Higher Octane Gasoline Offered in Brazil

Fabio Ferraresi
Fabio Ferraresi

The new specs as per ANP 087/20 resolution determines the minimum density of 715 kg/m3 and minimum octanes of 92 RON. In January 2022, it will be 93 RON. The Ethanol mix was kept in 27% for regular gasoline and 25% for premium gasolines.

Source: UOL     Read The Article

PSR Analysis: With the use of Ethanol in the mix, Brazil gasoline specs get closer to Europe and USA. The goal is to improve the consumption 6% and reduce failures in engines. This may reduce barriers for imported engines and reduce the cost of “tropicalization” of engines.

Fabio Ferraresi is Director Business Development South America for Power Systems Research

Expansion of “Amkodor-Onego” Plant Started

Currently construction at the plan includes rebuilding of warehouses and administrative buildings in preparation for installation of new crane equipment.

Maxim Sakov
Maxim Sakov

“Amkodor-Onego” LLC was established by Belarus holding “Amkodor” in 2019 following the bankruptcy if the “Onego Tractor Plant”. The plant needed an investor, and “Amkodor” stepped up. “Amkodor” is going to create a site for assembly, and then – for import substituting full cycle production of forestry machines – harvesters, forwarders, etc.

An investment contract was signed in June 2019. Under the contract, full modernization of the warehouses and major overhaul of the buildings are planned. Total cost of the project is estimated by US$ 220 million. The government of Karelia (Russian region) assumed the priority of the project and established several requirements.

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BMW Production Plant Scheduled for Kaliningrad

Maxim Sakov
Maxim Sakov

The launch of new plant with full production capabilities for BMW SUVs is planned for July 2021. According to Kaliningrad officials, the new plant is one of the most important investment projects in the regional processing industry. Autotor holding makes up a significant part of the regional production.

Officials said the enterprise is one of the largest employers and taxpayers in Kaliningrad region. Construction of the plant building is underway, and machinery installation will be started in January 2021. The first car is expected to be produced in July 2021.

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Production of Mercedes-Benz Actros Planned at KAMAZ Plant

Maxim Sakov
Maxim Sakov

Russian production of the clean on-road Mercedes-Benz Actros will start in November at the KAMAZ Naberezhnye Chelny plant. The new truck is being modified by Mercedes to meet Euro-6 standards. At the same time, German engineers are reworking the process of exhaust gases neutralization.

Russian production of Actros will allow Russian fleet-owners to purchase top-quality trucks without extra customs fees. The price and initial availability have not been disclosed.     Read The Article

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Indian Government Allows Registration of EVs Without Batteries

In a bid to promote electric mobility in India, the Indian government now permits sales of EVs without a battery. This step has been taken to reduce the upfront cost of EVs, since the most expensive component in an electric vehicle is the battery pack (which accounts for 40% cost of the total cost).    Read The Article

Aditya Kondejkar

PSR Analysis: We anticipate that electric 2 and 3-wheelers will be the first segments to benefit from this move. This move by the central government will support the FAME-II program and the Delhi government’s latest EV policy, aiming for 5 lakh registrations of EVs in 5 years.

As the upfront cost of the electrical 2 and 3 wheelers will be lower than their ICE counterparts when registered without battery, it will be more attractive to consumers. However, implementation will be critical for the success of this move. As lack of infrastructure was one of the key reasons for customers not opting for EVs.

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Used Construction Equipment Prices Fall in SE Asia, Demand Slows with COVID-19

The prices of used construction equipment continue to fall, and bidding prices at major auctions are 10% lower than in the same period last year. This is due to a decrease in demand from Southeast Asia due to the COVID-19.

Akihiro Komuro
Akihito Komuro

Demand in Japan is steady due to the torrential rains in Kyushu and other factors, but the price decline in overseas markets has lowered the overall market.

Demand in the Philippines and Thailand also declined. In Southeast Asia, demand for cranes and other infrastructure-related equipment has been high for the past few years, but there have been several construction delays and stoppages caused by COVID-19. The average unit price at the crane truck auction was about 6 million yen, a 20% drop from January to March before COVID-19.

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Doosan Sells 10,000 Excavators in China in H1 2020

Doosan Infracore announced that it sold 10,728 hydraulic excavators in China in H1 2020. This is the company’s largest sales volume in nine years since it sold more than 12,000 units in the market in H1 2011. The company sold 1,320 excavators in June, a 23% increase in sales over the previous year.

Akihiro Komuro
Akihito Komuro

China’s hydraulic excavator market suffered a slowdown in the first two months of the year due to COVID-19 but is now consistently showing signs of a rapid recovery. Overall sales in the Chinese hydraulic excavator market exceeded 155,000 units in H1 2020, significantly exceeding the 125,000 units sold nationwide in H1 2019.

Source: Kikai-News (The original article was partially revised by the author.)

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Taiwan Audi Teams with Noodoe To Create EV Charging Plan

To continue to promote the deployment of electric vehicles in Taiwan, Taiwan Audi officially entered the pure electric vehicle market at the end of 2019 and launched the “E-tron Future” reservation project.

Erik Martin
Erik Martin

To meet the pure electric future, Taiwan Audi has joined hands with strategic partner Noodoe to accelerate the deployment of Taiwan’s charging network. Evaluating home charging station installation and a cloud-based charging operating system paired with Taiwan Audi’s charging solution aims to realize a pure electric mobile life.

From north to south, Taiwan spans only about 500 kilometers.  At the same time, the main population centers are concentrated in the seven largest metropolitan areas. These cities–while clearly defined–are connected by a comprehensive road network that provides excellent advantages in the development of electric vehicles. Audi has been actively promoting the deployment of electric vehicles in Taiwan since last year. It is expected to introduce the first electric vehicle model ─ Audi e-tron – before the end of 2020 with a battery life of 417 kilometers (WLTP). Through the 150kW fast charge mode, it can be charged in 30 minutes to 80% power.

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How Does Market Brace for Low Speed EV Impact?

By August 12, after 20 days of product launch, SGMW’s MINI EV will hit a sales record of 15,000 vehicles, making it the world’s fastest car model reaching the threshold of 10,000 units.

Source: D1 EV      Read The Article

Qin Fen
Qin Fen

PSR Analysis: Consider BYD’s electric bus, SGMW’s MINI EV, as well as premium car brands like Tesla: These traditional and emerging automotive OEMs are reformulating rules of the auto game, with their own proprietary technology. 

As a matter of fact, it’s not just the automotive market that needs to brace for the impact of electrification, the off-road market also is trending toward electrification.  The changing markets include passenger car, light commercial vehicle, medium and heavy duty vehicle, forklift, and lawn mower. Will this wave continue to expand to other off-road applications?  How much more will it change the rules of the game?     PSR

Qin Fen is Business Development Manager for Power Systems Research

Wacker Neuson Expands EV Offerings

German construction machine manufacturer Wacker Neuson has introduced a new product to their electric range.  The EZ17e is an electric zero tail mini excavator with lithium ion batteries and flexible charge management. 

Emiliano Marzoli
Emiliano Marzoli

The machine can be charged both with household 110v plugs or with a 415 volts quick charging point.  In the latter case only four hours are required to complete the charge.

According to the OEM, one battery charge can last a full workday.  In addition, it is possible to charge the machine on site while idling.  The machine allows monitoring of the power supply of the construction site to make sure it is not overloaded.  

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