Mention
Mahindra follows Tesla route, to use data to win marketedit
Mahindra Electric, India’s only electric car maker, is following in the footsteps of global firms such as Alphabet’s Waymo and Tesla to build a repository of data it will use to gain a competitive edge over rivals. While Mahindra is the only player in the market so far, the country’s move to incentivise and promote electric vehicle (EV) adoption over the next decade is expected to attract global auto firms to make and sell zero-emission vehicles here.
Publication: Business Standard
Industry
Smart cities lock horns over sewage treatmentedit
Two smart cities are at war over water contamination, as Pune releases 64,600 million litres of untreated sewage into the drinking water source of Solapur every year. While the two cities are part of the Centre’s Smart Cities Mission, Solapur citizens want action against Pune for its apathy to treat its sewage. Elected representatives and the citizens of Solapur, about 250km away from Pune, have asked the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to take care of its sewage.
Publication: The Times of India
SmartCity sets an ambitious target of $2.40 billionedit
SmartCity, the much vaunted global knowledge township project, may not have the most auspicious start in Kochi after a delay of almost a decade getting off the block, while the absence of marquee players did little for an image makeover when the first phase was eventually commissioned over a year ago.
Publication: The Hindu
India eyes all-electric car fleet by 2030, says Piyush Goyaledit
India is looking at having an all-electric car fleet by 2030 with an express objective of lowering the fuel import bill and running cost of vehicles. “We are going to introduce electric vehicles in a very big way. We are going to make electric vehicles self- sufficient like Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA). The idea is that by 2030, not a single petrol or diesel car should be sold in the country,” power minister Piyush Goyal said while addressing the CII Annual Session 2017 in New Delhi on Saturday.
Publication: Live Mint
Kinetic Green Launches Kinetic Safar – An Electric Auto With Lithium Ion Batteryedit
Kinetic Green, India’s largest manufacturer of government approved electric three-wheeler vehicles, has launched its first electric three-wheeler with advanced lithium ion battery. Though the vehicle with the new battery is currently being homologated, a pilot batch is scheduled to be launched within 30 days. Currently most electric three wheelers, such as eRickshaws, use lead acid battery that is not only heavier and has a short life but also takes longer to charge.
Publication: NDTV Auto
An alternative to lithium-ion batteriesedit
Scientists have developed a safer alternative to fire-prone lithium-ion batteries, which are common in household devices such as smartphones and laptops. Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) developed the nickel-zinc (Ni-Zn) batteries in which a three-imensional Zn “sponge” replaces the powdered zinc anode, or positively charged electrode, traditionally used.
Publication: The Hindu Business Line
Govt explores buy and lease strategy to boost electric vehicle usageedit
The government is exploring a strategy to task a company with buying electric vehicles (EVs) in bulk and then leasing them to companies such as taxi aggregators, in an attempt to bring down the cost of such vehicles. The strategy is to encourage more manufacturers to make electric vehicles. The number of electric vehicle purchases may range between 200,000 and 1 million.
Publication: Live Mint
India’s electric turnaround: Powerless to power-surplusedit
When Piyush Goyal took over as the Union Minister for Power, Coal and Renewable Energy in May 2014, he inherited perhaps the worst of the UPA regime’s handiwork. In October 2014, at least 56 thermal power stations were reporting critical coal stock levels of or less than seven days. India’s power distribution companies, for a decade and a half, were caught in a debt trap and forced into borrowing for funding of everyday operational expenses.
Publication: DNA
Lower renewable energy tariffs will benefit states over long-term: Goyaledit
The ability of power purchase agreements to keep energy tariffs low is a boon for state governments, according to the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and Renewable Energy, Piyush Goyal. Speaking at the CII Annual General Meeting in a session on the Changing Energy Economics and India, Goyal said, “At this price, to lock in power for 25 years is a great deal, 25 years from now, I imagine coal-based thermal power will be at probably Rs. 10 a unit.”
Publication: The Hindu Business Line
Electric cars: How India and the world is looking to drive greenedit
Several countries in the world are increasingly looking towards cleaner energy to power automobiles. Aiming to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, not just western but several developing nations like India and China too have begun looking at alternate energy in an unprecedented manner.
Publication: The Times of India
India’s power struggle and the emergence of renewable energyedit
India consumes 309 GW of power and still 300 million people in the country live without access to electricity. By 2030, India’s energy consumption is expected to rise to 700 GW. The escalated demand will be not only to due to the growth in the manufacturing industry but also due to electoral promises of providing full access electricity to all citizens by 2022. To achieve this unimaginable, India is placing its bets on both coal and solar energy.
Publication: Deccan Herald