Sources : AMD , IDN , FT , Reuters , PSB , MPN , BDN , MCN , AP , Bloomberg , MSNW , Electrek , electricmotorcycles . news , RideApart . com , Motor1 . com , Cycle World , motorbikewriter . com
NEWS
BRIEFS
Anoka , Minnesota based Bell Helmets owner Vista Outdoor Inc . has " entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Irvine , California based Fox Racing , a global icon in performance motocross , mountain bike and lifestyle gear for adventure seekers ". The initial purchase price is said to be $ 540m . Founded in 1974 by Geoff Fox , a Ph . D . who taught physics at the University of Santa Clara , Moto-X Fox started as a small distribution business for European MX parts and accessories in a 1,500 sq ft building in Campbell , California . Fox Racing grew net sales by approx . 20 % CAG from calendar year 2019 to 2021 and is expected to grow in excess of that in 2022 .
The name American Bantam is to make a powersports industry comeback . The Pennsylvania business was the designer and builder of the original U . S . Army Jeep in 1940 . The new American Bantam Car Corp . will introduce what it is describing as a new class of vehicle - " Street-Legal Off Road " - designed for ATV / SxS buyers . CEO and founder Charlie Paglee describes American Bantam as " a heritage mobility brand bringing cutting-edge plug-in hybrid-electric powertrain technology to propel the off-road industry into the 21st century ."
The death of Fraser Scott has been announced - the founder of revolutionary chain oiling tech manufacturer Scottoiler .
Cardo has partnered with KTM to provide a special edition of KTM Packtalk Edge rider communications suite . Featuring a distinctive KTM orange finish , the recently released EDGE includes second-generation Dynamic Mesh Communication ( DMC ) connectivity , audio clarity from JBL , Natural Voice Operation technology , an enhanced microphone and noise cancellation system , faster pairing in DMC and Bluetooth modes , and is capable of connecting up to 15 riders with a range of nearly one mile .
Piaggio Group has signed an agreement with a consortium of banks to extend and increase its revolving line of credit to € 200m . This is up from the € 187.5m credit facility signed in 2018 . The money is from Bank of America , Merrill Lynch , Banca Nazionale del Lavoro , HSBC , Intesa Sanpaolo , ING Bank and Unicredit . " The main purpose of the agreement is to extend the revolving credit facility expiring in July 2022 by two and a half years and improve the quality of the Piaggio Group ' s debt profile by expanding its financial flexibility and residual average life ".
Bosch backs a hydrogen economy By Ben Purvis
While there ' s a heavy focus on batterypowered mobility from governments and many car and bike companies , one of the most important players in the industry has thrown its weight behind hydrogen as a clean fuel of the future . Bosch might not make motorcycles or cars of its own , but the global automotive giant supplies a vast number of components to the world ' s manufacturers , so its decision to back hydrogen isn ' t to be taken lightly . It joins the likes of Toyota , Yamaha and Kawasaki in putting faith in hydrogen , whether to be used in fuel cells to generate electricity or for a future generation of ultra-clean combustion engines . " On the path to a climate-neutral future , we have to make it possible for energy-intensive industries to shift to renewables . Hydrogen will be a key element in security of supply ," says Rolf Najork , the Bosch management board member responsible for industrial technology and the
' 4,000 filling stations globally by 2030 '
company ' s manufacturing technology chief . " We are getting hydrogen-based technologies out of the laboratory and into industrial practice - onto the roads and into factories ." Bosch ' s flagship ' Industry 4.0 ' lead plant in Homburg , Germany , already demonstrates how hydrogen can be used in factories , with its own renewable electricity powered electrolyser to extract hydrogen from water . It ' s then used for fuel cell vehicle refuelling and for stationary fuel cells , with energy released as and when it ' s needed . " We are continuously improving our carbon footprint . As our Industry 4.0 lead plant , Homburg plays a pioneering role in our global
Bosch fuel cell stack
manufacturing network . We are systematically reducing our local energy consumption and generating as much of that energy as possible from renewables . We have to tweak both these variables ," Najork says . Bosch has also formed a partnership
Rolf Najork , Bosch Manufacturing Technology Chief : " We are getting hydrogen-based technologies out of the laboratory and into industrial practice - onto the roads and into factories ."
with Maximator Hydrogen for technology to be used in compressing hydrogen , storage tanks and pipelines , also due to be trialled at Homburg . By 2030 the companies hope to use the same technology in 4,000
Hydrogen compressor hydrogen filling stations worldwide , accounting for one in three such stations globally . " Industry is paving the way to a climate-neutral future ," said Najork . " Bosch industrial technology will deliver key components for the crosssectoral , ecological transformation of the economy and society ."
' industry paving the way '
The intention is to create low-cost hydrogen filling stations , reducing the investment needed from their owners when it comes to the compressors used to fill vehicles ' hydrogen tanks . Bosch also intends to invest up to € 500m into volume production of electrolyser components , bringing down the cost of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen . The move follows a focus from Toyota on hydrogen , both in fuel cells and combustion engines , where the car giant has employed Yamaha to create a hydrogen-powered V8 racing engine to demonstrate its potential . Yamaha is also working with Kawasaki on hydrogen-powered motorcycle engines , with the Kawasaki H2 supercharged four-cylinder providing an initial platform . Supercharging or turbocharging is essential for hydrogen combustion engines , as is direct injection into the cylinders , and Kawasaki is working on both elements . Kawasaki ' s aim for a hydrogen infrastructure means the company recently gained approval to build a massive hydrogen-carrying ship , able to hold 160,000 m3 of liquefied hydrogen . The company is already Japan ' s leading hydrogen supplier , and this year inked a deal with Airbus to work on a hydrogenfuelled ecosystem .
14 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2022 www . idnmag . com