Electric mobility in India is touted to be the way to the future, but implementation of large-scale projects to bring infrastructure for charging is still lacking.
The major reason for the policy confusion over e-vehicles is the lack of conviction within government about the utility of this disruptive technology and its role in India's larger Paris Agreement climate change commitments.
While the electric version will open for bookings starting August 12, the internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts will make their debut after September 2, says Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com.
The government on Friday approved an electric-vehicle policy, under which duty concessions will be given to companies setting up manufacturing units in the country with a minimum investment of $500 million, a move aimed at attracting major global players like US-based Tesla. According to an official statement, the companies setting up manufacturing facilities for e-vehicles will be allowed to import a limited number of cars at lower customs duty. The policy seeks to promote India as a manufacturing destination for EVs and attract investment from reputed global EV manufacturers, it added.
The vehicle will not be available until end-2017, or later.
'When compared to many of America's treaty allies in Asia, Modi 3.0 is on a much stronger footing.'
Roughly 40% of this projected outlay is expected to go towards emerging industries, including green hydrogen, clean energy, semiconductors, and electric vehicles.
Computer science has been an evergreen choice among engineering aspirants. However, with the rise in AI, students are increasingly realising the potential of automation and robotics.
What transpired during that drive was one of the most compelling investment pitches made by an Indian state in decades.
'There is a need for a national task force with a singular objective to increase automotive exports.'
Tesla needs to either sell the same models with reduced features to lower the cost for Indian market, or incur losses.
Two ice cream factory workers in Korba, Chhattisgarh were allegedly tortured by their employer and his aide who pulled out their nails and administered electric shocks on suspicion of theft. The victims, Abhishek Bhambi and Vinod Bhambi, were hired through a contractor to work at the ice cream factory owned by Chhotu Gurjar. The duo was stripped, given electric shocks, and their nails were pulled out, and a video of the torture has gone viral. The victims escaped and filed a complaint with police in Rajasthan, leading to a case being registered in Korba against Gurjar and his associate Mukesh Sharma.
Mercedes-Benz India is looking at electric entry-level models to attract first-time luxury car buyers, as it sets eyes on another double-digit growth this year, its managing director and CEO Santosh Iyer said on Monday. The company, which launched all-electric entry SUV EQA 250 at an introductory price of Rs 66 lakh, has also introduced the new EQB 350 SUV (5-seater) priced at Rs 77.5 lakh and EQB 250+ SUV (7-seater) tagged at Rs 70.90 lakh (prices all India ex-showroom). It will also launch the EQS Maybach SUV and electrified G-Class models in India later this year.
To come up with first EV by 2025, expects market to grow two to three-fold in the next ten years.
US-based electric vehicle maker Tesla is looking to source components worth around $1.9 billion this year against $1 billion last year, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday. The minister said that going forward, demand for electric vehicles will increase and it will help in pushing the growth of the sector. "Tesla already last year bought one billion dollars of components from I think all of you sitting here.... I have the list of companies who supply to Tesla.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slapped 11 new conditions on Pakistan for the release of the next tranche of its bailout programme and warned that tensions with India could heighten risks to the scheme's fiscal, external, and reform goals, according to a media report on Sunday.
Upon completion, the factory will create almost 10,000 jobs and will initially have an annual capacity of 2 million units.
Days after saying that there is no need for subsidies to achieve greater penetration of electric vehicles (EVs), Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday clarified that the view is his own, but any official call on EV subsidies is not one that he can take.
'...the auto industry to get back to 7% to 8% annual growth.' 'High growth in the SUV segment alone will not achieve this, as it is a small market.'
The new scheme may link the incentives to the battery power - higher the power, higher the incentive and most electric two-wheelers running on Indian roads use low power and fast charging batteries.
Based on discussions with stakeholders, the ministry is proposing to allocate Rs 26,400 crore for FAME-III subsidy alone with electric two wheelers getting around Rs 8,158 crore, electric buses Rs 9,600 crore and electric three-wheelers Rs 4,100 crore, according to sources in the know. Along with some other components like setting up an innovation fund and money for testing , the total allocation could cross Rs 33,000 crore, estimates suggest.
Monsoon hit the state on June 20 and has since then cost it Rs 5,000 crore in damages.
'We are not asking for incentives, but at least taxation can be aligned such that the rupee tax on consumers remains the same.'
The electric vehicle evolution in India's passenger vehicle market has remained frozen in time and may see limited adoption over the next decade, experts say.
'Every Indian should move to an EV, and the government should not buy any fossil fuel cars. The government should become the first driver of EV adoption.'
TVS Motor Company launched its first electric scooter, Scooty Teenz Electric, in Bangalore on Wednesday. Run on the Valve-Regulated-Lead-Acid (VRLA) battery, the vehicle is powered by a 800 watt motor and can carry up to 130 kg of load. It can deliver an average range of 40 km per nine hours of battery charge. The maximum speed the vehicle can clock is 40 kmph. It is targetted at is teenage girls who use vehicles to travel short distances ranging between 15 and 25 km per day.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the 2008 Mumbai terror attack marked a turning point in relations with Pakistan when Indians collectively felt that such behaviour from a neighbouring country could no longer be tolerated. Speaking at Charotar University of Science and Technology, Jaishankar acknowledged India's transformation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the last decade, while Pakistan has remained unchanged, continuing with what he termed as its "bad habits."
Issues related to the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) and bilateral investment treaty between India and the UK are expected to figure during the three-day visit of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to London from April 8-10, official sources said. The minister will attend a host of meetings, including the India-United Kingdom Economic and Financial Dialogue, in London.
Even as India overtakes Japan in automotive sales in 2022, moving to third place for the first time, oddly enough the country's biggest motor show is going to see some big hitters give it a clear miss. Some prominent automotive brands have cited high event costs, negligible returns on investment, poor event management, and unfavourable location as reasons for their reluctance to participate. Major pure-play electric two-wheelers, too, are riding past this year's edition of the Auto Expo.
The only silver lining in March's performance -- which otherwise dragged down the financial year's momentum -- was a 6 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth compared to March of the previous year. This is largely due to incentives, festival-driven gains, and new launches.
Police have registered a case on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the driver of a BEST bus involved in an accident in Mumbai which claimed six lives and left 43 others injured, officials said on Tuesday.
Here are some cars, we feel will surely make you stop and think about investing in electric cars, if you haven't done so far.
A 34-year-old woman died and six others, including two children, suffered from suffocation after a fire broke out in an apartment in Andheri, Mumbai. The blaze erupted in a flat on the first floor of the Broke Land building around 2:40 am. The fire was confined to household items and was extinguished by four fire brigade vehicles.
Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in July touched 178,948 units, marking the highest monthly sales this financial year. This represents a 27.9 per cent increase from June, which saw 139,905 units sold, according to the Vahan data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The strong performance in July contributed to more than one million being sold in the first seven months of the calendar year.
Ola Electric, India's largest maker of electric scooters, launched its most affordable ride on Tuesday, in an attempt to woo more customers and expand its electric two-wheeler lineup.
Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said rapid strides in technology and green fuel will reduce the cost of electric automobiles, bringing them at par with petrol-run vehicles in the next two years. Replying in the Lok Sabha on the Demands for Grants for Road Transport and Highways Ministry, 2022-23, Gadkari emphasised the need to shift to cost-effective indigenous fuel and hoped that this fuel will be a reality soon, bringing the pollution levels down and improving the overall situation in Delhi.
The charging infrastructure expansion includes the setup of over 600 DC charging stations by 2030 (including company-owned and company-operated ones) in addition to partnerships with over 10,200 charging points, collaborating with operators like Shell, Charge Zone, and Statiq.
"India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits," Trump said in a social media post on Monday.
The first luxury car will be launched in the first quarter of 2025 and the company is planning to open 12 'MG Select' showrooms in the next six months.
Audi plans to focus the Indian market, including deepening market penetration and increasing sales volume.
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