Mention
Charging docks first, EVs later is mantra for top speededit
With electronic vehicles (EVs) comes the mammoth task of developing docking stations for charging and India has slowly embarked on the journey towards acquiring public land to build such charging kiosks. Automakers, battery manufacturers, suppliers, dealers and power utilities are currently in talks to create a sustainable ecosystem for charging stations in the country.
Industry
Auto sales continue to race downhill in Septemberedit
High discounts and launch of new variants notwithstanding, auto sales across segments continued to disappoint in September, with passenger vehicle (PV) despatches (from manufacturers to dealers) falling 29% year-on-year. This is yet another sharp decline in over two decades, however, better than August when despatches had declined 32%, the highest since 1997-98 when the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) started collating monthly sales figures.
EV makers aim to say: Charge khatam hi nahin hotaedit
As the Indian government goes bullish on electric vehicles (EVs), automobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are in a huddle to develop long-lasting, durable battery technology to get hegemony over the EV battery market. In the automotive paradigm, lithium-ion battery technology stands at the centre of innovation and there has been a significant amount of progress in the improvement of lithium-ion battery technology.
The electric-bike market is hotting upedit
And getting customers could be even tougher than finding suppliers because electric two-wheelers are far pricier than IC-engine vehicles. A Honda Activa retails for around Rs 65,000 while the highly rated scooter from Ather Energy costs over a lakh. Says Rathore: “Indians are very price-conscious and don’t want to spend a lakh now against ?65,000.” And there’s another complication. “Honda’s a product that any roadside mechanic can service. Ather currently has no service network outside Bangaluru and Chennai,” Rathore says.
UP to invite bids for 700 e-buses worth Rs 965 cr, Centre to finance 33%edit
The Yogi Adityanath government has cleared a proposal to ply 700 electric buses in 14 top cities of Uttar Pradesh, in a decision involving an investment of around Rs 965 crore. The state cabinet meeting, chaired by chief minister Adityanath in Lucknow last night, approved the proposal of implementing the electric bus proposal on ‘gross cost contract model’ by selecting the operator through an open-bidding process. The bidding document was also cleared by the cabinet.
How China can impact India’s electric vehicle dreamedit
With India planning to replace a significant portion of its conventional internal combustion engine fleet by electric vehicles in the next one decade, particularly to reduce pollution and also to create jobs through manufacturing of such vehicles, China may continue to play a huge role in realisation of that dream.
EV makers aim to increase energy density of lithium-ion batteriesedit
As the Indian government goes bullish on electric vehicles (EVs), automobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are in a huddle to develop long-lasting, durable battery technology to get hegemony over the EV battery market. In the automotive paradigm, lithium-ion battery technology stands at the centre of innovation and there has been a significant amount of progress in the improvement of lithium-ion battery technology.
India has potential to become one of the largest electric vehicles markets: Reportedit
India has the potential to become one of the largest electric vehicles (EVs) markets in the world, with the government pushing for the segment in order to curb pollution and reduce reliance on import-dependent fossil fuel, says a report. However, the uptake of EVs has been slow in the country due to the high upfront as well as lifecycle costs cost but long-term investment in research and development (R&D) will create sustained growth, according to the report by the Word Economic Forum and Ola Mobility Institute.
Government goes slow on procurement of electric vehicles, limits sourcingedit
India’s largest electric vehicle (EV) procurement programme could come to a halt amid the economic slowdown, with state-run Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) planning to curb its sourcing to less than a third of the 10,000 sedans it originally tendered due to lack of demand. EESL gave out a sourcing contract in September 2017 to Tata Motors Ltd and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. While 1,500 such EVs have been sourced so far, EESL now plans to limit the final order to around 3,000 vehicles by March 2020.
Competition
Mahindra to lead Ford’s India operations; new JV to focus on electric vehiclesedit
Mahindra & Mahindra and Ford Motor Company have signed a definitive agreement to create a joint venture in India valued at $275 million (Rs 1,925 crore). The entity will develop, market and distribute Ford-branded vehicles in India, the two companies said on Tuesday.
International
ABB to provide smart chargers for autonomous vehicles in Singaporeedit
ABB has won a contract from ST Engineering Land Systems Ltd. to deliver and commission integrated smart charging points for Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) in the Tuas port of Singapore, informed the company in a release. As ABB says, deliveries of the vehicles, which will be deployed to transport heavy shipping containers at the port terminal, are scheduled to begin from September 2020 through to August 2022. The ABB chargers and supporting infrastructure will be installed towards the end of 2020. However, the financial details of the contract were not disclosed.
Bosch to use mini explosions to make EVs saferedit
Global engineering and technology company Bosch has recently developed semiconductors that help prevent the risk of electric shock after an accident. These specially designed microchips control small explosive charges attached to electric vehicles’ batteries and isolate the power supply in the event of a collision, the company said in a release.