Global sales of AC induction motors will contract by more than 7% this year, but sales of premium-efficiency machines will triple by 2011, driven by the introduction of mandatory minimum efficiency levels, especially in the US.

These forecasts come from the market analyst IMS Research, which adds that the slowdown in global motor sales this year, particularly in Europe and the US, will be offset in part by positive, though much slower, growth in China.
 
A key factor driving the accelerating sales of premium-efficiency motors will be the US Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. From 19 December 2010, this law will require that general-purpose motors from 1–200hp sold in the US will have to meet or exceed Nema Premium motor efficiency levels. Governments and trade bodies in the EU, China, Korea, and Australia have enacted or are planning similar legislation or agreements.
 
Three quarters of the industrial AC induction motors currently being sold sold globally each year do not meet the minimum efficiency levels required by these agreements. Because of this, IMS analyst Steve Odom, forecasts that the market for higher efficiency motors will triple in revenue by 2011. “This represents a significant opportunity for motor vendors to take market share with well-designed, reasonably priced efficient motors,” he adds.