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The Reveal Of New Global Electro-mobility Volvo Buses
Volvo Buses is expanding its electromobility offer worldwide.
With the launch of the new Volvo BZL Electric chassis, Volvo Buses provides a solid platform for sustainable and efficient public transport in cities around the world, along with reliable and profitable operations for customers.
“We are committed to leading the transformation of our industry towards a more sustainable future. With the launch of the new Volvo BZL Electric, our ambition is to offer the world’s most responsible electric bus systems. We do it by focusing on sustainability, safety and reliability,” says Anna Westerberg, President of Volvo Buses.
The global demand for electromobility solutions in the public transport sector is rising and Volvo Buses expects a rapid increase in the coming years.
“With the new Volvo BZL Electric we offer a global platform for clean, silent, and energy-efficient public transport to meet the rising demand on important markets that are ready for the shift to electromobility,” says Anna Westerberg.
Circularity is important
Environmental care is at the heart of Volvo and sustainability, less noise, lower emissions, and reduced CO2 is essential. Volvo Buses has a wider scope than just that.
“We have a lifecycle perspective and take responsibility for the environmental impact of our products, from the cradle to the grave. This means we ensure that materials, manufacturing, operation and recycling meet the highest environmental standards,” says Anna Westerberg.
At Volvo Buses, circularity is important, and the new Volvo BZL Electric has been developed to be over 90 percent recyclable.
Volvo reliability, efficiency and safety
Volvo Buses has years of experience of electromobility solutions from working closely together with operators all over the world. The new Volvo BZL Electric is designed for both single and double decker applications with multiple options for bodybuilders.
“The new Volvo BZL Electric is based on proven and successful technologies already implemented in Europe. All the chassis and driveline components have been developed and manufactured by Volvo. To safeguard the premium qualities of our buses we partner up with selected bodybuilders around the world,” says Dan Pettersson, Head of International at Volvo Buses.
An electric bus is always part of a system. Route length, frequency, capacity, charging and local regulations all translate into different solutions.
“Through experience, we know that we need to work closely together with our customers and partners to be able to tailor electromobility solutions to each individual city. And through our worldwide service network and dedicated service teams, we can ensure the reliability and efficiency of our products and services even in the long-term perspective. It’s all about delivering zero unplanned downtime,” says Dan Pettersson.
Safety is a guiding star at Volvo, and the new Volvo BZL Electric meets the highest European standards for superior drivability and safe operation. It includes Volvo Buses’ latest connected technology offer, Volvo Connect. With features such as Volvo’s Zone Management, the operator can create safety zones where the maximum speed is limited, for example outside a school or in a bus depot.
A first-class driving experience and charging flexibility
The Volvo BZL Electric features a driveline developed entirely by Volvo. The 200 kW electric motor is coupled to a two-stage automated gearbox. This increases wheel torque at low speed and evens out current peaks, thus reducing energy consumption and sustaining motor and battery health. The driveline can be configured as a single or dual motor unit with a power output of no less than 540 hp. This makes the Volvo BZL Electric an untiring hill climber and allows for swift and smooth operation.
The Volvo BZL Electric is designed for charging flexibility using hardware interfaces for both OppCharge high-power charging on route as well as CCS charging in the depot. Volvo Buses also offers a usable energy commitment, which means that Volvo Buses guarantees capacity for an agreed amount of energy for the operation – thus eliminating any customer worries about batteries.
Facts Volvo BZL Electric
Length (mm): 11,815 (single decker), 10,585 (double decker).
Driveline: Electric motor, max output one/two motors: 200/400 kW (single decker), 200 kW (double decker).
Gearbox: 2-speed automated manual transmission.
Charging: OppCharge, max charge power: 300 kW. Combo2/CCS, max charge power 150 kW.
Energy storage capacity: up to 470 kWh
For more information, please visit volvogroup.com
Press Release_VolvoGroup
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Cox Automotive Forecast: New-Vehicle Sales Stall in September
Automobile sales in September are forecast to slow for the fifth straight month, as tight inventory, high prices take a toll on the industry.
September U.S. auto sales are forecast to be significantly hampered by an ongoing lack of new-vehicle inventory. According to a forecast released by Cox Automotive, the pace of auto sales, or seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), is expected to finish near 12.1 million, the slowest pace since May 2020, when much of the country was closed during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The September 2021 sales pace will be down from August’s 13.1 million pace and down from the September 2020 pace of 16.3 million.
Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using vehicles easier for everyone. The global company’s more than 27,000 team members and are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with annual revenues of nearly $20 billion.
Sales volume is forecast by Cox Automotive to come in near a notably low 1.0 million units. The low volume expectations for September 2021 put the month on course to be among the worst in the past decade. Sales volume is expected to be down nearly 26% from last September and down 8.5% from last month. The sales pace in the U.S. market has fallen every month since reaching a peak of 18.3 million in April.
According to Cox Automotive Senior Economist Charlie Chesbrough: “After a strong spring selling season, the supply situation has worsened precipitously and is dragging sales down with it. The monthly declines have been large – the sales pace has declined by more than a million units in each of the past five months. Available supply on dealer lots is now 58% lower than last September, down nearly 1.4 million units.”
The new-vehicle supply shortage is impacting the market in many ways. Manufacturers have cut back significantly on incentives, and transaction prices have risen as a result. In addition, the lack of new-vehicle inventory is steering many dealers and consumers into the used-vehicle market, resulting in higher prices for both wholesale and retail used vehicles.
Q3 2021: The Auto Industry Finds the Bottom
Cox Automotive will officially revise its full-year forecast, with new projections scheduled to be released on September 30.
The underlying economic conditions in the U.S. are currently healthy enough to support higher new-vehicle sales levels. The demand is there. Inventory levels, however, are the unique problem facing the automotive market right now, with disruptions to the global supply chain challenging all automakers, severely impacting available inventory, and pushing many would-be buyers out of the market. In recent research by Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book team, nearly half of would-be buyers indicated in August that they will likely step back from the market, many for three months or more.
Inventory conditions, however, are anticipated to improve in the coming months. “The expectation is that OEM supply issues will improve such that Q4 should have better selling SAARs than the September rate, but that doesn’t mean good selling rates,” said Chesbrough. “Vehicles are getting produced, and some OEMs have improved their supply situation. In recent months, OEMs seem to be managing the situation better now that they’ve had time to adjust. For example, automakers are improving their ability to redirect existing chips to the most important vehicles in their portfolios. This strategy should support better sales in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter.”
September 2021 Sales Forecast Highlights
- New light-vehicle sales are forecast to fall to 1.0 million units, or down 357,000 units, nearly 26% from last year. Compared to last month, sales are expected to fall 92,000 or nearly 8%.
- The SAAR in September 2021 is estimated to be 12.1 million, down from last September’s early COVID recovery pace of 16.3 million and down from August’s 13.1 million supply-constrained level.
- No segment saw a sales increase in September with the Mid-Size Cars and Compact SUV/Crossover segments seeing the largest year-over-year decreases at -41.0% and -33.7%, respectively.
Cox Automotive Q3 U.S. Auto Sales Forecast Call
Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke and the Industry Insights team will share their take on the overall industry performance on Thursday, September 30, at 10 a.m. EDT. In addition to the economic factors influencing the market, the Industry Insights team will cover the industry’s hottest topics, including inventory, vehicle prices, and valuations. The revised Cox Automotive full-year forecast will be explained, including insights into the outlook for the remainder of the year.
* All percentages are based on raw volume, not daily selling rate.
SOURCE Cox Automotive Press Release.
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Ford Motor To Cease Operations in India: What Happens Next?
“To continue investing … we needed to show a path for a reasonable return on investment,” Ford India head Anurag Mehrotra told reporters last week. “Unfortunately, we are not able to do that,” Anurag concludes.
Ford India Private Limited announced on 9 September 2021, their intent to shut down their two manufacturing plants located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and Sanand, Gujarat. Their decision to move out of the Indian market comes with a heavy heart. After sinking $2.5 billion in India since entry and burning another $2 billion over the past decade alone, Ford decided not to invest more.
Ford Motors’ venture into India was not easy, especially being one of the first multinational automobile companies entering into the Indian market and their journey was neither smooth with tough competition from companies such as Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp. and South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. Surprisingly, they were not the only global automobile corporations that have found it difficult to sustain India’s automobile market which is the fourth largest in the world based upon production statistics of 2017. In fact, Ford’s American rival General Motors (GM) and the American motorcycle company Harley-Davidson are also on the list of global companies that have ceased manufacturing in India.
Factors Contributing To Ford India’s Closure
Some of the key factors were:
- Failure to adapt to the Indian Consumers’ Portfolio
Indian consumers prefer small, cheap, fuel-efficient cars that could bump over uneven roads without needing expensive repairs. In India, 95% of cars are priced below $20,000.”The struggle for many global brands has always been meeting India’s price point because they brought global products that were developed for mature markets at a high-cost structure,” commented analyst Ammar Master at LMC Automotive.
An automobile industry expert from India who prefers annonymity, pointed out that Ford did not fully customize its car platforms. India is a right-hand drive market whereas in the US it is left-hand drive. The expert adds, “Some of the Ford India’s car models, the owner-driver, had to get down, go around the vehicle, open the left side door to unlock the boot, certainly a tedious affair,” the expert explained.
- Difficult Market for Global Brands
Some of Ford’s missteps can be traced to when it drove into India in the mid-1990s. While Maruti Suzuki India Ltd and Hyundai Motor India Ltd cashed in on launching new models at different price points, Ford and General Motors failed to do so as they didn’t have a small car in their global portfolio. Ford mentioned that it had considered bringing more models to India but determined it could not do so profitably.
In addition, an automobile industry expert from India pointed out that Ford did not fully customize its car platforms. India is a right-hand drive market whereas in the US it is a left-hand drive. As such, “Some of the Ford India’s car models, the owner-driver, had to get down, go around the vehicle, open the left side door to unlock the boot, certainly a tedious affair,” the expert explained.
Hence, as a whole, “U.S. manufacturers with large truck DNAs struggled to create a good and profitable small vehicle. Nobody got the product quite right and losses piled up,” said Ravi Bhati, President of JATO Dynamics Ltd.
While India’s auto market has been described as tough to crack, Hyundai subsidiary Kia Motors and China’s MG Motor are among the exceptions, having made significant inroads over the last couple of years.
- Demand Has Been Muted
Auto sales have registered a combined annual growth rate of just 1.5 per cent in India over the past five years, upsetting the plans of MNCs who have heavily invested in the Indian markets. In conjunction with the Indian market’s downturn, the automobile industry demand for combustion vehicles, in general, is declining due to the transition towards an all-electric future.
“The industry has been witnessing comparatively slower growth in the last 18 months… There have been a lot of statements about the importance of the automobile industry, but in terms of concrete action, which would reverse the decline, I haven’t seen any action on the ground. I don’t think the car industry would revive either with ICEs, or with the CNG, biofuels or EVs unless we address the question of affordability of cars for the consumers,” Maruti Suzuki chairman R C Bhargava had said.
Therefore, a combination of factors snowballed over 25 years with the pandemic last year, exacerbating the economic losses to a point of no return.
Ford considered several options in India, including partnerships, platform sharing and contract manufacturing with other carmakers before deciding to shut down factories in India.
What Is Next?
- For Ford India Employees
“The company has to export about 30,000 cars by the end of this year. So, the management has cajoled the workers to restart production while holding talks relating to the plant closure,” another worker told IANS preferring anonymity.
According to Ford India, about 4,000 employees are expected to be affected by its decision. The union officials are also studying the settlement packages offered by other companies and to avoid other pitfalls so that they can secure a good compensation package if they are not able to protect their jobs.
2. For India and automobile industry competitors
The retreat by Ford is a further blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make-in-India program, which encourages companies to manufacture locally. Tesla Inc. has urged Modi’s administration to allow it to import cars more cheaply before it commits to setting up a factory in the country.
According to Vahishta Unwalla, Lead Analyst-Industry Research Team, Care Ratings Ltd, companies in the utility vehicle space like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors India Pvt Ltd and Tata Motors Ltd shall benefit by the exit of Ford India. She adds that since Ford India is not a major player in any car segment, its absence will not result in any substantial windfall for other players.
More updates on Ford can be found https://corporate.ford.com/
References of Content:
[1] What the exit of Ford Motor Company from India tells us by MG Arun, India Today
[2] Ford Motor Company bails on India, will shut car factories there by Ragini Saxena and Keith Naughton (Bloomberg)
[3] Ford motor to cease local production in india shut down both plants report by Pranav Mukul
[4] What went wrong with Ford in India and who will benefit from its exit? by IANS, Chennai
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Hyundai x NTU: Four Pilot Projects Focusing On Mobility Of The Future.
Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group have inked an agreement to run four research projects focusing on the production of electric vehicles and future mobility technologies.
By Ashwini Balan, Eastern Trade Media
Specifically, the projects will look at the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and additive manufacturing(AM) technologies. The research initiatives were part of NTU’s vision to develop applications that would be revolutionary, paving the way for next-generation automobile manufacturing. One of the projects, for instance, is to build machine learning algorithms for vehicle image processing, that could be tapped to check the quality of battery electric vehicles. An AI-powered image processing sensor deployed in the manufacturing plant could detect defects and anomalies across the production process, ensuring the safety and reliability of the final product, NTU said.
Another project would explore the integration of additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, to customise automotive components for electric vehicles and how these parts could be implemented in small factor operation. This could facilitate smart manufacturing sites capable of building car models that are customised.
The partnership between Hyundai and NTU started last October, when NTU was unveiled as Hyundai’s first academic research partner for their innovation centre in Singapore. The project will steadily begin research work this month and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. The Hyundai research facility focuses on future mobility technologies and together with NTU, Hyundai also planned to run 3D printing competitions in automotive engineering, which they hoped would spur interest in electric vehicle manufacturing and nurture new talent in the sector. NTU students and researchers also would be able to tap Hyundai’s industry experts to exchange ideas.
There are similar projects that Hyundai has partaken in 2021, in view of their carbon neutrality goals. In June, Hyundai teamed up with mobile app platform Grab to drive the adoption of electric vehicles in Southeast Asia. Both companies would explore pilots to ease the use of such vehicles for Grab drivers and delivery partners, such as offering leasing programmes on a “battery-as-a-service” model. The South Korean carmaker in March also announced a partnership with Singapore telco Singtel to develop a system for Hyundai to monitor electric cars driven on the island. The Internet of Things (IoT) platform would provide Hyundai with telemetry, or “automatic data transmission”, on the status and performance of the batteries powering the electric vehicles used the company’s subscription service.
Indeed, multinational automotive manufacturers are gearing ahead into the all-electric future and it seems that this vision of the future, would soon become the present reality.
References of the content:
1. Original Article Source: Eileen Yu, ZDNet, 2021
2. Image Source: Lorenzo Hamers on Unsplash
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