Industry
Sector notes | India’s automobile recovery is easier said than doneedit
The connection between monsoon and auto sales is also a factor. Better rains lead to more disposable income. This coupled with likely sops for farmers are going to boost spending. The auto landscape is changing faster than you think. With BS-VI coming and a likely ban on diesel cars, electric cars and hybrid vehicles could be the future.
Powering ahead Relentlesslyedit
The sun is shining on India’s solar sector in a big way. India is well and truly making bold steps towards meeting the government’s pledge to make non-fossil fuels 40% of the total power generation capacity of the nation by the year 2032. Of this, the plan is to add 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power by 2022. India has always faced energy paucity issues, and given our ample coverage of sunlight, solar energy could play a big role in reducing India’s import dependence for its power needs.
Karnataka halts new solar energy projectsedit
Karnataka, with 2,800 Mw of solar projects in the development pipeline, is known for housing the Pavagada solar park in Tumkur district. The mega project is expected to house solar projects with about 2,000-Mw capacity at an investment of Rs 14,800 crore.
Intelligent transportation system and smart city edit
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has transformed many industries, from education to health care to government, and is now in the early stages of transforming transportation systems. While many researchers think that the improving a country’s transportation system solely means building new roads or repairing aging infrastructures and the future of transportation lies not only in concrete and steel, but also increasingly in using IT.
Hyundai to manufacture EVs especially for ride-hailing firms from 2021 edit
A month after its investments in major cab aggregator Ola and self-drive car-sharing platform Revv, Hyundai Motor Group is planning to launch a new range of electric vehicles by 2021. The carmaker will develop the vehicles under the Smart EV platform. Hyundai will design and develop these vehicles especially for ride-hailing firms, said a Mint report quoting sources close to the development.
Helping SMEs Save Millions Through Solar Energyedit
The sun has been shining brightly on the large utility-scale solar projects for a while. However, a bulk of SMEs and MSMEs have not been able to benefit from this boom, despite the huge and well documented financial benefits of solar. This huge gap in the market and the specific needs of the end consumers (SMEs and Retail) propelled Gagan Vermani, who spent almost a decade in the solar industry, to establish MYSUN in 2015 with a vision to make it easy and reliable for consumers to go solar.
Government powers India’s energy transition with sustained focus on renewablesedit
The fact that India is naturally blessed with abundant sunlight and wind only strengthens the case for renewables. Further, a healthy renewable energy sector would greatly help the Government in making electricity affordable and available for our large rural population, besides generating employment. It is now evident that renewables would have to contribute half of India’s new energy capacity added and this implies adding potentially 25 GW of renewables capacity every year till 2030.
Generic Tariff of Rs 3.29/kWh Set for Solar Projects in Maharashtra for FY 2019-2020 edit
The current generic tariff is based on the results of competitive bidding conducted by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd (MSEDCL).
Electric Cars and Solar Compete for the Same Parts edit
Electric vehicles and solar tend to get lumped together as partners in the climate-friendly push to phase out fossil fuels. Now they’re competing head-to-head for high-tech components that have been in short supply. The parts, electric transistors, are key for both EVs and solar panels to convert power between direct and alternating current for use in light bulbs, appliances and, yes, cars.
Commercial solar panels: Systems that have a lifespan of 15-20 years and require little maintenanceedit
Applications of Solar Panels Commercial solar panels can be used to power industrial buildings in off-grid or remote locations. Commercial solar panels installed on the rooftop of buildings can be used to light up signs or message boards. Solar energy charges the battery so that the signs can remain illuminated even during the night. Commercial solar panels can be used for preheating ventilation air as well as water heating in offices and businesses
BMW i3s Review: An Electric Car India is not ready for edit
The BMW i3s is an improved and advanced version of the i3. Also, the BMW i3s is the company’s idea of what a compact and practical electric car should be like. The i3s is not on sale in India at present but we drove it recently to find out if it makes sense for India or not and has BMW succeeded in developing an electric car good enough for everyday usage. We would love to hear from you what you would want in an ideal electric car and at what price.
BHEL signs MoU with ARAI for e-mobility projects edit
Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) and Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), an autonomous body affiliated to the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises have signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation on various projects related to e-mobility.
Auto sales skid in April amid election worriesedit
Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd (M&M) posted domestic PV sales of 19,966 units, down 9% from a year ago. Its UV segment sales stood at 18,848 units, compared to 20,371 units in April 2018, down 7%. In the cars and vans category, M&M reported sales of 1,118 units, as against 1,556 units in April last year, down 28%. The company said domestic sales also included the numbers sold by its subsidiary, Mahindra Electric Mobility Ltd.
Competition
Nissan bags patent related to wireless charging technology for EVs edit
Japanese auto major Nissan Motor Company has received an Indian patent for its wireless charging technology for electric vehicle, which could help the vehicle to charge without connecting with a charging device. The system allows charging an EV without a connecting cable, simply by parking it on a designated spot, much like charging an electric toothbrush or shaver, according to the company.
Mahindra Collaborates With Uber To Deploy E-Taxis In Hyderabad edit
We are excited about the tremendous potential of electric vehicles in India and are committed to supporting the government’s vision of building a viable infrastructure to accelerate the speedy induction of even more EV’s.’’
Clarios Launches as a World Leader in Advanced Energy Storage Solutions edit
Clarios, formerly Johnson Controls Power Solutions, today launches as a new entity and world leader in advanced energy storage solutions. Clarios was acquired by Brookfield Business Partners and operates as a global energy storage business generating $8 billion in revenues with more than 16,000 employees, 56 facilities worldwide and 130 years of expertise. Clarios will build on its leading position in vehicle battery technologies – producing one-third of the industry’s total output per year – while more aggressively exploring ways to meet the fast-growing energy storage needs of tomorrow.
International
Exclusive: Tesla expects global shortage of electric vehicle battery minerals sources edit
The copper industry has suffered from years of underinvestment, and it is now working feverishly to develop new mines and bring fresh supply online as the electrification trend envelops the global economy. Freeport-McMoRan Inc, the world’s largest publicly traded copper producer, is expanding in the United States and Indonesia.
Europe aims to challenge Asia’s battery production dominance edit
Lithium-ion batteries are a – if not the – crucial component of electric vehicles, but few companies have ventured into actually making them given the huge cost of setting up manufacturing facilities and the still limited demand. Car manufacturers have preferred to have a choice of several specialised suppliers, especially as battery technology is rapidly evolving.
European alliance to invest up to 6 bn euros in electric car batteries edit
But EU carmakers buy cells from foreign manufacturers, mostly in Asia, which they use to build the high-capacity batteries needed to power electric vehicles.
E-Motor company Linear Labs partners Abtery Advanced Drive Systems for global reach edit
US-based smart electric motor start up Linear Labs, has announced a partnership with Swedish electric powertrain designer Abtery. Under the partnership Linear Labs will provide a license to the patented technology of the Hunstable Electric Turbine (HET) to Abtery to elevate the company’s electric mobility solutions with the highest torque and efficiency offering available.
Does Europe, does Germany really need its own battery cells? edit
Volkswagen wants to produce 3 million electric cars per annum by 2025 as e-mobility is making inroads globally and sales quota in China necessitate such an effort. It shouldn’t come as a big surprise then that the carmaker is throwing its weight behind a European e-battery cell production of its own, should it?
Before Electric Bikes, Ducati Will Make Electric Scooters Thanks To A New Partnershipedit
Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali had earlier confirmed an upcoming all-electric superbike for the Italian auto major’s portfolio. Though it seems now that the company has spun towards an entirely different electric vehicle than its core products and the one in question now, is a premium electric scooter!