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#Vehicles

Good News

New Scheme Announced to Boost Sales of Electric Two-Wheelers & Three-Wheelers in India

The Indian government has unveiled a new scheme aimed at accelerating the sales of electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers in the country. With an allocation of Rs 500 crore, the Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS) is set to be implemented for a period of four months, starting from April 1. This initiative comes as part of the government's ongoing efforts to promote the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector. Boosting Electric Mobility The Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS) is a significant step towards encouraging the use of electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers in India. By providing financial incentives and subsidies, the government aims to make EVs more affordable and accessible to the masses. This move aligns with the larger goal of reducing the country's dependence on fossil fuels and transitioning to sustainable modes of transportation. Expansion of FAME Scheme The announcement of the EMPS follows the government's decision to increase the allocation under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-II) scheme. With a revised budget of Rs 11,500 crore, up from Rs 10,000 crore, the FAME-II scheme provides subsidies for electric vehicles, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and four-wheelers. The subsidies will be applicable until March 31, 2024, or until the funds are exhausted. Driving Affordability and Demand The demand for electric two-wheelers in India has been steadily increasing, driven by factors such as price cuts and the introduction of affordable models by companies like Ola Electric, Ather Energy, and Bajaj Auto-owned Chetak Technology. These efforts have narrowed the price gap between electric and petrol-powered two-wheelers, making EVs more attractive to consumers. Industry insiders predict that rising affordability will lead to a faster adoption of electric two-wheelers in the country. Addressing Charging Infrastructure While the affordability of electric two-wheelers has improved, the lack of adequate charging infrastructure remains a significant challenge in India. Insufficient charging stations hinder the wider adoption of EVs, as consumers are concerned about range anxiety and the availability of convenient charging points. The government's focus on setting up electric vehicle charging stations, as part of the FAME-II scheme, aims to address this issue and provide a more robust charging infrastructure network. Impact on Three-Wheeler Segment Electric three-wheelers have gained traction in India, particularly in the last-mile connectivity segment, fueled by the growing e-commerce industry. The expansion of schemes like FAME and EMPS, along with policies such as Production Linked Incentives (PLI) and Make in India, has facilitated domestic manufacturing and made electric three-wheelers more cost-efficient. These factors have contributed to the increased penetration of electric three-wheelers in the country. While challenges such as charging infrastructure need to be addressed, the concerted efforts of the government and the growing affordability of EVs are expected to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, paving the way for a cleaner and greener future of mobility in India.

15 Mar 2024
Good News

First Electric Racing Car From IIT Madras Rolled Out by Students’ ‘Raftar Formula Racing’ Team

The first electric formula racing car from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) was unveiled on Monday. Built by Team Raftar students, the formula car “RF23” is the outcome of a year-long process of design, manufacture, and testing. Team Raftar - one of the competition teams of the Centre For Innovation (CFI) at IIT Madras - is made up of 45 students from ten departments representing various disciplines. The institute has been engaged in research about combustion engines for a long time. RF23 is an endeavor in the shift away from combustion engines to electric vehicles. Speaking to newspersons, IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti said that this project will help to develop the next level of electric vehicle technology. Due to the higher power produced by an electric motor, the team anticipates improvements in speed and lap times on RF23 compared to the older Internal Combustion Engine model. Kamakoti revealed that the next project would be on autonomous (driverless) cars and work on that project will start next year. Like RF23, technologies in the autonomous race car will be put to various stress tests, he said. IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti while unveiling the car said that he is hopeful that the car will be number one in various competitions. The team is eager to represent India on an international stage, establishing industry-standard engineering practices and strengthening engineering students' practical technical knowledge.  

29 Nov 2022
Good News

Himachal Pradesh to Become a Model State for Electric Vehicle Adoption

Himachal Pradesh aims to become a model state for Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption providing sustainable, safe, eco-friendly, inclusive and integrated mobility. This was conveyed by Chief Secretary, Shrikant Baldi at a meeting on Himachal’s Electric Vehicle Policy- 2019. In the meeting, a target was set for the state to achieve 100 per cent transition to Electric Vehicles by 2030. This is in line with the United Nation’s sustainable development goals and vision of the Government of India. Policy Objective Baldi said that the policy was framed with the objective of environment protection, accelerating demand for EVs, promotion of a sustainable transport system and creation of public-private charging infrastructure for EV’s. It aims to create a conducive atmosphere for a transition to EVs by encouraging the use of hybrid EVs and creation of new employment opportunities. Charging Infrastructure One of the main challenges of adopting electric mobility is to provide proper and adequate charging infrastructure. Baldi said that the policy aims to promote the creation of dedicated infrastructure for charging of EVs. This involves the development of a viable business model to attract private players to set up EV charging stations and infrastructure. He said that the policy has also included provisions to set up charging spots in commercial buildings such as hotels and shopping malls. Plans are being made to manufacture the vehicles locally with the State Government’s decision to provide incentives to EV batteries and related components manufacturing and disposal in the Sate. While most of the countries in the world are speeding up their efforts to adopt electric mobility for sustainable development, Himachal Pradesh will become a model state for electric vehicle adoption in India which other states may emulate and implement.  

20 Sep 2019
Good News

Nagpur becomes India’s first city to get fleet of 200 electric vehicles

India gets its first fleet of electric vehicles comprising of taxis, buses, e-rickshaw and autorickshaws all owned by online cab booking aggregator Ola. The electric mass mobility system will bring about a significant change in the automobile and transportation industry in the country. Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the project at the Nagpur Airport Complex on Friday. Honorable Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis was also present at the event. To give this a wider acceptance, VAT (Value added Tax), road tax and registration for all electric vehicles will be put aside by Maharashtra government. All this is done so that electric cars becomes a future of our nation and other states can follow the same. The project has planed its kick start with about 200 fleet electric vehicles including 100 Mahindra’s e2o Plus and rest of vehicles are from their original manufacturers like from Tata Motors, Kinetic, BYD and TVS. The total expenditure behind this project is more than 50 crores inclusive of the electric vehicles and their charging infrastructure. There are more than 50 charging points for the vehicles across four main locations in Nagpur. Cab aggregator Ola’s Chief Executive Officer Bhavish Agarwal thanked the state government and other industry partners for supporting the initiative.  

27 May 2017
Good News

Central Government plans to promote e-vehicles on large scale

By 2030, most of the vehicles in India will be battery powered e- vehicles. The scheme, will start in the coming  few months. The central government will provide limited tax breaks to the manufacturers of e- vehicles to boost affordability, according to the Economic Times. India  will start first with public transport in the first phase. Later, non-air-conditioned city buses, three wheelers and two wheelers will be sold without batteries as part of the plan, which will decrease prices upto 70%. The batteries for these Indian manufactured vehicles will be leased. These can be easily  swapped with recharged batteries at charging stations. Replacement of auto batteries is expected to take only two- and-half minutes, while whole process will take only 10 minutes. E-Rickshaws, E-Two Wheelers, E- Buses as well as E-commercial vehicles followed by E-cars are in the offing. The new policy in this regard will be made public very soon.  Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala of Indian Institute of Technology-Madras will lead this  programme. A formal policy will be ready in about six months time. The inter-ministerial committee headed by Niti Aayog is working on the details of the plan to promote e- vehicles and convert most of  the vehicles to electric by 2030. Raising infrastructure for the scheme is also being considered.    

25 Apr 2017
Good News

Global News

China's 'Condensed' Battery Breakthrough Paves the Way for Long-Range 1000KM Electric Cars and Planes

China-based battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) has announced a groundbreaking development in battery technology that could potentially power long-range electric cars and planes. With its new 'condensed' battery, CATL claims to store almost double the power of Tesla's top-of-the-range 4680 cell, which was considered a game-changer just a few months ago. Will this innovation bring electric motoring dreams to reality? The new battery's remarkable energy density has the potential to enable electric vehicles (EVs) to travel up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) on a single charge, eliminating the need for frequent recharging. This breakthrough could also have a significant impact on the aviation industry by removing technological barriers that have hindered the development of electric-powered passenger flights. CATL achieved this milestone by utilizing semisolid-state battery technology, which employs partially solid electrolytes instead of the traditional liquid or gel electrolytes found in current lithium-ion batteries. This advancement not only increases energy density but also holds the promise of smaller, more affordable EV batteries. As the demand for electric vehicles continues to surge, the range of EVs has quadrupled over the past decade. This battery breakthrough by CATL could further accelerate the transition to sustainable transport and make electric vehicles more accessible to the masses. In a noteworthy competition, Gotion High Tech, a Volkswagen-backed company based in China, has also announced plans to bring a 1,000-kilometer range battery, called 'Astroinno,' to the mass market by 2024.  The race to develop high-performance batteries marks a significant stride towards achieving universal electrification in transportation, encompassing sea, land, and air travel.

26 Dec 2023
Global News

Positive Reads

This Startup Is Revolutionizing India’s Farming Sector With Its EV Machines

At this time in India, when rising labor costs and poor infrastructure are adding to the farmer’s woes, Bulwark Mobility, a startup is working to alleviate their troubles with their powerful and efficient EV machines. Bullwork Mobility, founded by Mahesh G. Shetty, Hemanth Kumar, Vinay Raghuram, and Dr. Sriharsha S in 2021 is creating intelligent, connected, and autonomous electric vehicles (EVs) for the agricultural industry. Speaking to YourStory, Hemant said that electric vehicles are cheaper to operate.  When farmers use a tractor, it consumes about 3-4 liters of diesel for every hour of operation which implies that they need to shell out Rs 300-400 per hour on diesel. EV vehicles can bring down this cost to Rs 50 for every hour, said Hemant. The superior drive-by-wire technology used in the creation of Bullwork's electric vehicles enables them to be completely autonomous. The startup is also using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques to increase crop productivity. The company also gains as it generates carbon credits by lowering its reliance on fossil fuels. Co-founder Vinay claims that they are offsetting the carbon emissions of those machines. More carbon credits will be generated as the number of electric vehicles and their use rise. For that, they have already partnered with Carbon Registry India. When discussing future plans, Dr. Sriharsha states that once they have enough volume created, they will start creating the charging infrastructure using sustainable resources to enable the charging of their equipment.

12 Dec 2022
Positive Reads

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