Lubes

This article appeared in the April 2017 issue of Compoundings Magazine, published by ILMA (Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association)

Recently, off-road industrial and recreational vehicle engines have become increasingly larger and higher performing. The result is a demand for these once smaller engines in increasingly difficult situations, and performance demands placed upon engine lubricants used by off-road industrial and recreational vehicles are also increasing. Could this trend provide increased opportunities for specialized lubricants?

This article looks at important trends in North American small engine production and use since 2011 and considers how these trends might affect lubricant use.
We consider a small engine as one with a displacement