Industry
Blue body, white hood: State fixes colours for e-rickshawsedit
Earlier this month, the transport authority, chaired by transport secretary Ashish Kumar Singh, had approved a blue-white colour scheme for e-rickshaws. As per the STA decision, the hood of the e-rickshaws will be painted white, while the remainder of the vehicle’s body will be blue. The STA decision will be applicable to all e-rickshaws registered in the state.
How safe are electric vehicles?edit
Indian government and stakeholders are pushing for faster adoption of electric vehicles; however some incidents of fire and other life-threatening events around electric vehicles have raised serious safety concerns. With the latest incident on Hyundai Kona EV which exploded due to the heatwave and caused garage fire in Canada has re-invoked the fear.
Electric vehicles to power metro rail connectivityedit
Providing first and last mile connectivity has been the bugbear for the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) project ever since it began operations in November 2017. The nearly three lakh passengers using the elevated public transport system could easily climb further if this connectivity was more efficient than what it is now, as officials themselves admit.
In a 1st, electric MTC buses may ply on Chennai roads from Wednesdayedit
For the first time in Chennai, electric buses are likely to be operated for public transport, from Wednesday. According to official sources, two buses will be operated and the routes selected for the trial run are: Chennai Central – Thiruvanmiyur and CMBT, Koyambedu – Broadway.
Mumbai: Soon, charging points for e-vehicles at PPLsedit
The BMC will allow vehicle charging points for electric vehicles in its public parking lots (PPLs) on a temporary basis to first gauge the response and accordingly draft a policy. In the first stage, the civic body will allot space in 20 PPLs to two companies to set up charging points.
One more incentive to buy electric vehicles 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.
Auto industry cheers PM’s support for ICE vehiclesedit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance that both internal combustion engine (ICE)-based automobiles as well as electric vehicles (EV) can co-exist has cheered the beleaguered automobile and component manufacturers. In a media interview, Mr Modi also said he believed the automobile industry and auto demand will bounce back strongly and soon, indicating a likely stimulus package soon to boost demand, ahead of the festival season starting next month.
Telangana prepared for electric vehicle but industry facing initial hiccups for delay in policiesedit
Owners and operators of over 3,000 electric vehicles plying on Hyderabad’s roads, including auto-rickshaws, do not have any public charging points at their disposal. However, the city is still positioned better than the Bengaluru, where around 8,000 electric vehicles are plying without any public charging points whatsoever. With the delay in formulating Telangana’s Electric Vehicle policy, due to a series of election, the emerging electric vehicle market is facing initial hiccups.
The new era for automobiles! Why electric cars could be better for you than fuel-based vehiclesedit
India aims to have gas-free cars aka electric vehicles entirely by 2030. And, the government seems to be serious about transforming country’s automobile sector. Hence, the announcement made in Union Budget by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, paved further way for both automakers and customers to shift to electric cars.
Competition
Gemopai to launch new electric scooter Astrid Lite this month: Ather 450 rival to come with swappable batteryedit
There are arguments both for and against when it comes to electrification of various modes of transport. Some say they don’t really help as the electricity that powers these vehicles comes from coal-based power plants, some say electric personal vehicles are just not a feasible idea, some say that charging batteries can never be as quick as a trip to a fuel filling station and some just dismiss the idea of electrics since they’ve pledged allegiance to internal combustion engines (ICE).
‘Strong EV push by govt & consumer desire for clean energy set to drive sales’edit
Nissan Motor India, a unit of the Yokohama-based Japanese carmaker, has an extended history of working with EVs, with its four-seater Tama Electric Car that ran on lead-acid batteries debuting way back in 1947. Its first generation Leaf was launched in 2010, and the second generation — with better design and a longer range (400 km, compared to the earlier 225 km) — in 2017, making the Leaf the world’s largest-selling electric vehicle.
International
How Energy Companies Can Ignite the Electric Vehicle Revolutionedit
In the U.S., their numbers are small but growing fast, and they are growing even faster in other countries. They’re a key part of every automaker’s long-term strategy. After years of anticipation, the market for electric vehicles (EV) is shifting into high gear in America.
Mursix invests in PolyCharge for EV technology developmentedit
PolyCharge America, a capacitor product manufacturer has secured a strategic investment from Mursix Corporation’s investment arm SFM Holdings, informed the company in a release. The Arizona-based capacitor technology company is a spin-off of the Sigma Technologies. Formed in 2017, it has a long-standing partnership with Delphi Technologies to commercialize its NanoLam technology.
Foreign auto cos shrinking conventional portfolio to focus on EVsedit
Amidst the tightening emission norms and concern about vehicular pollution, several global auto manufacturers are shrinking their current ICE powered product lineup to focus more on electric and electrified vehicles. A report claims that tough financial situations ad softening sales for German luxury car manufacturers have pushed them to trim the conventional internal combustion engine-powered models.
UK govt to invest £2.5 million for EV charging pointsedit
In a bid to make owning and charging of electric vehicles more convenient, the Britain government on Monday announced an investment of £2.5 million to fund the installation of about 1,000 new charge points. According to media reports, these charging points will be installed on residential roads to support the on-street residential charge points scheme.
Nissan, BMW, VW in talks to help South Africa switch to electric vehiclesedit
Nissan Motor Co., BMW AG and Volkswagen AG are among carmakers in talks to bring the electric-car revolution to South Africa, as the nation’s auto-factory floors risk being left behind in the global switch to greener vehicles. The industry is preparing a unified stance on electrification to present to the government by the end of the year, Mike Mabasa, chief executive officer of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, or Naamsa, said in an interview.