October 2020

Traction News

Nexen Tire America announced the development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data-driven methodology aimed at reducing tire noise. The big data research for Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) was jointly conducted with Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group and Inha University in Korea. Since 2018, Nexen Tire conducted the joint research with long-standing partner Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group to increase customer satisfaction and improve the environment by reducing noise levels.

Paul Tan’s Automotive News

The planned Tesla Semi electric truck is set to have a competitor from some established names. Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) and Hino USA have announced that they will jointly develop a Class 8 fuel cell electric truck (FCET) for the North American market. With expanding interest in heavy-duty electric trucks, the Japanese companies will leverage the newly developed Hino XL Series chassis with Toyota’s proven fuel cell technology to “deliver exceptional capability without harmful emissions”.

While tires remain one of the most recycled products in the U.S., end-of-life markets are not keeping pace with the annual generation of scrap tires, a new report released by the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) reveals.

The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) has released its Natural Rubber Trends & Statistics report for September, which highlights that world production of natural rubber (NR) fell 8.7%, year-on-year, during Jan-Aug 2020 to 7.778 million tons. Accounting for a predicted 3.8% fall in the remaining four months of the year, the total production during 2020 is anticipated at 12.901 million metric tons reflecting a 6.8% fall from the previous year.

Graphene product developer OCSiAl has opened a European R&D and technical support center in Luxembourg to develop next-gen materials with graphene nanotubes. The company states its decision to open the center is related to the fact that Europe is at the forefront of developments in material engineering solutions, including the ongoing auto industry revolution.

Tire development increasingly uses analytic modeling tools to evaluate choices and guide a program. Here, modeling and simulation specialist Bay Systems explains the importance of verification in this process. Models generate predictions where accuracy rests upon the quality of the model and the accuracy of the input data. Before a model can be used to develop a product the model itself must be developed and validated.

Tire maker Sumitomo Rubber has begun proof-of-concept testing for a new type of tire pressure management solutions (TPMS) service, that it claims allows for remote monitoring of tire pressure and temperature. The concept is part of a joint project undertaken with Shin-Idemitsu, and its group subsidiary IDEX Auto Japan, as well as partners at TripodWorks, and one Sumitomo’s tire sales subsidiaries, Dunlop.

Linglong Tyre has unveiled a range of bio-based rubber tires, which the company states have been developed in collaboration with Beijing Chemical Industry University over the past three years, and employ a variety of bio-based rubber products in their construction.

People think twice about buying a car, especially an electric one, a researcher noted during a webinar hosted by the National Development Planning Agency.

The clock shows 7.30am, and daylight has just broken over the trees and small rise around Ab Manap Minhat’s house. The 65-year-old steps out of his home, clad in a thick, long-sleeved shirt with long pants tucked into his boots. He starts up his motorcycle and heads out to start tapping the trees on the 6 acres of rubber plantation that he and his wife own in Bukit Katil, Melaka.

Top Glove, the world’s biggest rubber glove maker, is considering raising more than US$1 billion (RM4.1 billion) from a listing in Hong Kong, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Electric vehicles (EVs) currently make up a small percentage of the cars on Singapore’s roads, but more motorists could be encouraged to make the switch to EVs if there are more charging points, said the CEO of EV charging firm Charge+.

Hyundai has begun construction of its new innovation centre in Singapore, which will act both as an open innovation lab for the company’s future mobility research and development as well a manufacturing plant for electric vehicles (EVs). The Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre (HMGICS) will be located at the Jurong Innovation District (JID) and will be operational by end-2022.

The Thailand government’s push for electric vehicles continues, as the country’s ministry of industry is looking to reduce the prices of EVs to bring them closer to cars with conventional internal combustion engines (ICEs). It aims to achieve this by reducing the import duty on automotive parts used to assemble EVs in Thailand, reports Bangkok Post. For now, the official of industrial economics in the country has been assigned to conduct a feasibility study of tax reduction options.

Great Wall Motor is gearing up to increase its presence in Thailand, the Bangkok Post reports. The Chinese automaker is planning to invest 22 billion baht (RM2.9 billion) into business expansion in the Kingdom, with local assembly set to begin next year. The company is in the midst of upgrading the Rayong production facility it took over from GM earlier this year, and expects that upgrade works will be completed in the final quarter of the year.

The meteoric rise of a little-known Polish company that manufactures protective gloves in Songkhla provides one of the clearest examples of how the pandemic has changed the world for Warsaw equity investors.

Thailand is likely to see higher shipments of rubber, increasing 3.19% this year, because of rising demand for rubber gloves and auto tyres, as well as the government’s proactive approach to promote rubber exports.