XCMG To Produce EV Trucks in Brazil in Two years

Fabio Ferraresi
Fabio Ferraresi

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.

Read More»

Brazil Announces Incentives for MHV and LV

BRAZIL/SOUTH AMERICA REPORT  

The Brazilian Federal Government this month has announced a package of incentives for the automotive sector during a press conference held in Brasilia (DF). The program intends to bail out the country’s automakers at a time of weak demand for new vehicles.

The final text includes passenger cars, Minivans and SUVs, Trucks and Buses through discounts granted to the consumer, and not by tax reduction to automakers, as was expected.

Total spending of Federal Government is US$ 300 Million (R$ 1.5 Billion). Funds are expected to come from the return of taxes on diesel sales, which was planned to happen in January 2024, but it is anticipated to meet the program of the automotive sector.

Read More»

Alternative Power Report, May 2023

The May issue of the Alternative Power Report produced by Power Systems Research contains several articles that discuss plans for production of alternative power sources. These include articles on VW’s plans to build its largest battery factory in Canada, Cummins decision to invest $1 billion in a hydrogen fuel network plus a report Caterpillar and NMG joining forces.

Show Report: Hannover Messe 2023

Guy Youngs
Guy Youngs

General Observations. The core topics at HANNOVER MESSE included artificial intelligence, hydrogen, energy management, connected and intelligent production, and the new Manufacturing-X data ecosystem.

More than 4,000 exhibitors presented their solutions and welcomed 130,000 visitors from around the globe. There seemed to be a very large Chinese contingent at the show (both as visitors and exhibitors), as well as a large number of local governments, universities and startups. There seemed to be a predominance of exhibitors showing bearings, copper fittings, cables and components as well as systems / electronics companies.

There was also a large number of independent robots in evidence, ranging from robotic dogs and robotic servers to robotic messengers following pre planned routes.

Read More»

DATAPOINT: NA Lawn Mower 2023 Production

3.4 million units is the estimate by Power Systems Research of the number of lawn mowers to be produced in North America in 2023. This includes 249,000 electric units.

Lawn mowers are produced in many designs and power sources and are designed to cut grass in lawns and public areas such as parks and golf courses. Robotic Mowers autonomously mow an area. Walk Behind Reel Mowers use blades set on a revolving cylinder or reel to cut grass. These mowers are powered either through human effort or engine power; when the reel mower is moved forward the reel moves, cutting the grass.

Carol Turner is Senior Analyst, Global Operations, for Power Systems Research

China’s Changan Auto To Build EV Plant in Thailand

SOUTHEAST ASIA: THAI REPORT

Changan Automobile Group, a major Chinese automobile manufacturer, will establish a new plant for electric vehicles such as EVs in Thailand, according to the Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI). The investment will be US$ 284 million (9.8 billion baht or about 38 billion yen), and construction is expected to be completed within a few years. The initial production capacity will be 100,000 vehicles a year, and on-board batteries will also be manufactured. The Thai government has established an incentive program to encourage local production of EVs, and Chinese EV giants have been actively investing in the country.

In addition to EVs, the new plant will produce electric vehicles such as HVs and PHVs. The company plans to supply vehicles to Southeast Asian countries, Australia, South Africa, and other markets.

Read More»

Weichai, BYD To Jointly Produce Batteries

CHINA REPORT
Jack Hao
Jack Hao

Weichai Power and BYD have agreed to jointly produce power batteries in Shandong, and to cooperate in programs to develop EV commercial vehicles. On May 23, the companies signed an agreement to build a research and development and manufacturing base for power batteries, continuously strengthen the new energy industry chain, innovation chain, and value chain, and make positive contributions to promoting the industrialization development of China’s new energy commercial vehicles.

Weichai Power is the largest manufacturer of diesel engines in China. Since 2010, Weichai Power has set a strategic goal of leading the global industry development in the new energy business by 2030. Weichai Power has invested more than 4 billion yuan in this effort. It has strategically restructured the Canadian Ballard hydrogen fuel cell, the British Siris solid oxide fuel cell, and the Swiss rapid air compressor, developed the first hydrogen internal combustion engine heavy truck in China, comprehensively laid out the three technical routes of pure electric, hybrid power, and hydrogen fuel cell, and dispersed the risks brought by the uncertainty of industrial development with the investment strategy of coexistence of multiple technical routes.

Read More»

Cummins To Invest $1 Billion in US Hydrogen Fuel Network

Cummins has announced that in addition to the recent investments it has made in its Fridley, Minn., plant, it will also invest more than $1 billion across its US engine manufacturing network in an effort to support the transition into hydrogen fuel.

The investments are being made in Indiana, North Carolina and New York. The $1 billion is intended to provide an upgrade of facilities supporting the first “fuel-agnostic” engine platforms in the industry. The fuel-agnostic concept refers specifically engines that can use different types of fuel, especially a variety of low-carbon and zero-carbon fuels.

Read More»

VW To Build Its Largest Battery Factory In Canada

The battery division of Volkswagen Group, PowerCo SE, said it plans to construct its biggest battery gigafactory to date in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. A potential final expansion stage could produce up to 90 GWh of batteries annually.

This will be the company’s first overseas gigafactory for cell production, and it will provide the company’s BEVs in the North American region with their unified cells technology, a cell technology created for mass production. Construction is expected to start in 2024 and be completed in 2027.

Read More»

Alternative Power Report, April 2023

Engines powered by gasoline and diesel fuel are reaching a critical point in production compared to electric and hybrid vehicles, according to reports in the April issue of Alternative Power Report. 2026 could be a critical year. Read about this trend and related articles that address alternative power in this issue.