ST. PAUL, MN — The Power Systems Research Truck Production Index (PSR-TPI) increased from 106 to 120, or 13.2%, for the three-month period ended June 30, 2019, from Q1 2019. The year-over-year (Q2 2018 to Q2 2019) loss for the PSR-TPI was, 122 to 120, or 1.6%.
While much of the North American economy slowed to a crawl after COVID-19 shutdowns in 2020, the powersports industry posted significant growth. Many people, weary of staying at home, found a cure for cabin fever while riding an off-road vehicle or experiencing socially distant spaces on trails. By all indications, the sales increase in powersports equipment has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise grim COVID-19 economy.
According to Jeremy Jansen, senior vice president of Wells Fargo Commercial Banking’s distribution financing business, “What started out as a slight uptick has just taken off to record sales levels,” he said. “Dirt bikes, ATVs, side by sides, personal transport vehicles — everything in the book is retailing well above prior year.” After plummeting briefly in mid-March amid the initial shutdown, powersports sales skyrocketed in the ensuing months.
In this episode of PSR PowerTALK, Chris Fisher, senior commercial vehicle analyst at Power Systems Research, talks about the reasons for the 42.5% first quarter 2021 drop in global truck production.
Welcome to the PSR PowerTALK podcast, produced by Power Systems Research.
00:06 Joe Delmont:
From Power systems Research I’m Joe Delmont, editor of PSR PowerTALK. Today we’ll discuss global truck production with Chris Fisher, PSR, senior commercial vehicle analyst.
John Krzesicki talks with Carrie Goetz about the trends in edge computing, a movement that shifts data processing from the cloud to local data centers closer to the applications.
Welcome to the PSR PowerTALK podcast, produced by Power Systems Research.
00:06 John Krzesicki
Hello, my name is John Krzesicki with Power Systems Research. I’m a business development manager for the US and with me today I have Carrie Goetz who is a fractional CTO for multiple companies. She’s been in the business for many years. She was also voted as being one of the most influential women in the tech industry in 2020.
Researchers at Penn State say they have found a way to make batteries for electric cars that can be smaller and faster charging.
“The need for smaller, faster-charging batteries is greater than ever,” said Chao-Yang Wang, the lead author of the research study that was published in the October 12 issue of the journal Nature. “Our fast-charging technology works for most energy dense batteries and will open a new possibility to downsize electric vehicle batteries from 150 to 50 kWh without causing drivers to feel range anxiety,” said Wang.
Batteries operate most efficiently when they are hot, but not too hot. Keeping batteries consistently at just the right temperature has been a major challenge for battery engineers. Historically, they have relied on external, bulky heating and cooling systems to regulate battery temperature, but they respond slowly and waste a lot of energy. The team decided to regulate the temperature from inside the battery. The researchers developed a new battery structure that adds an ultrathin nickel foil as the fourth component besides the anode, electrolyte, and cathode. The nickel foil self-regulates the battery’s temperature and reactivity which allows for 10 minute fast charging on just about any EV battery.
This report is excerpted from the Q3 2019 Update Bulletin prepared for clients of Power Systems Research, Oct. 1, 2019.
SUMMARY. If you were to look at the latest global macro-economic fundamentals, you would see a strong and healthy economy and a rosy picture. On the other hand, if you follow the latest updates on key industries and their players worldwide, optimism is not that strong.
Facing intense competition in China’s new energy vehicle market, Volkswagen has decided to increase investment in its Hefei base. On April 11, Volkswagen announced an additional investment of €2.5 billion in its production and innovation center in Hefei to further strengthen its local R&D capabilities.
It has been reported that this investment will also be used to accelerate the development and production of two Volkswagen brand smart electric vehicle models co-developed with Xiaopeng Motors. Volkswagen revealed that the first model, a mid-size SUV, is planned to enter production in 2026.
SUMMARY: In this article we provide a global overview on a regional basis of the medium and heavy commercial vehicle market (GVWR > 6 MT’s) along with current trends and OEM happenings in North America.
NORTH AMERICA. MHCV production in North America is expected to decline by 35% in 2020 compared to 2019. However, orders for class 8 trucks improved significantly in Q4 2020 as large fleets placed their orders for a 2021 build. This appears to signal an improvement in demand for 2021 as the market aligns itself with the expected freight level moving forward. The consumer segment was strong during the last half of the year and the industrial segment is now expected to improve, as well.
This article first appeared in the March 2020 issue of PowerTALK™ News
China is one of the leading suppliers of auto components to India, and this supply chain was significantly interrupted in Q1 2020 by the caronavirus. In 2018-19, components worth an estimated US$4.5 billion (out of a total of approximately $17 billion) were exported from China to India. Most of this trade is in electronic components, EGR modules, fuel injection pumps, turbochargers, meter sets, LEDs, magnets, airbag components, and steering system components.
Since the discovery of the Coronavirus in December 2019, this supply chain has been affected. The covid-19 pandemic has started taking a toll on components supply and automotive production in India. The situation is further amplified, as China has terminated all sea routes to other parts of the world.
Yosyf Sheremeta, PhD, Director of Product Management and Customer Experience, analyzes the Global economic outlook by region and industry segment.
Welcome to the PSR PowerTALK podcast, produced by Power Systems Research.
00:06 Joe Delmont
From Power Systems Research I’m Joe Delmont, an editor of PSR PowerTALK.
Today we’ll talk with Yosyf Sheremeta about his global economic outlook. Yosyf is Director of Product Management and Customer Experience for Power Systems Research.
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