Industry
Green move: Charging e-vehicles now cheaper in Delhiedit
With an eye on pollution-free transportation, Delhi Electricity Regularity Commission (DERC) has reduced the rates for charging stations of e-rickshaws and other electric vehicles. Low-tension e-vehicle users (those who charge at home) will pay Rs 4.5 per kW instead of Rs 5.5, while high-tension users (at public charging stations) will pay Rs 4 instead of Rs 5 per kW.
Meet EV deadline or pay up for pollution, govt may tell cosedit
Two- and threewheeler makers in India may be asked by the government to pay up for causing vehicular pollution if they do not meet the deadline to produce electric vehicles (EVs).
The Centre must set an example in the use of EVsedit
With the government working towards making India an all-electric car market by 2030, minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, in 2017, told carmakers in no uncertain terms that if they stick to petrol or diesel, he would not mind “bulldozing” them to check pollution and imports. Two years down the line, the minister, who holds the same portfolio in the second Narendra Modi government, must be worried about the state of rollout of electric vehicles (EV) in India, and the challenges the sector faces today.
India, UK launch clean air initiative in Bengaluruedit
The Innovation for Clean Air (IfCA) was launched in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The two-year UK-India joint initiative provides Indian and UK stakeholders opportunities to test interventions related to air quality and EV integration.
2025 deadline for electric two-wheelers is an opportunity, not a restrictionedit
NITI Aayog’s proposal to stop the registration of internal combustion engine (ICE)-driven three-wheelers by 2023 and two-wheelers under 150cc by 2025 has a lot of people in the automobile industry in a tizzy. While I understand the point of view of my colleagues in the automobile industry, I feel the need of the hour is a change in the mindset – of the industry and of the consumer.
India Offers Its Unused Electric Vehicles to Taxi Fleetsedit
India’s Energy Efficiency Services Ltd., responsible for replacing the state’s vehicles with new-energy cars, is seeking to lease electric vehicles to cab companies amid delays integrating them into government fleets. EESL has made offers to lease EVs to Ola Cabs, a Softbank Group Corp.-backed ride-hailing service, and Indian taxi firm Meru Cabs, and plans to reach out as well to Uber Technologies Inc., according to Managing Director Saurabh Kumar. EESL already signed an agreement earlier this month with electric taxi startup Blu-Smart Mobility for 500 electric cars, he said.
GST rate cut drawing firms to EV business, but viability remains an issueedit
Last week, the GST council cut rate cuts on electric vehicles (EVs) from 12 per cent to 5 per cent and on electric chargers from 18 to 5 per cent, a clear signal that it proposes to forge ahead with its target of reducing urban pollution and crude oil import bill. Both rate cuts will considerably narrow the price differential between EVs and petrol and diesel vehicles.
Govt softens stance on time frame for transition to electric vehiclesedit
The government seems to have softened its stance on the time frame for transition to electric vehicles (EVs). The Ministry of Heavy Industries, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the power ministry, and the NITI Aayog — tasked with the policymaking and implementation of the government’s e-mobility plan — have extended an olive branch to the beleaguered automobile industry by agreeing to a “softer, pragmatic, phase-wise approach”. Under the revised plan, highly-polluted urban cities will be targeted first.
Customers are not fully prepared for electric and autonomous vehicles: Studyedit
Despite the auto manufacturers and technology companies spending billions on self-driving technology and electric vehicles, customers are not yet fully prepared to accept these new mobility solutions, reveals a study. The first J.D. Power Mobility Confidence Index Study has found that customers have low-level comfort when it comes to riding in self-driving vehicles, scoring only 34 in a point scale of 36-100.
Chinese shadow growing longer over India’s electric-vehicle dreamedit
India’s dream of getting more and more middle-class families to use electric vehicles (EVs) seems to be hinging to Beijing, which controls the supply of some key battery components. And this might well become another flashpoint in the volatile relations between India and China.
Competition
KSL partners China’s Huaihai for EV business in Indiaedit
Dhiraj Bhagchandka, managing director, KSL Cleantech and Cathrine Xing, director, Huaihai Holding Group & GM for international business showcasing the electric vehicle range in New Delhi. KSL Cleantech (formerly known as Kirti Solar), one of the pioneers in renewable energy and electric vehicles in India has entered into a joint venture (JV) with China’s Huaihai Holding Group— one of the largest companies in the field of electric mini vehicles.
International
How China became a fertile ground for foreign EV investments?edit
As the future mobility trend is swiftly gravitating towards electric amidst stringent emission regulations, many global automakers are making inroads into the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) market. The reason is the market offers advantage of easy accessibility of resources and open business environment.
US consumers expect changes in energy supplies, autos in 10 years: Surveyedit
US consumers expect that in the next 10 years they will be able to switch to new forms of energy with a lower impact on the environment once the price has dropped an affordable level, a survey by accountants Ernst & Young LLP showed on Wednesday.