Specific
SUN Mobility and SmartE collaborated to develop EV infrastructureedit
Electric vehicle solution firm SUN Mobility has entered into a partnership with electric vehicle fleet operator SmartE to deploy its universal energy infrastructure. SmartE’s fleet of electric three-wheelers will make use of SUN Mobility’s solution and will be deployed at SmartE Park & Charge Hubs across the Delhi-NCR, to bolster its first and last-mile connectivity services, as per a joint release.
Industry
ETAuto GABS: Norway Ambassador optimistic about EV shift in Indiaedit
In an apparent hint that India should incorporate learning from Norway to shift to electro mobility, the Ambassador of Norway Nils Ragnar Kamsvag said government policy and dependence on renewable sources for electricity generation played a key role in making Norway a world’s leader in electric cars. Although he sounded bullish about the future of electric mobility in India, he stressed that uniformity on infrastructure side is the need of the hour for the country. He also applauded Delhi government’s recent proposal of making 25 per cent of vehicles electric by 2023.
Delhi government to float tender in January to buy 1,000 electric vehiclesedit
The Delhi government will float a tender in January to procure 1,000 electric vehicles, Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC) Managing Director Manoj Kumar said on Thursday. “These vehicles would be procured by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) and would begin to ply the Delhi roads by June next year,” he said. He was speaking at a conference “Transforming Urban Mobility in India and Role of Electric Vehicles” under the aegis of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) here.
E-vehicles to ferry children to school, deliver your pizzaedit
As Delhi makes a strong pitch for e-vehicles, automakers are also working overtime to bring out new models. Things, therefore, look set for a sea change from now, when opting for an EV is an individual choice. Among two-wheeler manufacturers, there are a couple of new players and startups working on smart e-vehicles, though the major players such as Hero MotoCorp, Honda and Royal Enfield are still to unveil their strategy.
Auto firms laud EV draft policy, but flag infra, incentive concernsedit
Automobile makers have good words for the draft policy that has set a target for at least a fourth of new vehicles sold in Delhi to be run on electricity by 2023. However, they are skeptical on the issue of the required charging infrastructure and the lack of clarity on the incentive each vehicle category will get under the FAME (Faster Adoption of Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) scheme.
Competition
Hashiko to set up Rs 500 crore plant for e-vehicles in Coimbatoreedit
Electric vehicles makers Hashiko proposed to set up a Rs 500 crore plant here for manufacturing e-vehicles and lithium batteries, its Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Hashim said here Thursday. The company had identified land for the unit which would become operational in another two years, he told reporters here after launching three new models of two-wheeler e-vehicles in the Tamil Nadu market. The new models were priced at Rs 39,000, Rs 49,000 and Rs 59,000, he said. Hashiko would soon expand its dealership and pre-paid battery servicing stations across the state, he said.
Subhash Chandra’s next bet: Lithium ion batteries for electric carsedit
Subhash Chandra-controlled Essel Infraprojects Ltd is planning to manufacture lithium ion batteries in India, two people directly aware of the development said. The company is in talks to acquire lithium mines abroad and plans to set up a plant in Andhra Pradesh for manufacturing these batteries for electric cars, the people said, requesting anonymity. The decision to invest in manufacturing lithium ion batteries by media baron Chandra, who is also a member of the Rajya Sabha, coincides with the proposal of the Prime Minister’s Office to offer incentives to promote local manufacturing of batteries and parts of electric vehicles.
International
Volkswagen planning new North America factory for electric vehiclesedit
Volkswagen is deciding where to locate a new factory in North America to build electric vehicles for the US market, the German automaker’s new head for the Americas said on Wednesday. Scott Keogh, the newly appointed CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, said a new plant was needed to build a vehicle yet to be revealed under the Volkswagen brand, priced between $30,000-$40,000, that is due in 2020.
Thousands of Electric Vehicles Are Heading to Londonedit
Uber Technologies Inc. and Hitachi Ltd. are among companies that will flood London with 3,000 electric vehicles as part of a study aimed at overcoming a shortage of charging points blamed for holding back sales. The biggest-ever trial involving commercial electric vans and cars also includes energy suppliers Centrica Plc and SSE Plc. It will gather data on driving habits and journeys over three years with the aim of devising the optimum network for charging points and evaluating when electricity will be most in demand.
Beijing plans 48L charging points by 2022, Delhi doesn’t even know how many e-vehicles it hasedit
The Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy, 2018 notes that sales of new electric cars worldwide surpassed a million units in 2017, with stocks at three million that year. More than half the sales were in China, where electric vehicles (EV) had a market share of 2.2%, while in Norway, the world’s most developed market for electric cars, this green option accounted for 39% of new car sales. The policy also says, “Bloomberg New Energy Finance expects EVs to reach upfront cost parity with internal combustion engine vehicles by 2025, largely driven by rapid reductions in battery costs. This in turn is expected to drive global sales of electric vehicles to 11 million vehicles in 2025 and 30 million in 2030.”