Electric vehicles news this month

Here are some of the most important electric vehicles news from this month. 

Electric vehicles news this month

Amendment relaxes norms for extra tyre

This, policymakers said, would do away with the need for an extra tyre and that space could be utilised, especially in case of electric vehicles, to have a battery.

“The requirement of the additional tyres has been done away with in such vehicles if provided with the tyre repair kit and TPMS. This is as per the international standards which will enable more space, which may accommodate batteries for EVs etc,” according to officials in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

FICCI recommends extension of FAME-II scheme till 2025

The industry body FICCI recommended extension on FAME-II scheme till 2025 to enhance demand for electric vehicles.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry submitted these suggestions to NITI Aayog, the Department of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and other relevant authorities in the government in a release.

The release urges the stakeholders in the industry to provide “immediate support” to enhance attractiveness for electric vehicles and hence generate a demand for them in the market. The release asks for both short term stimulus as well as continued investments in the sector.

Zoomcar & ETO Motors partners to share EV platform

Zoomcar is a subscription-based car rental provider that has announced signing an agreement with Hyderabad-based ETO Motors which is an electric mobility solutions & services company.
The partnership is been made between both the companies to provide platform services for ETO’s electric, shared three-wheeler business.

As per the agreement, the Zoomcar will provide ETO Motors with access to its proprietary tech stack building a consumer base for electric vehicles. Whereas the ETO Motors will own and operate electric three-wheelers for the shared first mile and last-mile commutes as well as goods movements in the city.

ETO Motors plans to introduce a fleet of smart electric vehicles and strengthen its clean mobility solution offering. The platform will deploy electric three-wheelers, four-wheelers, and two-wheelers first-mile, last-mile, intracity passenger, and goods movement across India. With the partnership with ETO Motors, Zoomcar aims to leverage its AI-based platform to enable large fleet operators for better management

Tata’s EV marketing & sales head passes away

The Tata Motors EV division sales, marketing and customer care head Ashesh Dhar had passed away in Mumbai on July 24 due to a cardiac arrest.

The Tata seeing a better than the expected market response for the Nexon EV which is the first EV for personal use. Ashesh Dhar was remembered as a humble and polite colleague.

178 electric vehicle charging stations for Telangana

EV charging stations are needed much as the growth of electric vehicles is increasing every day. The Union Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises has finally approved 178 Electric Vehicle charging stations for Telangana.

This charging infrastructure comes under the two phases of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles (FAME-India) Scheme aimed at giving a big boost to electric vehicles in public transport.

The Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation Limited (TSREDCO) will be the nodal agency for the establishment of these stations.

“While the ministry has approved 118 stations for Urban Local Bodies under the Hyderabad capital region, 10 charging stations will be established in Warangal and another 10 in Karimnagar under FAME 2. All the 138 stations will be established and managed by three public sector units, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Limited (REIL) and Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL),” D V Ramakrishna Kumar, Project Director, TSREDCO.

The Centre also approved another 40 EV stations under FAME-1 which will come up in Hyderabad taking the total number of EV charging stations in the State capital to 158. The NTPC will be establishing 32 stations, REIL has been given 37 and EESL 49. REIL will be managing all the 20 units in Warangal and Karimnagar.

Toyota sold 3 million hybrid electric vehicles

Toyota Spain delivered 3 million hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) in Europe. It sold a Corolla GR Sport hybrid last week. Toyota’s long term strategy is to focus on hybrid electric powertrains across most of its range which made the company become the leader in Europe.

The TME (an electronic parts & components shop, over 900 suppliers globally) started selling hybrid electric vehicles in 2000 with Prius and expanded to 20 different HEV models across the Toyota and Lexus brands in Europe. In 2019, the HEV accounted for 52% of the total sales volume and 63% in West Europe.

BattRE electric scooter to offer finance, EMI on e-scooters 

BattRE electric scooters will offer finance, EMI for an affordable sales of EVs. It has partnered with the ZestMoney EMI financing platform. It is also providing finance to the customers with no previous CIBIL Score which is to check whether you are a good loan payer.

With ZestMoney EMI financing you no need to worry about the CIBIL score. The process for this finance scheme can be completed remotely and approval is done in a few hours.

The person can choose 0% EMI tenure of 3,6 or 12 months of repayments. During the coronavirus pandemic, maintaining social distance is very important and that is very difficult in public transportations. In that case, this electric scooters can help people to have their personal transportation which is safer.

Government of India plans to import tax on lithium cells

The Indian Government plans to import tariffs on lithium-ion cells. It plans to offer incentives to boost local manufacturing as part of the effort to reduce the trade ties with China after the conflict between India and China and the banning of 59 Chinese apps.

This decision is taken to boost Indian local markets and cut trade deals with China to reduce the dependency on China. Previously, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed the concept of Atma Nirbhar Bharat. In that regard, the Government is planning to put tariffs on many foreign goods so that Chinese goods can be avoided.

The government plans to offer incentives such as 100% tax deduction of capital expenditure in the first year of operation under Section 35 AD, concessional financing options by giving companies deemed infrastructure status and waiver of minimum alternative tax.

Hero MotoCorp invested in Ather Energy holds 34.58%

Hero MotoCorp India’s leading two-wheeler manufacturer has announced that it has invested ₹840 million (~$11.25 million) in Ather Energy.

With the new investment, the Hero MotoCorp share in Ather Energy has increased to 34.5%. Hero MotoCorp was holding 31.27% in Ather Energy before the new round of funding. In 2016, the global automotive giant had also invested in Ather as part of the Series B funding.

The Leading electric two-wheeler manufacturer, Ather Energy last year had raised $51 million with Flipkart’s co-founder Sachin Bansal bringing in $32 million. It was the first startup in which Sachin Bansal invested $500,000 in the firm as an angel investor in 2014. Hero MotoCorp had used its convertible debt of $19 million for the round.

102 electric buses to India from Korea

The South Korean electric bus maker Edison Motors Co signed a contract with a transportation service provider OneBus in New Delhi. As a part of this contract Edison Motors Co to supply 102 Electric Buses. Edision Motors Electric Bus works with a maximum power of 220kW and gives 76 km range on a single charge. The bus is more spacious and comfortable for long-distance driving with the support of battery swapping stations.

Inside the bus, there is a Bus Telecommunication module, for easy operations. The seating capacity is 44 person. The batteries are mounted on the top of the bus. Edision Motors is the first Korean company to export a batch
of more than 100 electric buses to India.

Okaya bagged major EV charger contract from state own PGCIL

Okaya has announced that it has bagged an EV charger major contract from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) which is an Indian state-owned Maharatna PSU of Government of India. The PGCIL has given this contract to Okaya to supply, installation and commissioning of over 55 Multi-Standard EV charger (100 kW) as per CCS2/CHAdeMO Protocol, and 15 kW DC fast chargers as per DC-001 in Shillong, Meghalaya.

Okaya will deploy its ‘‘state-of-the-art’’ EV chargers across the entire city of Shillong to meet the needs of charging infrastructure. These EV chargers are compatible with all internationally accepted standards.

Tata Motors EVision concept

There was a buzz in social media platforms about a new vehicle launch by Tata Motors called EVision which can run up to 1000 km in a single charge. The posts also say that the battery warranty is for 10 years.

The Logical Indian received a request to verify the claims and the claim was proved as false. The viral image was from the 2018 Geneva Motor Show and the design is based on OMEGA ( optimal modular efficient global advanced architecture.

Tata Motors through their official account had replied regarding this news saying that it was fake. The CEO and MD of Tata Motors, Guenter Butschek said that they had launched an electric vehicle based on OMEGA architecture in Geneva 2018 but the concept of the car is technically feasible and it is not commercially viable. The Head of Corporate Communications, Suresh Rangarajan at Tata Motors said that claims made in the image are fake.

Some of the posts of the event held in 2018

S p e e c h l e s s ! Take a bow @BosePratap 😀 SVP #EVision #Tata #GenevaMotorshow2018 #gims pic.twitter.com/sPL4WPDXM5

— Saral Vishvaasniya Peshkash (@sidpatankar) March 6, 2018

Tata Motors EVision, brand new electric concept sedan pic.twitter.com/Z474xD4rjb

— 🇮🇳Sōnal 🇮🇳 (@Sunshiinegal) March 6, 2018

https://t.co/tUoZO0L1cK

— Sanjay Singhal (@galaxy_108) July 20, 2020

Jawa Moto developing electric motorcycle for India

Jawa Moto is developing an electric motorcycle for the Indian market. The company’s first two products are Jawa and Jawa 42 were success products in the Indian market. Now the company is working on a new motorcycle that will be electric.

The Classic Legends is working on developing the bike independently but not with its parent company, Mahindra & Mahindra. But there may be some tech that the companies will share. Mahindra is well experienced in the EV industry it has electric cars and electric scooter. At present eVerito is available in the country.

India partners with Argentina for lithium supply

Khanij Bidesh India (KABIL) has signed an initial agreement with an Argentinian mining company (JEMSE) for the exploration and production of lithium. The Khanij Bidesh India Limited works under the Ministry of Mines, it is a joint venture (JV) with the participation of three central public sector enterprises such as

• National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO)
• Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) and
• Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL)

So, with the recent partnership between India and Argentia, the two companies will work on projects related to the exploration and extraction of products including lithium and polymetallic materials. Currently, KABIL is focused on Jujuy area in Argentia, it is the major lithium producing region.

If KABIL along with JEMSE found some good amount of lithium there, definitely it will help electric vehicle manufactures in India and also decreases the dependency of lithium imports from china.

BMW X5 to get a fuel-cell version in 2022

The BMW will make a version of its X5 crossover that runs on hydrogen fuel cells. The carmaker is planning to produce as many drive variants as possible until one technology proves prominent.
The i Hydrogen NEXT will get a limited production run starting in 2022 and Toyota will supply fuel cells for the vehicle.

The technology “could have the potential to become another pillar in the portfolio of BMW,” CEO Oliver Zipse said. The fuel cell technology as seen as a viable alternative for its technology which provides fast refuelling and long ranges.

India looks Latin America FTAs to support domestic EV plan

India is looking forward towards Latin America FTAs (Free trade agreement). It has proposed a major shift in its foreign trade policy, that will explore free trade agreements (FTAs) only with countries that can support its ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ mission which will provide India with the necessary raw materials, critical components and equipment needed to support manufacturing activities.

With that regard, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) of the Commerce Ministry has proposed entering into FTAs and mining agreements with resource-rich countries in Latin America and Africa.

The department of augmenting industrial growth in India in its internal presentation said that such focused FTA arrangements will help the country to boost electric vehicle penetration as countries such as Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Congo, and South Africa are rich in mineral resources, particularly lithium and cobalt. These minerals go into making the batteries that are critical to any EV plan.

Till now India is close to trading agreements (including preferential agreements) either in effect or signed or under negotiation or proposed. In that most of the FTAs are with the Asian countries which are different according to their growth and development. In Latin America, India has an only trade agreement with Chile.

Delhi-Mumbai Expressway electric Highway project

The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari recently shared a video about the construction process of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. The project is scheduled for completion by the year 2023, will reduce the travel time between the two major cities to under 13 hours.

Nitin Gadkari also mentions that the express highway to have a lane of electric vehicles as well. He also suggested private companies to develop the proposed electric lane on the highway. In addition to that, serious private players who are willing to invest in the Rs 1.03 lakh crore expressway will get support from the Centre in terms of policies.

Home-grown Tesla-

Mk1 electric car

A Bangalore based company Pravaig Dynamics has revealed their latest creation called the Extinction MK1 electric car in India. The company claims that this electric car is home-grown Tesla.

However, the company have not shared yet any details about this sedan. But it features a two-door coupe design with a swooping roof-line. The final production model could come with four-doors considering how Indian buyers choose practically over design.

The Pravaig MK1 Electric Sedan gets a low-slung front profile with projector LED headlamps. The front bumper seems to be clean and there are no gaps in them. At the rear, there is a sloping roofline end near the tail-light which gives more fastback design. It also gets a sleek LED strip which connects with both the headlamps ad makes the car looks more appealing.

KSEB shortlisted 8 firms to set up EV charging stations

The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has announced the list of empanelled bidders who wants to set up electric vehicle charging stations for commercial operations at specific locations in the state. It had last year invited bids from interested parties to set up electric vehicles charging stations across the state.

The list of Shortlisting firms intending for setting up an Electric Vehicle charging station for commercial operation at specified locations in Kerala.

The Ministry of Power recently issued an amendment to its guidelines and standards for the charging infrastructure of electric vehicles. The tariff for the supply of electricity to the EV public charging stations should not be more than 15% of the average cost of supply of power.

Revolt started its electric bikes deliveries in Chennai & Ahmedabad

Revolt Motors has finally started its deliveries to the customers in Ahmedabad and Chennai. Revolt Motors has posted the pictures of its RV400 deliveries to the customers in Ahmedabad and Chennai.

Currently, revolt motors are delivering the first batch in Ahmadabad at revolt hub Naroda and Himalaya Mall. In Chennai the first batch of deliveries in velachey and Anna Nagar.

However, there is no update about revolt motors deliveries in Hyderabad, maybe in a few more days, the deliveries will start in Hyderabad as well.

Audi develops a bidirectional charging

Audi and the Hager Group joined hands and developed a bidirectional charging, a research and solution approach that creates financial incentives and offers greater security of supply. If the customer is having a photovoltaic system, the electric car serves as a temporary storage medium for the domestically generated eco-electricity.

The car can provide the saved electric energy again to the home when the solar or sun is not shining. This process is known as the Bidirectional charging at home which also known as the Vehicle to Home (V2H). It has great potential to reduce the home owner’s electricity costs and can incerease network stability.

Nissan Ariya electric SUV

Nissan has revealed its upcoming Electric SUV Ariya. It claims to have a range up to 500 km and has a top speed of 200 kph with an accelerate 0-100 kph in 7.5 seconds. Nissan Ariya SUV comes with two battery pack varients 63kWh and 87kW. The 63kWh battery will offer 340 km range and a 218 hp, whereas, the 87kWh battery will offer 500 km range and a 242 hp.

Speaking about its technical terms, the Ariya, an all-electric SUV concept is 4.6m long and 1.92m wide, little shorter but wider than the Nissan’s present X-Trail, the roofline is 100mm lower than that a car is good. The Nissan Ariya is expected to be launched in January 2021.

‘Chal Meri Luna’ is back now as an electric moped ranges 80 km

Almost everyone owned Luna in ’80s and 90’s and the brand Kinetic became popular for Luna only. This new electric Luna moped will get a 1kW motor with a lithium-ion battery. The range can be expected to 70-80km and its top speed will be around 25kmph. As it is expected to a low-speed vehicle, it won’t need registrations and license.

The known source said that this moped will come with a price tag of Rs 50,000 on-road. The design will be as similar to the old Luna and some additional features will be added to it such as thumb starter, USB charging slot, LED DRL, etc. The Luna moped will compete with the recently launched Miso from Gemopai. There is also another moped from Techo Electra Saathi which is in works and will launch soon.

Ducati unveils e-Scrambler electric bike

Ducati a very popular Italian motorcycle manufacturer has unveiled its e-Scrambler electric bike. The e-Scrambler is an urban trekking bike with a Shimano electric bicycle system at its core. It features the Shimano Steps E7000 motor of 250 watts which produces a 60 Nm of torque, all from a pint-sized 2.8 kg (6 lb) mid-drive setup. It gets power with a 504 Wh Shimano battery. It can get around 75 miles of extrapolated range with a medium pedalling effort.

It comes with a seat post, integrated lights and a rear rack rated for 25 kg (55 lb) loads. The bike weighs just 22.5 kg (49.6 lb) without the pedals. The price of the Ducati e-Scrambler will run you €3,699 (around US$4,280). It’s available directly from Ducati as well as through their dealer network.

Hitachi ABB partners Ashok Leyland launches Fleet EV charging system

Hitachi ABB Power Grids launched its Grid-eMotion Fleet EV charging system for large scale public transports and commercial fleets. It is planning to bring technology to India with the partnership of Ashok Leyland. Ashok Leyland earlier this year has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ABB to develop a pilot electric bus based on the latter’s flash-charge technology, Grid-eMotion Flash solution, commonly known as TOSA.

This new EV charging system for fleet vehicles comes under the same umbrella brand Grid-eMotion.The Grid eMotion fleet is a grid to plug the EV charging system. It is particularly designed for large scale public transport and commercial fleets like electric buses.

Electric vehicles sales are on high record during the lockdown

In terms of Electric Vehicles sales in FY 2020, Okinawa has become the bestselling electric scooter brand in India. Okinawa with the sales of 10,133 units, has beaten the Hero Electric by more than 2,700 units. Ather Energy with sales numbers 2,908 is in the third position and Ampere Vehicles with 2,500. Whereas Revolt sold 1,062 units.

India’s leading two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero Electric has sold over 3,546 units through online sales with the total number of sales 4,900 units from 20th April till date. The company has targeted for the year at over 50,000 units.

During the last week, the MG Motors dealership in Kochi, Kerala has witnessed the sales of 11 units of brand new MG ZS EV to the customers. This is the highest units of electric car delivered by a single dealer in 1 day. Similarly, last year the MG Motor India had created a record of delivering more than 700 units of Hector SUVs across India in 1 day.

Techo Electra to launch Saathi electric bike

A Pune based electric two-wheeler manufacturer Techo Electra has added a new electric bike in its portfolio. The bike seems to be the rival of the recently launched electric Gemopai Miso. This electric bike is more like a moped not like a full-fledged electric motorcycle.

Back in 2019, the company were in talks to launch an FZ-styled electric bike at the end of the 2019 but due to the coronavirus pandemic, there seems to change in the plans. The company haven’t released any of the specifications yet but we can assume that the electric bike looks are similar to the Gemopai electric bike Miso which has been launched recently.

Earth Energy EV startup raises seed funding to launch 3 EVs

A Delhi based EV startup Earth Energy EV has announced that it has raised seed funding, led by LR Joshi, MD or Pranada Bio-Pharma Pvt Ltd. The EV startup has not disclosed the amount of the funding. The company claims that this funded amount will be used to facilitate the launch of three electric vehicles, which are currently under the on-road trial phase for the last 2.5 years.

 

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