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Continental Wins First Order for CV High-Performance Computer
Frankfurt, Germany–For the first time, Continental has won an order to supply the commercial vehicle sector with telematics units that include high-performance computers. This means that the technology company now also offers a solution that can master the increasing requirements for connectivity, complexity and functional scope in trucks.
Continental will use its telematics know-how – already proven in the passenger car sector – to complete this order from Volkswagen. Last year, Continental was…
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European EV Buses Under Pressure

Emiliano Marzoli After three years, Alstom is halting their EV bus production. By the end of 2021, the production lines will be stopped, and unless a buyer will take over, most of the operations will be shut down. Twenty employees will remain active to assure maintenance for the existing vehicles in operations with RATP.
Just two years ago, Alstom was one of the winners of a contract to supply electric buses to the French operator. However, this was not enough to maintain profitability.
PSR Analysis: We believe that electric buses have a great future, particularly in Europe. According to our database CV Link™, alternative drive buses, including Hybrid, Fuel Cells and Battery Electric, will grow at a 22% CAGR between 2020 and 2030.
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Powersports Recreational Equipment Update
EDITOR’S NOTE. Power Systems Research tracks the global trends powersports recreational equipment, especially the electrification of these units. This is one of a series of reports on these trends.

Michael Aistrup The first LiveWire branded motorcycle is scheduled to launch on July…
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Forecast: Component Shortages and Supply Chain Disruptions

Chris Fisher Since the latter part of last year, North American heavy commercial truck orders have been extremely strong as freight rates remain very high. Both contract rates and spot rates are in record territory, primarily driven by consumer spending, a strong housing market and an improving manufacturing sector.
The anticipation of the stimulus spending and increasing vaccination rates for Covid-19 are also driving optimism in the economy. However, rising inflation could derail the improving economy.
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DATAPOINT: NA Scooters, 2021 Production, 431,900

431,900 units is the estimate by Power Systems Research of the number of Scooters to be produced in North America (Mexico and the U.S.) in 2021.
This information comes from industry interviews and from two proprietary databases maintained by Power Systems Research: EnginLink™ , which provides information on engines, and OE Link™, a database of equipment manufacturers.
Market Share: Dominating the NA market for Scooter production is Mexico-based Italika with 89% of total units produced. In second position is Honda-Mexico with 11%; third is US-based Go-Ped with 178 units.
Trends: 2020 production of Scooters in NA increased 10.5% over 2019 production despite Covid-19 uncertainties. It is expected that production will gain an additional 4% from 2020 to 2021.
Honda reported record low production in 2020, when it posted the sharpest decline in its 72-year history, declining by more than 5 million sales globally or 24.4%. Italika rallied after a bleak start to boost total production for the segment. Italika was founded in 2005 as a new emerging motorcycles manufacturer headquartered in Toluca, Mexico.
Increased demand for efficient and eco-friendly vehicles–along with the threat of rising gas prices–will boost the electric scooter market. Not only are scooters convenient and offer independence, but they also make for faster commutes as opposed to using other modes of transportation; electric models are also extremely popular. Expect production of scooters to increase 15% by 2025. PSR
Carol Turner is Senior Analyst, Global Operations, for Power Systems Research
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Enhancements Made in MHV Segment Data

Joe Zirnhelt As we move through the 2021 year, we at Power Systems Research are working to include enhancements within the data for our Medium and Heavy Vehicles segment that is available in OE Link™, CV Link™ and PartsLink™.
We have added several new fields to increase the value of the data to users as they analyze and further segment the markets. These enhancements, now available as of March 31, 2021, include:
OEM Assembly Information for Knockdown (Kit) Production. New fields including OEM Assembly Type (Kit vs. Full), OEM Assembly Plant and OEM Assembly Country which will help in the analysis of OEMs involved in knockdown production (i.e. Kit) where initial production of the engine and chassis are different from the final OEM Country.
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Gen-Set Sales Plateau as Supply Chain Catches Up in Q1 2021

Joe Zirnhelt SUMMARY: Our PowerTrackerTM dealer and distributor survey of 200 respondents reported that overall gen-set sales declined in Q1 2021 down 7.4% from Q4 2020 levels. This decrease follows three consecutive quarters in 2020 where dealers reported overall sales increases of 4.5% in Q2 2020 followed by 11.9% in Q3 2020 and 6.3% in Q4 2020.
Although sales were down 7.4% in the first quarter, the results were unique in that there was a different story depending on the fuel and power range being considered.
The data comes from the proprietary PowerTrackerTM series of syndicated surveys conducted each quarter by Power Systems Research. A total of 300 interviews are completed each quarter with gen-set dealers and distributors and businesses across North America.
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Thuy Trinh Nguyen Wins $2,000 Scholarship from Power Systems Research
Thuy Trinh Nguyen, a senior at Eagan High School, Eagan, Minnesota, is the recipient of the 2021 Power Systems Research $2,000 academic scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a student who will be attending a four-year college with a career objective in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics.
She will use the scholarship to study biology and sociology (Pre-Med) at Harvard College.
"My favorite subject," says Thuy, "is AP Physics–it not only taught me how to calculate my initial velocity,…
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Russia Economic Outlook – April 2021
Maxim Sakov, Market Consultant-Russia for Power Systems Research, discusses his Q1 2021 economic outlook for Russia in this episode of PSR PowerTALK.
Transcript
Welcome to the PSR PowerTALK podcast, produced by Power Systems Research.
00:06 Emiliano Marzoli:
From Power Systems Research, hello everyone. I’m Emiliano Marzoli, editor of PSR PowerTALK, and today I will discuss the economic outlook for Russia with Maxim Sakov, our marketing consultant in Moscow. Maxim provides our clients with economic and production forecasts for Russia each quarter. And thank you for joining us today, Maxim.
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Q1 2021 Truck Production Report
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.
Transcript
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.
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