Industry
JBM Solaris Eco-Life Bus: A Bright and Electric Future for Public Transportedit
When one thinks of public transport, usually the first thing that comes to mind is bus plying around the city, picking and dropping people to various destinations in multiple cities. Another thing that comes to mind is noise, and yet another would be pollution. As most people in India are now realizing, there is a serious pollution crisis in our country. So the question most people ask is if there a way to transform the way we travel every day in our public transport buses?
With Sluggish Sales, Auto Inventory Being Reduced to 30 Days through Production Cutsedit
The automobile industry in India continues to remain under pressure due to several factors. As per data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), during FY18-19, automobile registered just 5% growth, mainly due to higher sales in commercial vehicles (CV) segment. Acceding to demands from dealers, the automobile manufactures have decided to reduce inventory level to 30 days from 40 to 45 days.
One size doesn’t fit all: How commercial EVs present unique challenges for charging infrastructureedit
When most people envision climate action, images of solar panels and wind farms often come to mind. However, electricity generation is only part of the decarbonization puzzle. The climate crisis calls for an all-hands-on-deck approach to decarbonizing the world’s goods and services, including how they are designed, produced, sourced and transported.
Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki to work on unified standard for electric bikesedit
Sources in Japan claim that the big four Japanese motorcycle brands – Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki – plan to form a consultative body to discuss details about a unified standard for batteries, charging stations and more. This gathering is substantial because this move could dramatically increase usability of electric products to come from the brands.
Adarin builds hybrid drivetrains for carsedit
These days, carmakers are driving through tough terrain to comply with India’s Bharat Stage VI (BSVI) emission rules, which kick in from next year. Several auto makers say hybrid drivetrains will help stem compliance costs, but are wary about investing in a technology that could be eclipsed by zero-emission electric vehicles, which may become ubiquitous as early as 2030.
Deloitte’s latest report charts a plan for easier adoption of electric mobility in Indiaedit
A global chain reaction has set off an urgent need to develop and incorporate electric mobility solutions. The increase in demand for vehicles impacts air quality and increases a country’s dependence on crude oil which in turn leads to heftier import bills. Having experienced both these consequences, India too has pledged to bring down carbon emissions by 33-35% by 2030 (in comparison to 2015), and development of alternative fuels and electric vehicles has become the need of the hour.
India Dealt A Blow To Its Best-Selling Electric Vehicle. But All Is Not Lostedit
India’s new policy to boost cleaner transport is expected to hurt demand for e-scooters, the most-selling electric vehicle, even as carmakers don’t see the shift to shared mobility causing any change in their plan. A two-wheeler sold with a lead-acid battery will no longer be eligible for benefits worth around Rs 9,000 under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric (and hybrid) Vehicles or FAME II scheme, according to a report by Crisil.
Electric vehicles sold through 2030 can save 474 mt oil: NITI Aayogedit
Electric Vehicles(EVs) sold in India through 2030 can save 474 million tonne of oil equivalent, worth Rs 15.2 lakh crore over their lifetime, according to a recent report by NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI). “This would result in net reduction of 14 Exajoules of energy and 846 mt of CO2 emissions over the deployed vehicles’ lifetime,” the report titled India’s Electric Mobility Transformation: Progress to Date and Future Opportunities noted.
New ‘Blue-Green’ Solvent Offers Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Solutionedit
Every year, many are quick to upgrade when new versions of the latest smartphones, tablets or other electronic devices come out, but what happens to all the batteries from the older, discarded devices? A Rice University research team believes that a deep eutectic solvent may be the answer to the growing battery-recycling problem. The solvent can extract the valuable elements from the metal oxides used as cathodes in lithium-ion batteries, eliminating the harsh processes used to recycle batteries and keeping them out of landfills.
The Future of Lithium-Ion Batteries: Can They Really Change the World?edit
Lithium-ion batteries were first introduced commercially in the year 1991 by Sony. Ever since then, there have been extensive improvements and countless research to enhance the performance of these batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are indispensable today when we talk about the life quality of people in modern society. It can easily be called a dominant technology that is widely used in portable electronic devices like smartphones, laptops, and tablets.
Competition
Ather Plans To Set Up 200 New EV Charging Stations By End-2019 — 6,500 Stations By 2022edit
Ather Energy, the Bangalore-based electric two-wheeler startup is planning to expand the EV charging infrastructure in multiple cities across India. The electric scooter brand is planning on introducing 200 new EV charging stations in multiple cities by end-2019.
Honda Gives A Whole New Meaning To Gas-powered Bikesedit
The ever-tightening emission norms are pushing manufacturers to make vehicles that run on clean, alternative sources of energy. Hydrogen fuel cells are one of the technologies that show how clean vehicle propulsion can be. New patent images of a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Honda motorcycle have now emerged online. Conventionally, hydrogen-powered vehicles have been water-cooled. While they produce more power than air-cooled hydrogen systems, they’re also heavier and more complex.
India’s first Maruti Alto converted into an electric car: Registered by the RTOedit
With the electric mobility looking like a promising future of the automobile world, manufacturers have started planning the launch of electric vehicles in India. However, electric vehicles can be expensive to buy. A start-up, which is known as E-Trio and based out of Hyderabad, Telangana, has got a solution for the same.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor Celebrates 20 Years in Indiaedit
Toyota Kirloskar Motor, the leading automobile manufacturer globally, is celebrating 20 years of being a part of the Indian market. Toyota says that their focus in India has been steady towards sustainable growth and to remain competitive with best of safety, comfort, luxury, quality and after-sales services, through globally acclaimed models, to further enrich customer trust & confidence. Toyota is known in India thanks to world-class products like the Qualis, Innova, Fortuner and Corolla.
International
Volkswagen eyes big stake in China partner JAC, taps Goldman: Sourcesedit
Volkswagen AG is exploring purchasing a big stake in its Chinese electric vehicle joint venture partner JAC Motors and has tapped Goldman Sachs as an adviser on the plan, people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The move by VW, the largest foreign automaker in China, to buy into Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC Motors) is the latest by foreign automakers to boost ownership in the world’s biggest car market since Beijing relaxed rules last year.
China’s Geely launches new electric car brand ‘Geometry’edit
Geely, China’s highest profile car maker with investments in Volvo and Daimler, launched a premium all-electric car brand “Geometry” on Thursday as it pushes ahead with its plans to boost production of new energy vehicles. The move comes as automakers race to develop vehicles powered by means other than petrol to meet an expected rise in demand as the world’s top car market enforces official production quotas designed to reduce smog.
Norway creates world record for selling more electric vehicles than petrol, diesel carsedit
In Norway, almost 60 per cent of all new cars sold in March were fully electric, the Norwegian Road Federation has stated. This created a world record for selling more electric vehicles than petrol or diesel cars in the country. The Norwegian government exempted electric engines from the taxes which are imposed on diesel and petrol cars. This boosted the sales of companies like Tesla and Nissan, with its Leaf model, while hurting sales of Toyota, Daimler and others.
Porsche Taycan electric car to launch in India by March 2020edit
Porsche AG, the luxury sports car brand of Volkswagen AG, will launch its first electric car, the Taycan, by March 2020 in India. Porsche, which already sells its range of petrol-only sportscars and sports utility vehicles (SUVs) in the country, expects customers in luxury car segment to move towards environment-friendly vehicles.
Infinity Lithium joins AEDIVE in Spain to promote EV industryedit
Infinity Lithium Ltd has joined forces with AEDIVE to support the development of electric vehicles and general electric mobility in Spain. AEDIVE has about 150 members in the electric mobility market’s supply chain and advocates for industry support from government among other things.
Boosting the Energy Capacity of Lithium Batteriesedit
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and China have created a new version of the cathode found in lithium batteries. This innovation could help to create smaller and lighter batteries that are far more powerful than their present-day counterparts.
New research center set to power Australia’s lithium battery productionedit
The potential for the manufacturing of lithium batteries in Australia has been given a boost with the creation of the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Announced on Thursday, the CRC will involve 58 industry, government and research partners, helping expand Australia’s lithium industry from mining to manufacturing.