Industry
Battery woes tripping up India’s electric vehicles dreamsedit
Even as India has lined up an ambitious plan to promote electric vehicles (EV), the availability of top-quality lithium-ion batteries remains a pain point for EV companies, since local manufacturing is yet to take off and EV makers depend on China for imports.
The key to an electric scooter revolution in India is getting the battery rightedit
When it comes to electric cars, 2019 has been a big year. Tesla ramped up production of its Model 3 sedan, Audi launched its e-Tron all-electric SUV, Porsche unveiled the Taycan sports car, and perhaps the most significant of all, Daimler announced that it has no plans to develop next-generation combustion engines, but instead will focus on electrification.
After A Successful Trial, Uttarakhand Promises 30 Electric, 10 CNG Buses Within Stateedit
Uttarakhand Transport Corporation had conducted a trial run of electric buses between Dehradun and Mussoorie this month last year. Following a successful run of these buses, the state transport corporation has now decided to induct 50 electric buses in its fleet. In addition, the transport body will also be procuring 10 CNG buses, latest by next year.
The oil age is coming to a closeedit
The oil industry faces an uncertain future. The world is rapidly waking up to the severity and immediacy of the threat from climate change. At the same time, electric vehicles are getting cheap enough to compete with internal-combustion engines. Bloomberg New Energy Finance expects electrics to begin taking over in about a decade.
India to spend $100 bn on energy infra, says PM Modi inviting Saudi investmentedit
India will invest a massive $100 billion in oil and gas infrastructure to meet energy needs of an economy that is being targeted to nearly double in five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on October 29 as he sought investment from oil kingpin Saudi Arabia and other nations to boost supplies.
Competition
E-Trio offers electric vehicle retrofit servicesedit
E-Trio has become among the first electric vehicle (EV) retrofitting company to have certifications for Dzire and Tata Ace vehicles. The Hyderabad-based company has announced it has appointed BharatMobi as B2C channel partner and working towards the certification for 15 more categories of vehicles.
Around 75% EV charging stations to be in public; rest will be at homes: Fortum India MDedit
Over the next decade, the Indian automobile industry will see its biggest disruption ever with the electrification of transport. There has been much debate and flip flops on the timeline and extent of it but what is certain is everything hinges on availability or lack of charging infrastructure in the country.
Microsoft set to invest $200 mn in Ola, boost connected car tie-upedit
Ride-hailing company Ola is set to unveil a connected car project in partnership with Microsoft Corp., which will also invest around $200 million in Ola’s parent, ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd, two people aware of the deal said. Microsoft will acquire around 4.5% in ANI Technologies as part of the deal, one of the two people said on condition of anonymity. News agency PTI first reported the fundraise on Tuesday.
Where are these start-up two-wheeler companies now: Artem, Avanturaa Choppers and Eevee Engineeringedit
More often than not, we get a bunch of press releases or invites from new two-wheeler makers. These invites signal the start of a fresh company, new motorcycles or scooters being rolled out or just the fact that some path-breaking technology has come to the fore.
International
Volkswagen Plans To Dominate Electric Vehicle Manufacturing In Chinaedit
China has the largest new car market in the world (although it has cooled somewhat of late) and the most aggressive policies encouraging the adoption of electric cars. Therefore, any company with plans to sell electric cars needs to be a force in the Chinese market. Volkswagen has seen the future and plans to become one of the largest manufacturers of electric vehicles in China, according to CNBC.
US to lag behind in global transition to EVs: Reportedit
The United States will lag behind in transition to electric vehicles when compared to countries like India, Philippines and Indonesia. While these countries will see a substantial number of electric vehicles on the road by 2023, it may take seven years for the US to match the volume, a report by Forbes reveals. The Americans are expected to be stuck longer with petroleum-powered big cars due to cheaper prices. “Markets like India that use smaller and lighter EVs are expected to become competitive well before markets where larger vehicles dominate,” the report says.