The aggregator policy for two-, three- and four-wheelers is in its final stages and will be rolled out soon, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said on Monday.

A senior official said, “The aggregator policy, which is being finalised, plans to bring in norms to regularise these vehicles. The policy will make it mandatory for aggregators to on-board electric two-wheelers and encourage sustainable transportation, which is our focus.

“The policy should be finalised soon but of course there will be a long route ahead.” The Delhi government’s Transport department has launched a crackdown against two-wheelers with private registration marks being used for commercial purposes.

In a public notice, the department has cautioned bike taxis against plying in Delhi and warned that violations would make aggregators liable for a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh.

Talking about the crackdown, the senior official said it is difficult to identify such vehicles since there is no specific mark.

“For now, our teams are posing as decoy customers and issuing challans,” he said.

According to official figures, five bike taxis were issued challans till 5 pm on Monday. On Tuesday, 23 such bike taxis were challaned.

The Transport department will also write to the aggregators to not ply such two-wheelers.

Explaining the situation, the senior official said the aggregators do not check if the vehicles have valid Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC) or whether they are overage.

“Most of the bike taxis are those that are bought second- or third-hand. So there are high chances that they are unfit to ply on the roads of Delhi. Two-wheelers are a huge contributor to pollution in the national capital,” he said.

In 2018, the Supreme Court banned diesel and petrol vehicles older than 10 and 15 years, respectively, in Delhi. It had also directed that the vehicles plying in violation of the order would be impounded.

A 2014 order of the National Green Tribunal bars vehicles older than 15 years from being parked in public places.

Source : pti

Uber’s fleet partners will buy the EVs from Tata Motors, India’s biggest electric carmaker, Prabhjeet Singh, president, Uber India and South Asia, said during a phone interview on Monday.

For electric ride-hailing to take off, Singh said multiple factors need to come together. Automakers need to build affordable vehicles with a long range, the financing ecosystem needs to mature and charging infrastructure has to be widespread. “We believe we are beginning to see early signs of that coming together,” Singh said, adding that this is the largest deal for EVs by a ride-sharing company.

Even with 25,000 EVs, electric cars will still be a fraction of Uber’s current overall active fleet of 300,000 vehicles in India, according to Singh.

Uber has set a 2040 target for 100% of its rides to be in zero-emission vehicles, public transport or with micro-mobility, including in India.

The Softbank Group-backed ride-hailing giant is in “active”talks with other carmakers, charging companies, fleet operators and financiers for its EV
push, Singh added.

Tata rival Mahindra & Mahindra is the only other Indian automaker to build electric cars locally. China’s BYD and SAIC’s MG Motor also sell imported
EVs in India.

“We are going to be a big catalyst in accelerating the (EV) ecosystem,” Singh said.

Besides four-wheeler cabs like Ola or Uber, there are app-based companies who offer bike taxi services. It is a relatively affordable ride option compared to four-wheeler cabs. Gahlot said, the policy will also spell out rules regarding four-wheelers as well. On Tuesday, he took to social media saying, “Aggregator policy for 2W (two-wheelers), 3W (three-wheelers) and 4W (four-wheelers) is in its final stage and will be rolled out soon helping

A public notice issued by the Transport Department read, “It has been brought to the notice that two-wheelers having non-transport (private) registration mark/number are being used to carry passengers on hire or reward which is purely commercial operation and in violation of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and rules made thereunder.” Two-wheelers, if used for commercial purposes, is a violation of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. It could
lead to a fine of ₹5,000. Consequent violations will attract fine of ₹10,000 and imprisonment of up to a year. The licence of the driver could also be suspended for three months.

The investments include setting up of lithium-cell manufacturing facilities with a capacity of 20 GW. The overall investments by Ola Electric would generate 3,111 new direct jobs in the state.

Ola Electric Mobility Pvt Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding committing investments worth Rs 7,614 crore with the Government of Tamil Nadu in the presence of Chief Minister M K Stalin.

“The project comprises an electric vehicle cell plant and an electric four wheeler plant to be set up in SIPCOT Bargur, Krishnagiri district generating employment for up to 3,111 people,” Guidance Tamil Nadu, the nodal agency to boost investments set up by the government said.

“Ola will set up the world’s largest EV hub with integrated 2W, Car and Lithium cell Gigafactories in Tamil Nadu. Signed MoU with Tamil Nadu today. Thanks to Honourable CM MK Stalin for the support and partnership of the TN govt! Accelerating India’s transition to full electric!” Ola India CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said in a tweet.

Ola, co-founded by Bhavish Aggarwal, already owns 500 acres in Krishnagiri district and is seeking to expand its capacity for electric two-wheelers, as well as add production of electric cars and batteries.

In August 2022, Bhavish Aggarwal said that his company plans to launch its maiden electric car, with a range of more than 500 km on a single charge, in 2024 and is aiming to manufacture one million cars by 2026.

Tamil Nadu EV Policy 2023: 50,000 Crore Investment And 1.5 Lakh Jobs

Recently, the Tamil Nadu government has unveiled a new EV policy to promote the growth of a strong EV ecosystem in the state.

The government intends to raise Rs 50,000 crore for EV manufacturing and to generate employment for 1.5 lakh people.

The new strategy aims to promote EV adoption, strengthen the state’s ecosystem development, and create EV cities in Tamil Nadu. It also aims to make TN a popular location for EV manufacturing in South-East Asia.

The policy intends to build exclusive EV parks at its EV hubs of Krishnagiri and Manallur (Chennai).

The policy document reveals, among other things, that the state intends to reimburse State Goods and Services Tax (SGST), and provide turnover-based subsidies, capital subsidies, and special Advanced Chemistry Cell capital subsidies.

Source : pti

The government is finalising a plan to upgrade 5,500 km of existing highways into the National Highways for Electric Vehicles (NHEV) through a public-private partnership across 23 cities in 12 states. The e-highways will collectively have 111 stations with charging and other facilities.Read More…

In a recent announcement, the Renault-Nissan alliance announced its intent to invest around Rs 5,300 crore in India and launch six new models – three for Renault and three for Nissan – which includes four new C-segment SUVs, and two new A-segment EVs.

Ashwani Gupta, COO, Nissan Motor Corp, in a conversation with Express Mobility said that while the penetration of electric vehicles in India is just 0.5 percent of the overall sales, it is similar to what Europe saw in 2010 when EVs were first introduced in that market. After 13 years the penetration of EVs has reached 18 percent there.

“We don’t expect that India will go electric immediately, but we have to make sustainable investments that create value for the customers,” added Gupta.

He listed out the top three factors why a customer would prefer an electric vehicle — “Number one it’s a better driving performance. Number two it has a better total cost of ownership (TCO) and thirdly because it is good for the environment. The first and third factor is everybody (read OEMs) can tick the box because the electric cars are really good in terms of acceleration in terms of driving handling and so on, the third it is good for the environment.”

“But TCO is driven by a tipping point between the gasoline cars and the battery electric cars. The tipping point is decided by volumes in the market, till the time EV sales do not attain a certain threshold, I think the government needs to continue support to the customers so that there is a parity between the selling price of IC-vehicles and an EV,” pointed out Gupta.

He reiterated that what can further help bring down TCO, is breakthrough technologies with localisation, which provides cost competitiveness in terms of platform, powertrain, battery, and electronic architecture among others.

“I do believe the moment in India will go from 0.5 percent to let’s say 13 percent by 2030. This will help bring the economy of scale this will help all the automotive manufacturers to do further localisation, so we decided to have an A-segment car, now our challenge is not a platform or powertrain. Our challenge is the battery, and this is what we would like to work moving forward on how we secure the competitive battery localisation,” concluded Gupta.

Source: PTI

Some cybersecurity experts are raising the alarm, describing disturbing scenarios of possible attacks that include vehicles careening off the road or catching fire.

Electric vehicles are packed with chips and software that control everything from their batteries and motors to cruise control and braking. They also are plugged into chargers almost daily, sending information back and forth over charging networks or the internet. And they communicate wirelessly with the companies that made them, EV dealers, cellular and home Wi-Fi networks and apps on their owners’ phones.

This combination of vast computing power and numerous online connections will present an alluring opportunity for digital malcontents, as millions of EVs are projected to roll out over the next few years, cybersecurity experts say.

“It’s a very complex ecosystem of different players and different sets of technologies. It shows how many potential doors there are for hackers,” says Benjamin Klein, an associate partner at McKinsey & Co. who specializes in cybersecurity.

The nightmare possibility: Hackers spread malicious software to thousands or millions of EVs. The attacks paralyze the cars until their owners pay a fee, in much the same way that ransomware can shut down a computer network until the hackers get money. Even worse, hackers might be able to corrupt an EV’s charging system and overload the battery, potentially igniting it, or hijack a vehicle’s acceleration and braking, leading to an accident.

“Imagine the cars start driving erratically,” says Stuart Madnick, a professor and cybersecurity expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management. “That is well within the realm of feasibility.’’

Other possibilities, experts say, include hackers taking control of charging networks and using them to steal customers’ information or even take down parts of the power grid.

So far, reported hacks have been relatively minor. Last February, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, chargers along a major highway in Russia were shut down and the screens began displaying pro-Ukraine slogans. In April, public chargers on the British Isle of Wight were hacked to display pornography on their screens.

But the U.S. Energy Department’s Sandia National Laboratories last year warned in a report that “there is currently no comprehensive…cybersecurity approach” in the EV or charger industries, and that cyberattacks could slow EV adoption. Biden administration officials, meanwhile, held a closed-door White House forum in October with makers of EVs, EV components and chargers to emphasize the need for stricter security controls.

Here is a closer look at some of the cybersecurity risks posed by EVs and chargers, and what could be done to minimize the vulnerabilities.

EV risks

Bad actors have plenty of potential ways to introduce malicious software, or malware, into electric vehicles and plenty of ways to wreak havoc if they do.

In EVs, most of the mechanical features of internal-combustion vehicles—pistons, valves, crankshafts, carburetors, gas and water pumps—have been replaced by electronics. Chips and software control how the batteries are charged, how they transmit electricity to motors, how motors accelerate and how they return electricity to the batteries during braking, among other activities.

While an internal-combustion luxury car can have about 150 electronic control units, “that’s nothing compared to the 3,000 chips that we’re seeing in the average EV,” says Syed Ali, a partner and cybersecurity expert at consulting firm Bain & Co. An EV also uses millions more lines of computer code, he says.

Yet despite this heavy reliance on computer technology, “we’re in a very immature and early stage” in EV cybersecurity protections, Mr. Ali says.

Of particular concern are the periodic software updates that EV makers transmit to their customers’ cars wirelessly. If a hacker could insert malware into these updates, it potentially could damage hundreds of thousands of cars.

“We know it can be done,” says Jim Guinn, global cyber industry lead at consulting firm Accenture.

A 2015 demonstration involving a Jeep Cherokee provided a real-life example of how hackers could exploit security flaws in an internet-connected car. Researchers remotely broke into the electronics of the vehicle via its cellular connection and took control of its steering, accelerator and brakes by sending commands from a laptop miles away. The driver, a reporter for Wired magazine, couldn’t keep the SUV out of a ditch. The car maker subsequently recalled 1.4 million vehicles to install a software patch to fix the vulnerability.

That Jeep was a standard internal-combustion vehicle. EVs, Mr. Ali points out, offer “orders of magnitude” more targets for a cyberattack.

Accenture’s Mr. Guinn says it isn’t just the chips, communications links and constant charger hookups that make EVs susceptible to hacks. It’s also because the industry creating them is young and in a hurry.

“The rapid adoption [of EVs], the rapid testing cycles, the rapid number of units produced create opportunities for vulnerabilities not to be checked or known,” he says.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the car industry’s main U.S. trade group, declined to discuss specific potential EV threats, but said in a statement that “cybersecurity is a top priority for auto makers” and that its members have “adapted well-respected cybersecurity risk-management frameworks from other contexts and industries.”

The largest EV maker, Tesla Inc., isn’t a member of the trade group and didn’t respond to a request for comment. But on its website it says it values input from cybersecurity researchers about possible vulnerabilities in its vehicles. “We will investigate legitimate reports and make every effort to quickly correct any vulnerability,” it says.

Home chargers

Experts predict the majority of EV charging will take place at car owners’ homes. And home chargers can come with security risks, too.

When a vehicle is attached to a 240-volt Level 2 charger, which provides faster battery refilling than the chargers that plug into standard 120-volt household outlets and often come with the vehicle, information about the car’s batteries, charge level and other data is communicated back and forth with the company that made the charger and sometimes with the electric utility. These pipelines could be a conduit for malware, experts say.

What’s more, many home chargers are linked to the owner’s Wi-Fi network and a smartphone app, or to a cellular network, offering more potential attack vectors.

In 2021, security firm Pen Test Partners examined six brands of “smart” chargers used in the U.S. and U.K., which allow EV owners to remotely monitor and manage charging. It found a number of flaws, some of which could allow hackers to hijack the devices or load potentially malicious software onto them.

Genevieve Cullen, president of the Electric Drive Transportation Association, a trade group, says EV and charger makers, utilities and affiliated industries are “working together, and with regulators, to ensure a secure and reliable electric transportation system—from power plants to vehicles to public and residential chargers.”

Public charging networks

More than 160,000 public chargers are installed at U.S. shopping centers, highway rest stops, business parks and elsewhere. The 2021 federal infrastructure act provides funding to help build 500,000 more.

Experts say the relative lack of security in the charging infrastructure makes attacks on them possible.

“Some of the EV charging networks are very insecure because they weren’t designed with security in mind,” says Mr. Guinn. “They were designed with reliability and safety in mind.”

Researchers at Concordia University in Montreal, Sandia Labs and elsewhere say malicious software could be introduced into these devices and the networks that run them in a variety of ways.

Hackers could physically tamper with the chargers—say, by plugging laptop computers or other devices containing malware into their USB ports or other access ports. They could connect to a charger remotely over its internet link and install malware. Or, they could inject malware into an EV that would transfer to the charger when the vehicle owner plugs in.

Once the software is installed on a single charger, it might be able to distribute itself throughout the entire charger network, researchers say. Then, hackers could hold the network hostage and demand a ransom payment, or even attack the electricity grid by using the network of chargers to draw more power than the local grid is capable of transmitting.

Hackers also could launch an attack in the other direction—using a charging network’s computers to infect vehicles themselves. “Any car plugging in is allowing its software to be exposed to the software that has been modified or tampered in the EV charging station,” says Mr. Ali.

With such attacks, criminals could steal the charging-account information of EV owners and use it to obtain free charging, or try to damage a car’s electrical system, among other things.

Some security standards created by industry groups are in place, such as those contained in the software that controls communications between charging networks and the central computers that manage them. But not all charging networks adhere to those standards, cybersecurity researchers say.

The Electric Vehicle Charging Association, a trade group for the public-charging-network industry, says the industry understands the importance of cybersecurity and takes it very seriously.

“The security of our electrical grids is of critical importance as we transition to electric vehicles,” the group said in a statement. With the industry innovating at such a rapid pace, “it is imperative we put cybersecurity first in the development of these innovations, like software, communications protocols and payment readers.”

What can be done?

Experts say the EV and charging industries need to come together to jointly create stronger and broader security protocols, such as those regarding computer-network firewalls and authentication of users—and follow them.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation says it supports “a multi-stakeholder, public/private approach that outlines clear cybersecurity roles and responsibilities, including for EV charging infrastructure providers, to protect against cyber threats.”

Others say increased government oversight and regulation are needed.

Some help will come from the infrastructure law, which requires the Federal Highway Administration to implement physical and cybersecurity standards for the public chargers it funds.

In September, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its own revised cybersecurity guidelines for the vehicle industry. Among them are ones aimed at preventing wireless attacks by advising car makers to “limit connections between wireless-connected ECUs [electronic control units]” and vehicle-control systems “such as braking, steering, propulsion and power management.”

But these guidelines don’t have the force of law.

Prof. Madnick says that federal law also doesn’t require companies to report ransomware payments beyond those affecting critical infrastructure. That means the extent and nature of these attacks isn’t fully known, making it harder to implement measures to limit them.

It may take a major cyberattack on the EV infrastructure before the industry and lawmakers take serious steps to help prevent them, some experts say.

“Sometimes we need a wake-up call,’’ Prof. Madnick says.

Source: livemint

Connors said, “We plan to grow in India by developing our electric vehicle portfolio. We think there is a very strong and growing demand for pure electric vehicles.”
One of the reasons for Volvo’s optimism is the positive reception of the XC40 BEV in India. The vehicle has been well-received by consumers in the country, which bodes well for the company’s future prospects. Jyoti Malhotra, the India Head at Volvo, shares Connors’ optimism and says that the company’s focus is on electrification and growth through electric vehicles.
“Our focus in on electrification and we want to grow our numbers through fully electric battery cars,” Malhotra said.
Malhotra hopes to grow Volvo’s electric vehicle portfolio even higher than 2022, indicating the company’s commitment to the Indian market. Volvo has identified India as an important developing market, and the company is making significant investments to establish a strong presence in the country, Connors added.

As part of its efforts to strengthen its position in India, Volvo plans to start production of the C40 BEV in its Bangalore plant. This move is significant as it will help the company cater to the growing demand for electric vehicles in the country while also contributing to the local economy.

However, there are some challenges that the company faces. The semiconductor shortage has affected the auto industry worldwide, and Volvo is no exception. Connors acknowledges that the shortage is still a challenge for the company. Nonetheless, Volvo is looking at all Asia-Pacific regions to increase its electric vehicle production, indicating the company’s long-term commitment to the electric vehicle market.

Source: PTI

With climate change a major concern, there has been rapid growth in the ownership of EVs in the UK.

As of December 2022, there were more than 660,000 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) with the 265,000 BEVs registered that year representing a 40% rise on 2021.

In addition, BEVs have a market share of 32.9% of all new car registrations.

There are undoubtedly many benefits to using an EV but there are downsides too. See below for some advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of electric vehicles

No direct emissions

As fully electric cars run on electricity, they do not emit any direct exhaust pipe emissions which are a major contributor to climate change.

Lower running costs

It is generally cheaper to run EVs compared to non-electric cars. A 2022 study by Auto Trader found that motorists could save £1,300 using an electric car.

EVs don’t require fuel and although you do need to recharge them, it is still usually cheaper, even during the energy crisis. According to an article in The Times on 21st January 2023, using a public rapid charger (23-99kW) at January’s average price per kWh cost £36, or £38.29 with an ultra-rapid charger (100-350kW). In contrast, filling an average 55 litre fuel tank cost £82.50.

There are ways to reduce the costs of EVs even further. Home charging is cheaper than public charge points and if you live in or rent a flat, you can consider claiming the Government electric vehicle chargepoint grant. This grant allows you to claim either £350 or 75% off the cost of buying and installing a socket, whichever amount is lower. In addition, some public charging points are free to use.

EVs generally have lower maintenance costs than traditional cars due to having very few moving parts and no need to carry out actions such as changing oil.

‘Clean air zones’ are being introduced across the UK as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Polluting vehicles need to pay a charge but ultra low emission vehicles are exempt.

Zero emission vehicles are also eligible for a 100% discount on the London Congestion Charge until 24th December 2025. An application will need to be made in order to obtain this along with a registration fee of £10 per vehicle.

Tax incentives

There are currently various tax advantages to using EVs including a much lower benefit-in-kind (BIK) rate for electric company cars compared to petrol vehicles.

The percentage for electric cars is fixed at 2% until 2024-25. As announced in the Government’s 2022 Autumn Statement, it will then increase by 1% each year until 2027-28 when it will be a maximum 5%. This is still a much lower BIK rate than for petrol, diesel and hybrid cars. For vehicles with the highest emissions, the rate is currently 37%. For confirmation of the current rates see the HMRC rates.

Electric car drivers currently don’t have to pay vehicle excise duty (also known as road tax), although from April 2025 they will have to pay it in the same way as petrol and diesel vehicle owners.

There are more details about the tax benefits of electric vehicles in this guide.

Disadvantages of electric vehicles

Higher upfront cost

Although electric cars are generally cheaper to run than non-electric vehicles, they are usually more expensive to purchase in the first place.

According to personal finance website NimbleFins, the average cost of an electric car in the UK is around £50,000. Luxury EVs, from brands such as Porsche, Tesla and Mercedes, are an average of £77,000, while non-luxury EVs cost around £33,000.

It should be noted that there are Government grants available for some plug-in vehicles which will lower the cost for some drivers. In this instance the seller will include a discount in the cost rather than an application being made.

Access to charging points

The number of available public recharging points for EVs is increasing all the time but it can still be tricky to find one in several areas. Critics have described it as a “postcode lottery”.

The Government aims to install 300,000 new charging devices by 2030. The latest figures show that as of 1st January 2023, there were 37,055 public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK, an increase of 31% on the year before.

However, one third of all devices are located in London with 131 charging points per 100,000 people. This is in sharp contrast to Northern Ireland where the figure is just 19 per 100,000 people.

There is also a regional difference when it comes to the cost of using charging devices. Research commissioned by British Gas showed that drivers in the south of England are being charged over a quarter more than those in the north to top-up their electric cars using the cheapest council owned chargers.

Time taken to charge

To refuel a petrol car generally takes a few minutes but recharging a battery for electric cars can be much longer.

It can take anything from 20 minutes to 48 hours to charge an EV battery. This is something you’ll need to factor in when planning a journey.

Battery range

The distance you can travel with one charge in an electric car depends on the battery. Although some top of the range models have a range of over 300 miles, others last for under 150 miles which means they are likely to not be suitable for long distance travel.

Reduction in Government benefits

Although EVs are increasing in popularity, Government incentives linked to owning one have begun to reduce or change over recent years.

Examples include electric car drivers being subject to road tax from April 2025, the Government closing its plug-in grant scheme in June 2022 and funding for homeowners living in “single-unit” properties which ended in March 2022.

Environmental impact

EVs are not totally pollution free when taking into account what it takes to produce the vehicles in the first place.

Lithium-ion batteries used for electric cars involve the mining and transportation of cobalt and lithium which causes greenhouse gas emissions.

One study claimed that the CO2 emissions from electric car production are 59% higher than the production of Internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs).

The UK Government has sought to debunk the argument that building an EV generates more greenhouse gas emissions than it saves by citing research commissioned by the Department for Transport which claimed that a new battery-electric car has a third of the lifetime greenhouse gas emissions of an equivalent new petrol car, even when taking into account battery production and disposal.

Source: taxassist

Maharashtra is among the top five states with the most comprehensive EV policy designs, according to a study by Climate Trends titled ‘Analysis of state Electric Vehicle Policies and Their Impact’.

The report that has assessed the comprehensiveness of the state EV policies based on 21 parameters that cover targets and budget allocations, demand side and manufacturing incentives, and focus on fleet electrification, charging infrastructure mandates and job creation said that the state has covered 15 parameters.

Maharashtra is also among the top nine states with the strongest demand-side incentives, among the leading seven states that have defined targets for fleet electrification, and among the 10 states that mandate the creation of charging points in new constructions of residential complexes, offices, and malls.

The report also analyses the progress of eight policies that have been active for two years or more. It shows that none of them are on track to meet their targets of EV penetration, charging infrastructure, or investments.

Aarti Khosla, director of Climate Trends, has said in the report that with e-mobility expansion placed as one of the key pillars in achieving faster decarbonisation across the country, the success of state EV policies is both significant and necessary for India’s carbon reduction goals.

“It is a good sign that the majority of Indian states have EV policies. However, a successful transition to zero-emission transport depends on the effectiveness of their design and implementation. It also depends on having a national transport electrification target, which currently does not exist in India. Our study shows that a few state policies have comprehensive designs which balance EV sales, manufacturing, and overall ecosystem growth,” Khosla said.

Khosla said in the report that there are gaps in implementation, leading to slower on-ground impact, that need to be addressed through better regulation, improved monitoring, mechanisms, and capacity building of stakeholders across the policy value chain.

Aarti Khosla, director of Climate Trends, has said in the report that with e-mobility expansion placed as one of the key pillars in achieving faster decarbonisation across the country, the success of state EV policies is both significant and necessary for India’s carbon reduction goals.

“Our study aims to facilitate peer-to-peer learning among states, identify gaps in policy design and implementation, and provide recommendations to address these when the policies are revised,” said Archit Fursule, research associate, e-mobility, Climate Trends.

Among the key findings are, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Punjab offer the widest range of parameters between 13 and 15 of the 21 parameters, making them the most holistic policies. On the other hand, nine states – Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala – offer only one or two demand-side incentives. According to the report, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh have the strongest supply-side incentives, with special support to boost EV manufacturing, apart from incentives offered in the state’s industrial policy.

Of the 28 states and eight Union Territories in the country, 26 have released EV policies over the past five years, with 16 of them being released between 2020 and 2022.

Source: PTI

New Delhi : Of the 36 states and Union Territories, 26 have released favourable policies for the growth of electric vehicles (EV) in the country, but none of them are on track, a study has revealed.

Consulting and capacity-building initiative Climate Trends observed that many states had formulated policies in the last five years taking advantage of the “early success of e-mobility in India”.

Its study, “Analysis of State Electric Vehicle Policies and Their Impact”, assessed the comprehensiveness of these state policies based on 21 parameters that covered target and budget allocations, demand side and manufacturing incentives, focus on fleet electrification, charging infrastructure and job creation.

But none of the states were on track to meet their targets of EV penetration, charging infrastructure or investments, the study found.

Director of Climate Trends Aarti Khosla wrote: “Our study shows that few state policies have comprehensive designs which balance EV sales, manufacturing and overall ecosystem growth. There are gaps in implementation, leading to slower on-ground impact, which need to be addressed through better regulation, improved monitoring, mechanisms and capacity building of stakeholders across the policy value chain.”

The study found that Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab offered the widest range of Climate Trends parameters while Arunachal, Manipur, Himachal offered the least.

Only nine states have mandated the creation of charging infrastructure in residential buildings and commercial areas, and eight had specific targets of electrification of fleet such as last-mile delivery vehicles, aggregator of cabs etc, the study found.

Eight states released their targets before 2020 and none of them have followed through, the study revealed. These states were Andhra, Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Delhi.

The study found EV penetration below target, electrification of public transport lagging, slow charging infrastructure growth and no progress on green zones.

Source: PTI

Tesla seen lagging on new models, tech upgrades, luxe interiors

Tesla considering China marketing shift, studying peers – source

SHANGHAI : Slashed prices have given Tesla’s TSLA.O China sales a pop, but analysts, and even fans, warn the U.S. automaker needs to up its long-term game to avoid choking on the dust of fast-moving rivals in the world’s biggest electric vehicle market.

Most immediately, Tesla’s January price cuts drove deliveries of its China-made vehicles up 18% from December. Tesla’s thick profit margins have put it in a position to take a price war to competitors in China and beyond, analysts say.

But they say Tesla has lagged competitors in China in introducing new models, improving navigation systems and adding luxe interior touches or white-glove customer service to serve the developing range of consumer preferences for EVs.

“Tesla’s facing a serious problem of a very limited product mix,” said Cui Dongshu, secretary general of China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). “Its slowness to respond to Chinese consumers’ preferences has led to a very passive positioning for Tesla to rely on few means such as price cuts to stay competitive.”

Even Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk himself has conceded that China is where his firm could face its toughest competition.

Tesla did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment on its China business. Grace Tao, Tesla’s vice president in charge of external communications in China, said previously the price cuts in China reflected engineering innovation and answered Beijing’s call to encourage economic development and consumption.

China’s Association of Automobile Manufacturers expects sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids to surge by 35% in 2023 to 9 million vehicles – nearly a third of China’s total new vehicle sales.

While Tesla has increased sales in China, its second-largest market, it has also lost share. From 15% in 2020, its share of the China EV market fell by a third to just 10% in 2022, according to data from the CPCA.

Tesla offers two models in China, the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y crossover. That keep-it-simple approach has driven scale and driven down costs.

After the latest price cuts, the Model 3 starts at about $34,000 and the Model Y at $38,000. But Chinese car shoppers, back out in showrooms this year after the end of China’s tough COVID-19 curbs, are being courted by competitors offering a broad range of alternatives.

BYD 002594.SZ, which overtook Tesla by global sales volume last year and has a market value well over $100 billion, offers more than 60 different versions of EV and plug-in hybrid cars. Much smaller but ambitious peer Nio 9866.HK has gone from two models to six over the same period and plans to launch five more this year.

“The aging product line is a real problem for Tesla,” said Yale Zhang, managing director at Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight. “Once BYD and other EV startups follow to lower prices, the effect of Tesla’s price cuts could vanish in the blink of an eye.”

NO U-TURN AT TIANANMEN

Tesla’s self-driving software and navigation systems, touted by CEO Musk as competitive strengths, have also come under criticism from customers about slow updates and errors on Chinese roads. Luxury EV buyers who employ drivers are less interested in paying more for the software.

Chang Yan, a 34-year-old Chinese auto blogger,who was among Model 3 buyers in China in 2018, said his car still asks him to make U-turns on strictly guarded Chang’an Avenue near Tiananmen Square, where such moves are banned.

“This is a sharp contrast with Nio, (EV brands) Xpeng and Li Auto, whose navigation aids have been working almost perfectly,” said Chang, who also drives a Nio sedan.

Tesla has been considering a shift in its marketing in China, focusing more on energy efficiency, practical features and less on cutting-edge functionality, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

It has also been studying how its Chinese rivals, led by BYD, win over customers in showrooms, especially in smaller cities, the person said, declining to be identified citing lack of authorisation to speak to media.

One takeaway: BYD ensures that bottles of drinking water offered to showroom visitors are warm in winter in a nod to local preferences.

Tesla, which early this year promoted its China Chief Tom Zhu to head global sales and production, is also giving its China sales team a more direct line to product development engineers to provide local feedback, the person with knowledge of the matter said.

LESS IS MORE?

To be sure, the Tesla design aesthetic, with sparse interiors and synthetic leather, still appeals to many.

Cui Yang, a 31-year-old doctor shopping for a Tesla in Beijing after the recent price cut, said he was won over by “the minimalist interior style and tech feeling”.

On the flipside, Chinese brands like Nio and Zeekr tout their butter-smooth Napa leather and traditional luxury features like seats with massage functions aimed as much at the passenger experience as the driver’s.

Some EV makers see that premium segment of the market growing fast in coming years.

Li Auto 2015.HK is targeting EV buyers looking for cars that can transport families, who expect to pay above Tesla’s current pricing, starting at about $44,000, a sales category it expects will represent 10 million vehicles in market-wide sales by 2025.

Then there is a ‘buy local’ challenge for Tesla.

Chinese consumers like 50-year-old Lin Wenwei, who want to support a Chinese brand – even though Tesla makes the EVs it sells in China.

“I have always been more inclined to buy a domestic EV brand for the national industry,” said Lin while he was trying out a Seal sedan for his son in a BYD dealership store in suburban Shanghai – after getting a BYD Dolphin hatchback for himself.

($1 = 6.7973 Chinese yuan renminbi)

Source: Reuters

Renault and Nissan have announced a new long-term vision for India, which includes increasing production and R&D activities, introducing electric vehicles, and transitioning to carbon-neutral manufacturing. From their base in Chennai, the companies will collaborate on six new production vehicles, including two fully electric vehicles, and will invest around Rs 5,300 crores ($600 million) in support of the new projects.

Renault and Nissan claim that the new investment is expected to create up to 2,000 new jobs at the Renault Nissan Technology & Business Centre near Chennai. The companies claims that RNAIPL factory will become carbon-neutral with a significant increase in renewable energy generation.

The new models, three for each company, will be engineered and built in Chennai and will include four new C-segment SUVs and two new A-segment electric vehicles, the first EVs for both Renault and Nissan in India. The companies claim that the new models will not only be aimed at Indian customers but will also signal a significant increase in exports from India, boosting plant utilization to 80 per cent and securing many jobs at the RNAIPL plant in Chennai.

The RNAIPL plant will become carbon-neutral by 2045, according to the company. They further explained that it will happen through an ongoing program to transition to 100 per cent renewable energy, while reducing energy consumption at the plant by 50 per cent compared to today. The Chennai Plant already sources more than 50 per cent of its electricity from renewables, including solar, biomass and wind. The company has assured that the existing solar plant will become more than six times bigger, expanding to a 14MW plant from 2.2MW today.

The renewed commitment of Renault and Nissan to the Indian market is being highlighted by realigning their shareholding in their joint operations. Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd (RNAIPL) will move to an ownership of 51 per cent Nissan – 49 per cent Renault, and Renault Nissan Technology Business Centre (RNTBCI) will move to an ownership of 51 per cent Renault – 49 per cent Nissan.

Source: PTI

As the world’s largest automaker transitions to the electric-vehicle era, it has a warning for the industry: It’s time to fundamentally rethink traditional manufacturing.

Toyota Motor Corp. this week unveiled its new game plan under incoming Chief Executive Officer Koji Sato, laying out several changes across the enormous business as it pushes harder toward electrification. The company will reshuffle senior executives, rejig its management structure (notably, all-male) and focus on electrification and intelligent cars.

Sato introduced the plan with a bold statement: “We must drastically change the way we do business, from manufacturing to sales and service.” To deliver EVs people want to drive, the company “must streamline the structure of the car,” he said, adding that Lexus — the luxury brand that he led — will spearhead the transformation. As part of this, the firm will restructure its vehicle production system at Kyushu and have a next-generation Lexus EV by 2026. All components in these models, “from the battery and platform to how a car is built,” will be geared for EVs.

Unlike its long history of troubled communication around electric cars, Toyota’s message was clear: This is a technology transition, not just another vehicle-making exercise. That means the changes to manufacturing won’t just be incremental shifts away from the internal combustion engine; rather, it will be a complete overhaul. Sato acknowledged that the fundamental differences — how energy is converted and used, and the aerodynamics — mean each part and process will have to be adapted for EVs.

That realization and its public acknowledgement is crucial. EVs aren’t just another vehicle with a different fuel or power source that can rely on existing factories. As automakers across the world race to keep up with production promises, committing billions of dollars to their electrification journeys, this is a much-needed reality check.

Manufacturing new-age cars isn’t a cakewalk — and it’s part of the reason scaling up has proven difficult. While it may seem like making EVs is an extension of ICE vehicles, it isn’t. In theory, EVs have far fewer components, so they should be simpler to produce. The reality is, the body architecture is unlike that of traditional ones, as is its assembly. EVs need a whole new set of electronics and wiring, while the parts require different modes of handling and storage, and are made using other machines. In some cases, it makes more sense for automakers to mothball a plant instead of converting it. In addition, much of the manufacturing process revolves around the battery, which accounts for almost 40% to 50% of the cost and presents a big technology hurdle.

Complex EV manufacturing is why, at one point, it took traditional automaker Volkswagen AG 30 hours to make one of their new ID.3 EVs and it took Tesla Inc. — a company focused entirely on EVs that has had horrendous production issues — a third of that.

For a firm that has been lauded for its production system prowess, known as the “Toyota Way,” this will be a big change. The group has constantly tweaked and streamlined its manufacturing processes to boost efficiency. It introduced the flexible body line in 1985 and went global with it a decade later; tested the set parts supply system that cut in-house costs and eventually became the fastest-ever production line, churning out a vehicle every 50 seconds.

There’s another side of manufacturing EVs. The new Toyota plan is also focused on intelligent cars and technology for them. As Simon Humphries, the new chief branding officer put it, “people want control over their own experiences,” and that means the firm will have to speed up integrating hardware and software so that drivers can adapt EVs to their diverse needs. These cars will have to replicate what a small pickup truck in Thailand or gas guzzlers in America do for drivers, or replace the small, sturdy vehicles meant for Indian roads. Getting customers to adopt EVs — and buy into the technology transition — means the company will need to keep up with this behavioral shift. To do so, Toyota will boost its efforts around Woven Planet Holdings Inc.(1), its mobility, software and intelligent-vehicle subsidiary.

Toyota’s EV charm offensive that began with the first CEO change in over a decade isn’t just an attempt to redeem itself from the EV laggard image anymore. For a company that has mastered the art of carmaking and managed to make millions of vehicles through severe crises, this is a serious shift that will likely pave the way for how EVs are manufactured en masse.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

• This Is Toyota’s Boldest Rebranding Exercise Yet: Anjani Trivedi
• Manufacturers Are Embracing DIY Supply Chain: Brooke Sutherland
• A $21 Billion Wager on Who Builds the Apple Car: Chris Bryant

(1) Name will change to Woven by Toyota Inc.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Anjani Trivedi is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. She covers industrials including policies and firms in the machinery, automobile, electric vehicle and battery sectors across Asia Pacific. Previously, she was a columnist for the Wall Street Journal’s Heard on the Street and a finance & markets reporter for the paper. Prior to that, she was an investment banker in New York and London

Source: Bloomberg

Chief Minister M K Stalin formally released the new policy in the presence of government officials at the Secretariat here.

The policy was launched in the backdrop of the government expecting battery operated vehicles to play a crucial role in the electrification of last mile connectivity.

Source: PTI

Tamil Nadu will encourage electric vehicles (EV) by offering incentives to manufacturers, customers and charging-infrastructure providers, announcing a new policy after seeing investment interest of around Rs 24,000 crore in the last five years.

Incentives for manufacturers under the Tamil Nadu Electric Vehicles Policy 2023 include 100 per cent reimbursement on state goods and services tax (SGST), investment- or turnover-based subsidy, and advanced chemistry cell subsidy. The state for five years will fully exempt tax on electricity purchased from its discom, exempt stamp duty and subsidise land cost. In the last five years, the state has seen EV projects with employment potential of 48,000 jobs.

Tamil Nadu will gradually make a substantial share of its public transport EV based. State transport utilities will be encouraged to electrify fleets through loan programmes from multilateral agencies. The state may increase the share of electric buses to 30 per cent of the fleet by 2030.

For people using EV, there will be exemptions and waivers on road tax, registration charges and permit fees. This is in addition to purchase incentives ranging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10 lakh.

The state will develop bus-charging infrastructure through budgetary allocations and exploring the option of providing the infrastructure as a service for private operators. Private buses, vehicles of schools and colleges will be encouraged to transition to EV. In addition to this, aggregators may be encouraged to partner with e-mobility providers and EV manufacturers to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles from their fleet.

EV projects will be given an employment incentive in the form of a reimbursement of the employer’s contribution to EPF—maximum Rs 48,000 per employee residing in Tamil Nadu—for all new jobs created during the policy period. Companies that establish public charging stations in Tamil Nadu and comply with the guidelines issued by the Union Power Ministry will be eligible for a 25 per cent subsidy of the cost involved in the purchase of equipment and machinery during the policy period. The first 50 private charging stations will also be eligible for this capital subsidy of 25 per cent.

Tamil Nadu will revise the power tariff for public charging stations. It will declare six cities—Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Salem, and Tirunelveli—as EV cities. In these places, a Smart City Commissioner will be the nodal officer for EV adoption.

Source: PTI

CNG, EVs and hybrid vehicles may grab up to 30 per cent share in total auto sales in next five years even as petrol cars are likely to dominate passenger vehicle volumes in medium-term, a report said.

Demand for Electric Vehicles (EVs) has increased exponentially in the last two years with the government’s push, increasing awareness, and new launches, domestic rating agency Icra said in its report.

However, the share of EVs in the overall PV (passenger vehicle) industry remains low, at 1 per cent currently, it stated.

On the other hand, CNG vehicles have also gained prominence in recent years, aided by favourable running costs, improving penetration of CNG dispensing stations across the country, and enhanced product offerings by OEMs, Icra said and added, lower emissions in CNG vehicles would also help OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) comply with the impending Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) norms.

Noting that a cohesive approach from all stakeholders is imperative to facilitate the E20 (petrol blended with 20 per cent ethanol) transition within the targeted timelines, the ratings agency said auto OEMs are, however, unlikely to face major challenges to comply with proposed ethanol blending norms.

Source: moneycontrol

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL) and Ashok Leyland on Monday unveiled India’s first Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H2-ICE) powered truck at the India Energy Week in Bengaluru.

RIL and Ashok Leyland, the Indian flagship company of the Hinduja Group and India’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, were working on developing this technology over the past year.

Source: economictimes

In a bid to encourage plying of electric vehicles (EVs), as many as 100 charging stations would be set up in Sirmaur district.

Deputy Commissioner, Sirmaur, RK Gautam, has directed all sub-divisional magistrates to identify places where such stations would be stationed. “All SDMs have been directed to submit a report where such charging stations would come up.”
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He said stations of 50 kilowatt capacity would be set up on state highways and near the bus stands where vehicles would be charged within 15 minutes to one hour.

The stations, which can charge vehicles within two to four hours, would be installed in the government offices while stations which can charge vehicles for 8 to 10 hours would be provided in residences. Availability of 11 kv power lines is needed for housing bigger charging stations.

The DC has directed the officials to have small charging stations within their official premises to facilitate the users of EVs. “Government vehicles would be gradually replaced by EVs and vehicles, which are condemned, would also be replaced with EVs.”

The state is adopting “Go Green” approach where the state government vehicles are being replaced by EVs in a bid to save fuel and curtail environmental pollution generated from the use of petrol and diesel vehicles. As a beginning, the transport department has completed shifted to the EVs.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that efforts were on to make Himachal India’s first ‘Green Energy State’ by 2025.

Source: tribuneindia

Thomas Chacko, 73, and wife Geetha undertook a trip on their electric Tata Nexon from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, and back to their hometown in Cochin in October- November last year. A total of 9,200 km. Chacko wanted to prove it was feasible to do the full length in an EV. They did complete the trip, but not without some tensions. Two times the car had to be towed when it ran out of charge, but Chacko says it was because he misunderstood the terrain – he had expected to find some slopes where the battery would regenerate. There were fast-chargers along most of the route, but fewer in north India, and none in Madhya Pradesh and Kashmir. Slow-charging is much cheaper, but many of those sockets, including in auto service centres, lacked earthing, and the EV charger would not work on those. Chacko returned with a sense of accomplishment – his EV never broke down. But some of those who heard his accounts said they would be wary of doing a long drive on an EV.
Charging infrastructure is the problem, but efforts are on to improve it. Virendra Goyal, head of business development for EVs at Tata Power, the country’s largest charging infrastructure provider, says they have chargers from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and from Surat in the west, to Nagaon beyond Silchar in the east. Close to 4,000 charging points. The plan is to boost that number to 25,000 in the next five years.

Goyal says some pain points are being tackled with tech. Tata Power’s app allows users to locate charging stations near them and makes payment hassle-free. “You can also plan your trips now. For example, if you’re going from Mumbai to Pune, you can plan which charging points to stop at and know where the alternative charging points are,” he says. Chacko prefers the Plugshare app, which shows charging points of all providers.
But range and charging anxiety remains a big challenge, says Aravind Prasad, head of charging infrastructure at Ather Energy, which has over 900 charging points. Prasad says consumers today want a robust network of fast charging stations that gives them the confidence to reach their destination without worrying about running out of charge. For that to happen, he says, various stakeholders need to collaborate – like government entities, utility companies, and real estate owners. “The ability of various public private partnership (PPP) models will be an important factor in determining the success of EV infrastructure,” he says.

There is also the question of standardisation of chargers, and whether AC or DC chargers should be made the norm, says Niraj Rajmohan, co-founder and CTO of EV bike maker Ultraviolette. The majority of last-mile charging infrastructure for EVs today, he says, is smart AC charging, and this has kept pace with the adoption of electric two- and three-wheelers. But there is a need, he says, to incentivise wider adoption of fast DC charging standards (they charge much faster). “Bringing in commonality and consistency in charging standards for both hardware and software will ensure safe and reliable charging infrastructure,” he says.
There are also safety concerns. Energy-dense EV batteries and charging infrastructure need to be tweaked to fit India’s unique conditions, says Akash Gupta, co-founder & CEO of Zypp Electric. “India is large, our temperature ranges are different, monsoons are very heavy in some cities. So, the Indianisation of the entire EV concept needs to happen and then the technology needs to be tweaked according to Indian use cases and behaviour,” he says.
Sachidanand Upadhyay, MD & CEO of charging infrastructure provider Lord’s Mark Industries, says setting up such infrastructure requires high investment and many approvals, and that to boost its growth, the government needs to prioritise the development of an enabling policy framework. “All the key authorities in charge of power distribution, urban and rural planning, highway development, etc, need to be aligned with the larger goal,” he says.
The charger point to EV ratio in India, Updadhyay says, now stands at 1:130. This, he says, needs to be at least 1:30 in the next five years.
Some like Aravind Mani, co-founder of River, which is working on an electric scooter, are confident this will happen. “India is at the forefront of a global technological revolution with the brightest brains in technology working around the clock to improve the current EV charging infrastructure,” he says.

Source: timesofindia

Telangana is committed to providing an impetus to electric vehicle adoption and aims to play a pivotal role in India’s transition to electric mobility, state Minister for IT, Industries and Commerce K T Rama Rao said on Wednesday.

Speaking after launching the first edition of the Hyderabad E-Motor Show as part of the ongoing Hyderabad E-Mobility Week, Rama Rao said Telangana has been a front-runner in adopting sustainability and clean energy, while we remain focused on making India self-reliant.”

“With our progressive EV adoption policy, and our ability to provide 24×7 electricity, we aim to become the most ‘electrified state’ in mobility in India,” Rama Rao said, according to an official release.

“We strongly believe India is well equipped to develop as a hub for manufacturing of electric vehicles and its supply chain,” he said.

Source: moneycontrol

KSH Logistics, one of India’s leading integrated supply-chain logistics solution providers with over two decades of presence in India, reports a growth of 20% in FY 2022 as compared to the same time last year. They plan to further increase this growth percentage and achieve +30% in the year 2023. To achieve the same, the company plans to grow its Multi-Client Facility across the country, standalone warehousing operation, transportation and build on its tech platform.

KSH Logistics opened 1-lakh square feet A-Grade MCF in Bhiwandi, Mumbai last year and has since added over 5 clients from various industries. The company stated that it has devised multiple strategies to expand its transportation business across India, including adding new EVs to its portfolio alongside its existing electric vehicles in Pune. One of their major plans for 2023 is to invest heavily in warehouse automation and technological tools. The company’s enhanced techno-logistics systems enable complete integration of solutions with clients’ ERP systems, providing real-time visibility into the client’s supply chain operations and assisting them in saving up to 10% on operational costs.

Mr. Deepak Tiwari, COO of KSH Logistics, is very pleased with the progress made in 2022. He says, “We have bounced back post-pandemic and focused on our strategies for building a growth-driven, customer-focused technology platform which benefits a wide range of industry verticals. We create customized end-to-end supply chain solutions and offer a one-of-its-kind plug-n-play and pay-per-use model for demand-driven warehousing to businesses of all sizes. This has paid off, and the growth has been tremendous.” He further adds, “We’re fully charged up for an exciting 2023, and aiming for a 30% increase this year. To achieve that, we are building up on our capacity by opening MCFs across India and even adding a range of consultative services for our clients.”

KSH Logistics has over 8,00,000 square feet of dedicated warehousing space and over 3,00,000 square feet of MCF space. KSH Logistics also offers transportation services with live tracking, ePOD, geo-fencing, and other features. KSH serves over 25 global and Indian clientele from a variety of industries, including auto, engineering, consumer durables, retail/ecommerce, and so on.

KSH MCF has both racking and ground storage, as well as modern infrastructure that allows for real-time visibility of the supply chain and complete integration of WMS and TMS solutions with clients’ ERP systems.

Over the next 12 months, the company plans on expanding its MCF network to 6

cities and take up a total area of 7,00,000 square feet with over 10,000 pallets

positions racked and ground storage.

KSH Logistics is also eyeing a large share of the regional business and is working on a solution-based approach to address space-related challenges, and market expansion efforts and to accelerate digital transformation for managing and augmenting supply chain efficiencies.

Source: pti

Commercial electric vehicle distribution and financing platform Turno on Thursday said it has raised USD 13.8 million (around Rs 112 crore) in a funding round to build a proprietary battery-tech platform. The Series A funding round was co-led by global venture capital firms B Capital and Quona Capital with participation from existing investors Stellaris Venture Partners and Avaana Capital and new investors Alteria Capital and InnoVen Capital, the company said in a statement.
Turno said it plans to use the funding to build a proprietary battery-tech platform to address issues around end-of-life battery value, amid global concerns around EV batteries and e-waste.

Founded by Zoomcar’s former CXOs — Hemanth Aluru and Sudhindra Reddy — in January last year, Turno is currently operational in five states (Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Delhi NCR, and Maharashtra), covering major markets in the South, West, and North of India. “Today 80-85 per cent of India’s automotive fuel consumption is driven by commercial vehicles with internal combustion engines. Yet, there is a strong desire to transition to a green economy and so, commercial EV adoption holds significant promise,” said Aluru, Co-Founder and CEO of Turno.

The company said it has identified a massive untapped opportunity to create a proprietary battery technology platform to repurpose EV batteries into large scale second-life energy storage systems. “Commercial EV sales are heavily dependent on the availability of attractive financing options and today the Indian market is plagued by lack of customer centric options.

“Turno has identified a key missing element in the ecosystem that solves the problem of financing as well as distribution and servicing,” said Karan Mohla, General Partner, B Capital and head of early stage investments in India & SEA. The company has forged multiple national level partnerships with leading 3W electric vehicle manufacturers to sell their vehicles countrywide, according to Turno.

Source: outlookindia

Simply put, hybrid cars run on two sources of power. Confused about what is a hybrid car? Don’t be. Read on. • Hybrid cars come with one electric motor and one Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) which is the usual fuel-run petrol or diesel engine. • Hybrid cars can switch between the electric motor and the fuel-run engine or use both engines together as and when needed. • Since these cars do not run on fuel power only, they come with way better fuel economy. • The usage of the electric motor along with a fossil fuel-based engine reduces the rate of use of fuels such as petrol and diesel, thus restricting carbon emissions. • Besides environmental preservation, hybrid cars have an edge in terms of efficiency. Because hybrid cars use both electric and fuel power, they offer higher efficiency. • When brakes are applied in a hybrid car, excess power is generated which is used to recharge the batteries. Subsequently, there is a higher mileage range in hybrid cars. • To replenish their batteries, hybrid cars can use the ICE engine as well.

Hybrid is the latest buzzword in the automobile industry. Automobile engineers all around the world are actively working on developing and improving hybrid cars. Despite the high cost, hybrid cars are gradually gaining popularity among car users across the world.

Unlike traditional combustion engine cars, hybrid cars address the crucial and urgent global agenda of environmental preservation. With global warming and increasing environmental pollution, any innovation that reduces or restricts carbon footprint is a welcome step. Hybrid cars make this possible and are sustainable. So, what is a hybrid car? Today, we will discuss all you need to know about hybrid electric cars in India.

What is a hybrid car?

Simply put, hybrid cars run on two sources of power. Confused about what is a hybrid car? Don’t be. Read on.

• Hybrid cars come with one electric motor and one Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) which is the usual fuel-run petrol or diesel engine.
• Hybrid cars can switch between the electric motor and the fuel-run engine or use both engines together as and when needed.
• Since these cars do not run on fuel power only, they come with way better fuel economy.
• The usage of the electric motor along with a fossil fuel-based engine reduces the rate of use of fuels such as petrol and diesel, thus restricting carbon emissions.
• Besides environmental preservation, hybrid cars have an edge in terms of efficiency. Because hybrid cars use both electric and fuel power, they offer higher efficiency.
• When brakes are applied in a hybrid car, excess power is generated which is used to recharge the batteries. Subsequently, there is a higher mileage range in hybrid cars.
• To replenish their batteries, hybrid cars can use the ICE engine as well.

How does a hybrid car work?

The sources of power for hybrid electric cars include—an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors powered by the energy stored in batteries.

Unlike standard electric vehicles, a hybrid electric car cannot be plugged into a charging point to charge the battery. Instead, the batteries are charged either using the regenerative braking technique and/or by using the internal combustion engine.

Since the car has an extra source of power from the electric motor, these cars work perfectly fine with relatively smaller fuel engines. The battery also aids in auxiliary loads and restricts engine idling when it is stopped. The combined effect of these features and the operational structure of the hybrid cars enhance fuel efficiency without compromising power, performance, and mileage.

Difference between a hybrid and an electric car

While we have discussed the basics of hybrid cars, it is essential to identify how a hybrid electric car is different from an electric car. The main difference to quote in a hybrid car vs electric cars discussion is their source of engine power.

In hybrid cars, there are two types of engines—an internal combustion engine that runs on petrol or diesel, and one or more electric motor(s). Meanwhile, electric vehicles do not use any petrol or diesel. They derive power from a single source—electric motors.

This major difference between hybrid and electric cars leads to a series of differences in their performance, operation, and price. Refer to the table below to understand the differences between hybrid and electric cars:

Types of hybrid electric cars

In the pursuit to achieve maximum efficiency with the lowest possible carbon emission, automobile companies are constantly developing newer types of hybrid cars. At the moment, there are five types of hybrid electric cars in India.

1. Parallel hybrid:

This is the most common and popular design of hybrid cars. Here, the vehicle power is derived from both the combustion engine as well as the electric motor engine run by batteries. In a parallel hybrid car, both engines can operate simultaneously, or one of them kicks in when there is a need for additional power. For example, while driving on a steep track or hilly terrain. Since the electric motor and the combustion engine are connected to the gearbox such that they are parallel to each other, these cars are called parallel hybrid cars.

2. Series hybrid:

Similar to other hybrid cars, a series hybrid car has two sources of vehicle power—the combustion engine and the electric motor. So, why the specific categorisation? The answer lies in the operating functions of the two sources. In a series hybrid, the propulsion of the vehicle is not done by the internal combustion engine. The combustion engine is used for generating electricity to recharge the batteries only. The recharged battery pack runs the electric motors which run the car.

3. Plug-in hybrid:

Plug-in hybrid electric cars in India come with a significantly large battery pack—almost like the ones used in complete electric vehicles. This battery pack needs to be charged by plugging into an external source of electricity. The large amount of energy thus produced is like a petrol or diesel tank. This extends driving power using electric energy and reduces the consumption of combustion fuels by major amounts. In case, the electric energy exhausts, the car shifts to operate like a parallel hybrid. Thus, you get super-high electric mileage, low environmental pollution and the added backup of operating using a combustion engine as and when required.

4. Mild hybrid:

Although there are several benefits of using an electric vehicle or hybrid electric vehicle, it is not easy to afford one. The automobile industry is making evident efforts to make hybrid cars affordable for all. In such a scenario, mild hybrid cars are pathbreakers. The objective of mild hybrid electric cars is to gain better fuel efficiency while being compliant with emission norms. In this type of hybrid car, while the car primarily runs on the combustion engine, the electric motors assist the petrol engine to enhance efficiency as well as performance. In addition to this, the electric motor is also used as a starter for the function of automatic start/stop. This in turn helps reduce fuel usage.

5. Two-mode hybrid:

The two-mode hybrid electric cars function in two ways. In the first mode, the car runs like a usual hybrid car. In the second mode, the hybrid car adjusts how much the electric motor will function as per the different specific requirements of the vehicle, driving task, or traffic congestion.

Key components of hybrid electric cars

Some major components of propulsion of hybrid cars are listed below:

• Auxiliary battery: The auxiliary battery in a hybrid electric car is used to start the car by providing electricity before the traction battery starts operating.
  Traction battery pack: The traction battery pack is where the electricity is stored to power the electric motors as well as recharge the electric generator.
• DC converter: DC converter converts the high-voltage power from the traction battery pack into low-voltage DC power. This power is used to run the accessories of the vehicle and to recharge the auxiliary battery.
• Electric generator: This generator generates electricity when brakes are applied on the rotating wheels. The power created from this electricity generation is transferred to the traction battery pack.
• Traction motor: The electric traction motor takes power from the traction battery pack and uses it to drive the wheels of the vehicle.
• Exhaust system: The exhaust system directs the engine’s exhaust gases out of the tailpipe. The exhaust system’s three-way catalyst lowers engine-out emissions.
• Power electronics controller: This device controls the electric traction motor’s speed and torque by managing the flow of electrical energy supplied by the traction battery.
• Internal combustion engine: In this setup, fuel is pumped into the combustion chamber or the intake manifold, where it is mixed with air. A spark from a spark plug then ignites the air/fuel mixture.
• Thermal cooling system: The thermal cooling system keeps the engine, electric motor, power electronics, and other parts running within the right temperature range.

Advantages of hybrid electric cars

Hybrid electric cars are the future of the environment-friendly automobile sector innovation. They come with a wide range of advantages such as:

Low emissions: Compared to internal combustion engines, hybrid cars use both internal combustion and electric engines. As a result, emissions are reduced, making them highly beneficial in checking environmental degradation.

Reduced use of combustion fuels: Hybrid electric cars have electric motors that run on batteries. This reduces the load on the combustion engine and the use of fuels such as petrol and diesel.

Smaller combustion engine: Since combustion fuels do not have to run the whole vehicle, hybrid electric cars come with a smaller combustion engine compared to standard petrol or diesel cars.

The benefit of dual engines: Hybrid electric cars have the benefit of two engines. Subsequently, they offer higher fuel efficiency and much better performance.

Regenerative braking system: In a hybrid car, the electric generator produces electricity and recharges the battery every time the brake is used. As a result, until and unless the battery is completely exhausted, there is no need to stop the car to charge the battery.

Higher resale value: Given the ever-increasing price of petrol and diesel, and the continuous degradation of the environment, people are consciously moving towards hybrid and electric cars. Hence, the demand for such cars is high and so is their resale value.

Disadvantages of hybrid electric cars

Some of the cons of using hybrid electric cars include:

Compromised performance: Hybrid electric cars in India are in demand primarily because of fuel efficiency. Lower use of combustion fuels is the prime objective here. In doing so, aspects such as power and acceleration are often ignored.

Inefficient for long commutes: Since a hybrid electric car has low accommodation for combustion fuel, the remaining need for power is met by electric motors. Now, this setup is not the optimal one for long commutes or long-distance drive through the countryside or highways.

High price: This is a perennial issue with hybrid electric cars and electric vehicles in general. Most of them are quite expensive for the general public. Though automobile companies are trying to reduce the cost, still itis a long shot.

High cost of maintenance: Due to the numerous mechanical components and two types of engines that power hybrid vehicles, maintenance costs are still on the higher side. Additionally, not all mechanics are skilled or qualified enough to work on hybrid vehicles.

CNG, EVs and hybrid vehicles may grab up to 30 per cent share in total auto sales in the next five years even as petrol cars are likely to dominate passenger vehicle volumes in the medium-term, a report said on Tuesday.

Demand for Electric Vehicles (EVs) has increased exponentially in the last two years with the government’s push, increasing awareness, and new launches, domestic rating agency Icra said in its report. However, the share of EVs in the overall PV (passenger vehicle) industry remains low, at 1 per cent currently, it stated.

On the other hand, CNG vehicles have also gained prominence in recent years, aided by favourable running costs, improving penetration of CNG dispensing stations across the country, and enhanced product offerings by OEMs, Icra said and added, lower emissions in CNG vehicles would also help OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) comply with the impending Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) norms.

Noting that a cohesive approach from all stakeholders is imperative to facilitate the E20 (petrol blended with 20 per cent ethanol) transition within the targeted timelines, the ratings agency said auto OEMs are, however, unlikely to face major challenges to comply with the proposed ethanol blending norms.

Ethanol blending

Ethanol blending would reduce vehicular emissions, strengthen energy security, help reduce oil imports and conserve forex reserves, as per Icra. Ethanol blending in petrol has been gradually increasing in the last several years, and India achieved 10 per cent ethanol blending in 2022, according to Icra.

Further, the Central government has advanced its target for E20 implementation to 2025 from 2030 earlier.

“We expect the proportion of CNG, EVs, and hybrid vehicles to increase to 20-30 per cent of new vehicle sales in the next five years. However, petrol-based vehicles will likely account for a significant portion of new PV sales over the medium-term,” said Shamsher Dewan, Senior Vice President at Icra.

This makes it important to reduce emissions from petrol-based vehicles to meet the CAFE norms and start the trajectory towards achieving carbon neutrality over the medium-to-long-term, besides promotion through the adoption of alternative powertrains, including EVs and hybrids, he added.

Faster environmental clearances

Making adequate ethanol available pan-India and addressing portability challenges would be imperative, given that ethanol production is currently concentrated in select states such as Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, owing to feedstock availability, according to the ratings agency.

It, however, added that the government has been providing relatively faster environmental clearances and financial assistance in the form of interest subvention to facilitate capacity addition and ensure adequate ethanol availability for a seamless transition.

“Icra believes that the readiness of the auto industry and the OEMs to meet E20 blending norms is unlikely to be a major challenge. No major design changes are required from a vehicle standpoint except material recalibration, and the impact on the vehicle cost is expected to be less than 1 per cent in the case of passenger vehicles and about 2-3 per cent in the case of two-wheelers,” added Dewan.

While no major capex is envisaged, changes in engine designs and after-treatment systems apart from the material selection will be key to meeting the norms, it said.

According to Icra, loss of fuel efficiency is expected as vehicles transition from the E10 to E20-compliant design, and this would increase the total cost of ownership. However, OEMs are looking at technological improvements like lightweighting to offset the impact, it stated.

Source: PTI

Tata Motors’s electric PV sales were down 17 per cent at 2,426 vehicles in January as against 2,926 units delivered in December 2022.

MG Motor sales volume also dropped 12.55 per cent to 425 units against 486 units sold in the month earlier.

Source: PTI