The development of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) that use hydrogen as a fuel for heavy-duty trucks is accelerating. Since the start of 2020, major manufacturers such as Hino, Isuzu, and Daimler have been announcing cooperation with other companies one after another.
In April, Daimler and Volvo announced that they would establish a 50-50 joint venture to develop and mass produce fuel cell heavy-duty trucks.
Minsk has offered to Moscow to localize production of heavy mining BelAZ trucks in Russia. It was announced by deputy of Trade Minister Mr. Evtukhov.
“At the moment Belorussian colleagues have offered to produce BelAZ trucks in Russian Federation, to localize… I think, this project could be implemented – says Mr. Evtukhov on joint meeting of trade committees of two countries.
Note, that in Belarus since 9 August the protests have started. BelAZ workers also participated in meetings and strikes. Read The Article
PSR Analysis: BelAZ produces one of the world’s largest HHP mining trucks (up to 450 ton capacity), and Russia was one of its key markets until this year. However, now the import volumes to Russia have dropped significantly. Today, production of similar trucks in Russia is localized by Caterpillar. Similar projects also are developed by local OEMs (Tonar, KAMAZ). So, BelAZ is searching for ways to keep its market share. PSR
Maxim Sakov is Market Consultant, Russia, for Power Systems Research
Engine maker Cummins is recalling 600,000 Ram trucks as part of a huge US$2 billion settlement with federal and California authorities for using illegal software to cheat results of diesel emissions tests.
This article initially appeared in the February 2020 issue of PowerTALK ™ News.
Foton says it will start producing Trucks in Guaíba-RS, in the facility formerly designated for his own factory. However, the production will be handled by GEFCO under a manufacturing contract, with parts imported from China. Previously, Foton assembled its trucks at the Agrale plant, also in Rio Grande do Sul state, to meet commitments made under government incentive programs. The number of models built here is likely to increase during the year, but no details have been disclosed.
Source: Automotive Business Read The Article
PSR Analysis: At the same time Foton works on local production, it is working on adding about 50 dealers from Ford Trucks, which closed its operations in Brazil, to eliminate one of the biggest gaps to increase sales. The other gaps, such as reliability perception and spare parts availability, will take longer to be addressed, but we can see growth in sales and production of the Chinese OEM in Brazil, given more positive market conditions. PSR
Fabio Ferraresi is Director-Business Development SA
Move is opposed by Russian KAMAZ which plans to make similar machines.
Market players have proposed canceling import taxes and utilization fees for commercial vehicles fueled by LNG until 2025. The target of the measure is the development of LNG-transport until the appearance of domestic analogs of such machinery.
The suggestion comes from foreign makers of LNG on-highway tractors and supported by Gazprom. Now, no imported vehicles are exempted from these taxes.
The import tax for on-highway tractors is 5% of their cost, and the utilization fee is 10 to 12K Euro. LNG tractor is more expensive than its diesel analog by about 35K Euro.
After selling 35 NG Trucks in Chile, Iveco announced the sale of 100 Stralis NP Cursor 13 NGs in Argentina for a supplier to O&G industry in the Southern country.
Source: Read The Article
PSR Analysis: The acceptance from customers helps to remove a barrier to NG sales, transforming this technology from a Trend to a reality. NG was formerly more deployed in Buses than in Trucks. With the experience of fleet owners, the technology will gain scale rapidly in South America countries and accelerate the volumes in South American markets. PSR
Fabio Ferraresi is Director Business Development South America for Power Systems Research
Eletra started converting Trucks and Buses from 3.5 to 54 Tons for the range of 50km to 150km by replacing the actual Powertrain (ICE, Transmission, Axels,) and suspension with batteries, electric drive and new suspension. The main benefits for the approach is to provide 30% less cost than a new Electric Truck and shorten the timing to meet sustainability targets, since the retrofit is done quickly. Companies like Ambev (AB-Inbev) announced 102 trucks retrofitted with Eletra.
Source: M&T Read The Article
XCMG announced plans to produce battery electric trucks in Brazil at Pouso Alegre (MG) plant in two years. Until then, the company expects to build a local network of suppliers and wait for new industrial policies that are expected for the electric vehicle segment.
The current plan consists of starting with the assembly of chassis and cabins at the Minas Gerais plant with components produced by local suppliers. Batteries and other components of the electric powertrain will be imported from China.
This first stage fits the company’s electric trucks within the scope of Finame, the BNDES credit line that finances the acquisition of machinery and equipment. To access this line, the product to be financed must have a certain percentage of parts and components produced in the country.
Volkswagen Trucks and Bus announced that it will return in January from collective vacations to resume production in two full shifts, marking a return to a pre-April status.
Since April, alternating worker groups have managed the production line and remote work, with workers undergoing training courses during off-duty periods. This measure was essential due to a 37.8% decline in truck production and a 35.2% decrease in bus chassis production from January to October.
From January onwards, production will resume at full capacity, assuming positive market expectations.
Source: AutoData Read The Article
Volvo has received authorization from the Ministry of Transportation to begin testing its heavy electric trucks in Brazil. The vehicles will be part of a study and will be able to operate in urban areas, metropolitan regions, and short to medium-distance intercity transportation, aiming to evaluate their performance and impact on pavement in this type of operation.
The transport companies ReiterLog and Ritmo Logística will be the first to operate the Volvo electric trucks. Preliminary results from the study, led by Senatran (National Traffic Department), with technical coordination from Inprotran (National Institute of Traffic and Safety Projects), in partnership with Volvo, Prometeon, UNB, and UFRGS, indicate benefits of operating zero-emission CO2 vehicles, such as high energy efficiency, absence of noise, low vibration levels, and increased driver comfort.
Monthly news and analysis from PSR’s experts
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