Mention
Ford JV opens up possibilities of M&M partnering Ashok Leylandedit
The partnership between Ford Motor Co and Mahindra and Mahindra in India could open up possibilities for similar partnerships industrywide while also opening up possibilities for alliances between groups. Mahindra & Mahindra and Ashok Leyland could come together as part of the global trend of automobile companies taking the collaboration route for the common goal of success in electric mobility, say reports.
Industry
Centre moots e-rickshaws in Matheranedit
The ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) has proposed to explore the possibility of plying e-rickshaws in the hill station as an alternative to horses. The MMRDA, in its environment management plan for Matheran, has also proposed battery-operated vehicles to transport goods on the plateau.
Coming soon! India’s first e-bus depot in Puneedit
Having acquired 100 electric buses and with the target of getting 500 additional buses, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal (PMT) has begun the task of turning a depot in Bhekrai Nagar. It also aims at beating Bengaluru to become the nation’s first city to have stations exclusively for e-buses.
Bengaluru is now world leader in scooter-sharing: Reportedit
As of 2019, Bangalore is by far the global scooter sharing capital, said a report by Unu, a German manufacturer of electric scooters. According to the Global Scooter Sharing Market Report 2019, India is the highest contributor to the global increase in the number of scooters available on a sharing basis.
“Govt move to slash BMTC fares and increase fleet is a huge win for Bengaluru”edit
State government has announced its decision to add 6000 buses to the BMTC fleet in a phased manner and to reduce bus fares. This is a huge win for commuters, civil society groups and the city at large. The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV), a collective that advocates for better BMTC services, welcomes this long-awaited reform, and applauds the government and BMTC for the decision.
Need to adopt cautious approach to avoid inviability of rise in outletsedit
The government of India was right in imposing a condition of ₹2,000 crore investment in the oil and gas infrastructure sector at the beginning of the century, as demand for petrol and diesel was growing almost in double digits. This made fuel retail business a very lucrative one.
Manufacture electric vehicles or lose market share: Amitabh Kant to Motownedit
Niti Aayog, the government’s think-tank, on Tuesday asked automobile companies to manufacture electric vehicles or lose market share in the near future. In an interview to CNBC-TV18’s Parikshit Luthra, Amitabh Kant, chief executive officer, promised to remove impediments for two-wheelers in government’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles or FAME 2 scheme.
EESL to fall short of its target of electrifying government car fleets two years after the deadlineedit
State-owned Energy Efficiency Services Limited’s (EESL) move to electrify government employees’ car fleet has fallen short of its ambitions with the company set to close its tender for 10,000 electric cars at the end of March 2020 with an expected procurement of only 3,000 such vehicles. There will be no compensation for Tata Motors and Mahindra and Mahindra, who were in September 2017 given a collective tender for these electric cars, Saurabh Kumar, managing director of EESL, told ET.
EV adoption in shared mobility is gamechanger for Indian auto incedit
As 9 million job-seekers are added to the Indian economy every year and globalization impacts business cycles and job structures, the mobility system which is rapidly shifting from a product-centric to a service-centric model will have a crucial role to play in the creation of jobs in the country.
International
U.S. auto showrooms need more electric cars, environmental group saysedit
Environmental group the Sierra Club on Tuesday urged automakers and dealerships to help cut U.S. carbon emissions and fight the climate crisis by making more electric vehicle available in U.S. showrooms. “It’s past time for the auto industry to put some action behind its promises of progress and work to tackle emissions from transportation,” said Hieu Le, the report’s primary author.
Future mobility is more than just electric vehiclesedit
The future of mobility will not revolve solely around electric vehicles, but will be a combination of autonomous, connected, and eco-friendly vehicles that boast greater safety features, experts said at the 15th edition of the Dubai International Motor Show.
China has been slashing its electric car subsidies. That could backfireedit
China wants to boost its adoption of electric vehicles. So far, that hasn’t been easy. Data released this week suggests that the Chinese market for new energy vehicles could shrink this year, according to an industry group. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said Monday that the sales of electric, hybrid and fuel cell cars plunged by over 45% in October, marking four straight months of declines in the sector.
The One Electric Vehicle Indicator That Only Goes Upedit
Predictions have varied erratically for the rate of electric-vehicle adoption and the date they’ll displace the internal combustion engine. But one indicator has remained consistent. No matter who is predicting, according to a researcher from the World Resources Institute, the predictions get bigger with every update.
Electric vehicles are more environmentally friendly than their gas-powered counterparts, but they still lag behind in one key area: productionedit
Studies have shown that in the US, Europe, and in China, producing an electric vehicle creates more greenhouse-gas emissions than producing an equivalent gas-powered vehicle. The biggest reason for that disparity is an electric vehicle’s battery, which can account for about a quarter of its weight, Colby Self, the managing director at the Automotive Science group, told Business Insider.
The US could be running on gasoline forever, leaving electric vehicles to China and Europeedit
In the decade I’ve been covering the auto industry, I’ve never seen a bigger mismatch between market expectations for electric vehicles and market realities. Back in 2010, I was standing in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles to hear then-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn proclaim that by 2020, 10% of the auto market worldwide would be electric. The occasion was the introduction of Nissan’s Leaf EV, a car that’s still on sale today, even though Ghosn’s career is in ruins as he awaits trial in Japan on allegations of financial malfeasance.
Renewables Are Booming, But Not Fast Enough to Cap Greenhouse Emissionsedit
The International Energy Agency’s annual report into fuel supply and demand shows a pickup in the rate of growth for wind and solar power. But that’s not enough to curtail greenhouse gas pollution, which is on track to grow through 2040. The findings are a blow to the international effort to rein in climate change and contrast with expanding awareness of the impact humans are having on the environment.