Industry
Government may consider approval of Rs 5,500 crore for FAME-II scheme to boost clean mobilityedit
The Union Cabinet is likely to consider approval of the second phase of FAME India scheme this month to boost clean mobility, with an outlay of Rs 5,500 crore spanning five years, officials said. The scheme in its second phase will offer a bouquet of incentives, such as exemption from paying road tax, registration fee and parking charges for various categories of electric and strong hybrid vehicles.
India proposes more than $12 billion of pollution-reducing incentivesedit
India has proposed incentives worth 885 billion rupees ($12.4 billion) to encourage power plants to install equipment to curb emissions and to develop infrastructure for electric vehicles(EVs), a government statement said on Friday. The bulk of the money, 835 billion rupees, would be aimed at curbing sulphur emissions from power plants, with the rest devoted to development of EV infrastructure in 70 cities over five years ending 2025, the statement said.
BMTC cancels tender to lease 80 e-buses, to lose central subsidyedit
Your wait for electric buses is set to get longer. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) board meeting on Saturday decided to cancel the earlier tender to lease e-buses. The cash-strapped corporation will now float a new tender to purchase 80 e-buses costing Rs 1.5-Rs 2 crore each.
Demand to fix auto fares based on the fuel they useedit
With the launch of the Ernakulam Auto Rickshaw Drivers Co-operative Society (EARDCS) in Kochi on Sunday, there is an increasing demand for revising existing auto fares. As more electric and CNG-operated rickshaw join the fleet, there arises a need to fix the rate based on the price of fuels on which they operate. “Now, autorickshaws charge a minimum fare of Rs 25/km. The fare is fixed after taking into account the price of diesel. CNG and electric autos can be operated charging much lesser fares,” said a source associated with EARDCS, adding that electric autorickshaws would be able to offer lesser rates than CNG-operated vehicles.
Bescom to add 22 electric vehicles to its fleetedit
In a bid to promote growth of electric mobility in the city, Bescom has issued tenders for 22 electric vehicles for the department on a monthly rental basis. According to Bescom officials, this will bring the total number of e-vehicles being used by the department to 27. The internal combustion engine vehicles currently in use are being phased out and the new electric vehicles will be added to the existing fleet of five e-vehicles by the first week of April, they added.
Hybrids, not full electric vehicles, get attention of carmakers in Indiaedit
Even as the central government has chosen to back only purely electric vehicles (EVs) to reduce dependence on fossil fuel and cut emissions, hybrids or self-charging EVs are slowly gaining ground in India, albeit in a small way. The trend is expected to gain momentum as global vehicle makers here, particularly from Japan, ride on hybrids to meet the more stringent fuel efficiency norms that take effect in 2022.
Govt issues new guidelines; wants charging stations for electric vehicles every 25 kmedit
The government has issued a set of guidelines to set up charging stations for electric vehicles across the country, outlining ways to build such fuelling points every 25 km, an official statement said Friday. According to the Union Housing an Urban Affairs Ministry, the government expects 25 percent of the total vehicles on roads will be electric vehicles by 2030, necessitating to erect robust electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across the country.
Competition
EVI Technologies plans to set up 20,000 EV charging stationsedit
Electric vehicle charging infrastructure provider EVI Technologies plans to invest around Rs 100 crore in the next one and a half years to set up 20,000 charging stations across the country, a senior company official said. The firm, incubated at the Electropreneur Park funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has also tied up with BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd to set up around 3,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Delhi.
International
Will there be a market for the coming explosion of electric cars?edit
Electric vehicles still make up only a tiny fraction of total car sales. But in 2017, the industry reached a new milestone, selling more than 1 million cars. In 2018, sales may have more than doubled. By 2022, according to a recent report from Deloitte, electric cars will reach a tipping point: owning an electric vehicle will be as cheap as owning one that runs on fossil fuels, and sales will grow much more quickly.
Is This The Tipping Point For Electric Vehicles?edit
A new report by McKinsey forecasts a rapid switch from gas guzzlers to electric vehicles on the world’s roads will be boosted by the plummeting costs of owning a battery powered vehicle. The consulting firm’s 2019 Global Energy Perspective report foresees a two-thirds drop in the cost of EV battery packs by 2030. The tipping point at which EVs will be cheaper to own than internal combustion engine-powered vehicles is forecast to be reached in the early 2020s:
The Dream Is Over — Europe Is Waking Up To A World Of Electric Carsedit
These days, the first batches of thousands of Tesla’s Model 3 is arriving on European soil. This is undoubtedly of profound significance, since this is probably the most anticipated vehicle of any kind for decades. Even for a small country like Denmark, this marks the beginning of a new era, even if most folks might choose other brands. But those other brands really have to get in the game now if they don’t want to be left in the dust.
Germany to extend electric company car tax incentivesedit
German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz plans to extend tax incentives for electric company cars, he told a newspaper on Saturday, the government’s latest attempt to boost demand for clean vehicles. Germany is trying to increase electric car sales in the wake of a diesel emissions cheating scandal that has engulfed its auto industry in the last three years.
Amazon leads $700mn investment in electric truck startupedit
US online retail giant Amazon is leading a $700-million funding round for electric truck startup Rivian Automotive, Rivian has said. The latest funds will help produce its first all-electric vehicles — the R1T pickup truck and the seven-seat R1S SUV, which were revealed in the November Los Angeles Auto Show, Xinhua news agency reported.