-
Volvo To Produce Trucks in China in 2022
Jack Hao Volvo Trucks expects to start production of the new heavy-duty Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX trucks in Taiyuan for local customers in China late next year. Volvo Trucks has agreed to acquire a subsidiary of China’s Jiangling Motors Co to produce trucks for the local market starting late next year. JMC Heavy Duty Vehicle Co, which includes a manufacturing site in Taiyuan, capital of North China’s Shanxi province, will be purchased for $120.4 million (780 million yuan), said the Swedish truck maker.
Source: China Daily Read The Article
-
Understanding the Global Chip Shortage
Erik Martin Semiconductors help power everything from your phone to your car. Here’s what to know about the major supply chain problem.
There are chips in nearly everything electric you own, from your phone to your computer to your car. There are even chips in items you wouldn’t expect, such as your washing machine, electric toothbrush, and refrigerator. But these tiny parts that power so much of our lives are now in critically short supply.
“Right now we have a global supply chain in crisis,” says Patrick Penfield, a professor of supply chain practice at Syracuse University. “We’ve just never ever seen anything of this magnitude impact us before.”
-
ENGIE EPS Acquisition May Create Euro-Asian Powerhouse
Erik Martin TAIPEI–The acquisition of a 60.5% stake in ENGIE EPS by Taiwan Cement Corporation (TCC) was finalized and completed in July.
The deal, which was announced in April, saw the Italy-headquartered stationary storage and e-mobility solutions subsidiary of French multinational Engie taken over by TCC subsidiary Taiwan Cement Europe Holdings.
What both parties get out of the deal
In a press release, TCC said it has now become a “major player” in electric vehicle charging infrastructure as well as its newly acquired capabilities in building large-scale battery storage systems and microgrids.
-
Taiwan Pushing into Next-Generation EV Battery Development
Erik Martin TAIPEI. As electric vehicle (EV) development becomes a global effort, batteries that play a vital role to EVs’ cost-performance ratios are a focus to manufacturers with ambitions to expand in the EV market…
Taiwan’s battery industry may not be backed by well-known brands and abundant natural resources. Nevertheless, a large part of Taiwan-based battery suppliers have been assembling battery modules for Taiwan’s ICT industry. For example, Simplo, Dynapack and Celxpert with a long-term focus on manufacturing battery modules for consumer electronics such as notebook only started to set foot in EV battery solutions in recent years…
-
Parched Taiwan Prays for Rain as Sun Moon Lake Hit by Drought
Erik Martin TAIWAN — Taiwan’s Sun Moon Lake is so low that parts of it have dried and turned to grass. Jetties that normally float are sprawled awkwardly on dry land, and tour boats are crowded at the tail ends of pontoons still in the water.
Usually one of the island’s most famous tourist destinations, the lake has recently become a star of a different kind. Following the worst drought in 56 years, it is now famous for all the wrong reasons. These days, Instagram influencers photograph themselves posing in a dust-colored, dinghy half-buried in a cracked and cratered lakebed…
But away from the quirky headlines, the situation is dire. Other reservoirs across central and southern Taiwan are effectively empty, down to 5% or less.
Taiwan has had drought before, but observers are hoping the severity of this one – which has lasted 18 months and threatens Taiwan’s economic lifeblood of semiconductor production – is enough to prompt real action on climate change.
-
PSR-HDMA Present Webinar April 21, 2021
Current and Future Supply Chain Concerns For Medium and Heavy Vehicles Will Be Discussed
Erik Martin 
Chris Fisher Power Systems Research April 21, 2021, produced a one-hour webinar with the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA) discussing current and future supply chain concerns, especially as they affect Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles.
The presenters included:
- Chris Fisher – Senior Commercial Vehicle Analyst, Power Systems Research
- Erik Martin – Director, Asia Region, Power Systems Research
- Richard Anderson – Director, Market Research & Analysis, HDMA
-
Beijing Accelerates “Fuel for Battery” Policy
Qin Fen The Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport in February issued an action plan describing how to switch out IC-powered light commercial vehicles in urban areas.
The city government will subsidize fleet companies switching out 20 gasoline or diesel powered vehicles to battery-powered cargo vehicles one time before Aug. 31, 2021. The government will issue city passes to fleet companies on more favorable terms than ICE powered cargo vehicles.
There will be a government transportation center to monitor every battery-powered vehicle on operating range, GPS, etc., in case someone embezzles government subsidy.
-
Gogoro Network Powered Through Innovative Solutions
To date, there have been over 151 million battery swaps, an average of 2.8 per second.
Erik Martin TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Imagine being asked to design and build a totally new, green energy infrastructure for an entire country — from scratch.
This was the goal given to Gogoro Network (GN) General Manager Alan Pan (潘璟倫) by Gogoro founder and CEO Horace Luke (陸學森). Sitting down for an interview with Taiwan News, Pan described some of the issues electric scooters faced before Gogoro, including limited charging solutions due to lack of space in Taiwan and high battery and maintenance costs.
-
Truck News: Ask The Expert
Chris Fisher What changes do you see in the PSR Truck Production Index in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter of 2020?
Overall, we are seeing stronger momentum for commercial truck orders and sales which bode well for production in Q1 2021.
Supply chain issues will impact short term production as companies are still having difficulty with staffing numbers and various virus protocols that disrupt production. These problems are expected to continue throughout at least the first half of the year.
-
Weichai Takes 60% Stake in Agricultural Equipment Maker
Qin Fen Weichai Holding Group Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese powertrain manufacturer, has acquired a controlling stake in Lovol, one of the country’s major agricultural equipment makers.
Source: Xinhua News Agency Read The Article
PSR Analysis: People look up to leading companies in industry because often times they are not just leading the trend, they are also setting an example of weathering the storm during crisis.
TPI
PSR Truck Production Index
Free quarterly global commercial vehicle production report.
Alternative Power Report
The latest EV and power source news including batteries and fuel cells with analysis by PSR experts.
PowerTALK News
Stay informed each month with insights from Power Systems Research’s analysts working around the world as they identify and comment on important news items in the company’s monthly newsletter.
Subscribe View Archive
OE Link™ Offers
Global Coverage
OE Link™ database provides OEM products, both On-Road and Off-Road, in 12 regions.
Current Reports
Download complimentary reports that show the type of information available from Power Systems Research.
PowerTALK News
Stay informed each month with insights from Power Systems Research analysts working around the world as they identify and comment on important news items in the company’s monthly newsletter.
Subscribe