2025-06-22
The April 2025 issue of Guy Youngs’ Alternative Power Report presents articles on Tesla sales and other activities. It also contains several reports on battery development . PSR
Guy Youngs is Forecast and Technology Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research
Hino Motors and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation have reached a final agreement to merge their operations in April 2026, but what will this mean? A basic agreement was initially reached in 2023, but the decision was delayed due to irregularities in Hino’s engine performance certifications. The merger will finally move forward following Hino’s settlement with U.S. authorities.
The commercial vehicle industry has undergone rapid changes over the past two years of stalled negotiations, so both companies will need to quickly demonstrate the benefits of the merger to make up for lost time. The biggest change is the tightening of environmental regulations.
In May 2024, the European Union (EU) strengthened CO₂ emission regulations for large trucks. By 2030, emissions must be reduced by 45% compared to 2019 levels. This is an increase from the previous target of 30%. By 2040, emissions must be reduced by 90%, a very strict requirement.
LG Energy Solution, a major company in South Korea, has withdrawn its investment plan for a materials factory. The company cited a slowdown in the electric vehicle (EV) market and a diminishing competitive advantage in Indonesia, where nickel is widely produced, as reasons for the decision.
Battery production involves processes from material manufacturing to productization, and the withdrawn plans included the construction of a nickel smelter for the main cathode material, as well as the production of cathode precursors and other materials.
Deere & Company estimates that Brazil will become its second-largest global market within the next five to ten years, surpassing Europe in sales of tractors, harvesters, and other agricultural equipment.
The forecast is based on the expansion of Brazilian agricultural production, particularly soybeans, corn, and sugarcane. According to Cristiano Correia, Vice President of Production Systems for Latin America, “no other region shows a compound growth rate in grain production comparable to Brazil’s over the next decade.”
The Illinois-based company is holding its first Investor Day in Brazil in over a decade in 2025, gathering around 40 investors from North America, Europe, and Asia.
Deere projects a 27% increase in Brazil’s planted grain area by 2035 and expects corn-based ethanol production to double during the same period.
According to data from the National Association of Road Implement Manufacturers (Anfir), the trailer industry registered a 2.4% decline in registrations during the January–May 2025 period, totaling 60,495 units compared to 62,001 units in the same period of 2024.
The most significant contraction occurred in the heavy-duty segment—trailers and semi-trailers—which registered 30,304 units, reflecting an 18% year-over-year decrease.
Rolls-Royce Power Systems achieved record 2024 performance, with revenue rising 11% to US$5.56 billion (€5.05 billion), surpassing the US$5.5 billion (€5 billion) mark for the first time. Adjusted operating profit jumped 40% to US$728.2 million (€662 million), boosting return on sales to 13.1% (up from 10.4% in 2023).
CEO Dr. Joerg Stratmann credited the results to a focused strategy in energy, government, marine, battery storage, and services. “We’ve grown our market share in mtu products and see strong future potential,” he said. The division recorded US$6.60 billion (€6 billion) in orders, signaling a positive outlook for 2025.
684,000 units is the estimate by Power Systems Research of the number of Outboard Engines expected to be produced worldwide in 2025.
The rising demand for zero-emission mobility goes beyond the nice idea of preventing a catastrophic climate crisis. EVs are a better fit for the connected, electrified lifestyle of the 21st century; they offer more opportunities for convenience, they are more useful for weathering power outages and climate-connected emergencies, and they are more adaptable to the needs of fleet managers, among other advantages.
However, while some researchers note that “salt batteries” are not quite ready for prime time, other stakeholders — including industry leader CATL — are already laying plans for mass production. Last month, CATL also burned up the Internet when it announced a suite of two sodium-ion batteries ready for full volume production by the end of this year.
The world’s sources of critical minerals are increasingly concentrated in just a few countries, most notably China, leaving the global economy vulnerable to supply cutoffs that could disrupt economies and hit consumers with higher prices, a report from International Energy Agency (IEA) has stated.
The report looked at the availability of minerals and metals that may be small in quantity but large in impact when it comes to shifting the economy away from fossil fuels toward electricity and renewable energy.
The U.S. had a robust policy in place to promote the adoption of electric cars, and it used all the tools conservatives say they like — carrots such as financial incentives instead of sticks such as mandates. But now, according to the IEA (International Energy Agency), USA is moving backwards while the rest of the world continues to move forward.
In its EV Global Outlook 2025 report, the IEA says that 20% of new cars sold worldwide in 2024 were electric, a definition that includes plug-in hybrids as well as battery-electric cars.
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