The government will levy a 5 per cent tax on all equipment required for generating solar power compared with nil duty now, a government official clarified, putting an end to confusion about the new taxation policy for the industry after its landmark tax reform.

Publication: Energy Sector.in

Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) which is betting big time on electric vehicles (EVs) will be investing around Rs 600-800 crore in next few years to increase the capacity of its battery assembly plant. The company has already spent around Rs 600 crore in the sector since the time it first acquired Bengaluru-based Reva Electric car company in 2010.

Publication: DNA

Tiago was the first car that Tata Motors launched with the new Impact design language. And now, the hatchback is set to become another first for the brand — the first electric vehicle. The Tiago hatchback will be the first electric car model to go on sale from Tata’s upcoming electric model range, reports Autocar. The car-maker has been working on battery electric vehicles with UK-based Tata Motors European Technical Centre (TMETC) leading the charge in development work.

Publication: International Business Times 

Public transport will be available soon on the 42-km long Outer Ring Road (ORR) as the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will be launching its intra-city operations on ORR stretches to facilitate the travel of people in numerous residential hubs that have come up along the six-lane carriageway.

Publication: The Hindu

India might be playing a leadership role in bringing the world together for the International Solar Alliance, but it is struggling with the adoption of solar rooftops in its metro cities, a recent study has shown. Despite friendly policies and net metering guidelines in several states and a subsidy of 30 per cent offered by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the installation of solar rooftop systems has been dismal in leading metros in the country, especially in Chennai and Mumbai, according to the study.

Publication: Financial Express

Mahindra Electric has recently unveiled a roadmap illustrating its future plans for evolving electric vehicles in India. The company has iterated its focus on the technology behind electric vehicles, identifying key improvement areas as improving battery range, building high speed EVs and introducing more units in the country, along with establishing an electric charging station roadmap across the nation.

Publication: Digit

Engie, the French power giant with a global installed capacity of 115.3 gigawatts across all forms of energy, expects to invest a minimum of $1 billion (about 6,500 crore) in the solar segment in India over the next five years.

Publication: The Economic Times

All 12 major domestic ports will soon switch to renewable energy to meet their entire power requirements, making India the first country to have all government-owned ports running on solar and wind energy. The government plans to install almost 200 megawatt solar and wind power generation capacity at the ports by 2019, officials said.

Publication: The Economic Times

One of the more interesting global racing series in the world right now is the ‘Formula E’ championship, where the cars, instead of being powered by a traditional internal combustion engine, are driven by a huge battery pack built into the chassis. As the cars do not pollute and neither do they have the noise of traditional racing vehicles, the racing series takes place in the centre of cities across the world.

Publication: The Pioneer

India’s Power Minister Piyush Goyal has revealed the government’s push for widespread adoption of electric vehicles in the country and its ambitious target for 2030. “The idea is that by 2030, not a single petrol or diesel car should be sold in the country,” he was quoted telling PTI.

Publication: Autocar India

Electric vehicles at 12 percent, luxury vehicles and hybrids at 43 percent and passenger cars at 28 percent with three categories of cess – that’s the rate structure for automakers under the Goods and Services Tax regime now little more a month away. In BloombergQuint’s special series, GST Countdown, we spoke with RC Bhargava, chairman of Maruti Suzuki on the company’s GST preparedness.

Publication: Bloomberg Quint