Electric Mobility News

Speaking at Mahindra Group's 73rd annual general meeting, Anand Mahindra suggested certain temporary measures that would have a positive impact on the industry. Short term measure like - reduction or removal of the goods and service tax (GST), revising the registration fee, and reduction of road tax, as short term measure to help revive the auto industry.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Administration sent Tesla Inc.'s Elon Musk a cease-and-desist letter last year regarding Model 3 safety claims and subpoenaed the carmaker for information on several crashes, according to documents posted by a nonprofit advocacy group.

Pune-based start-up Polarity Smart Bikes has released teasers for its range of upcoming electric bikes for the Indian market. The company will be unveiling six electric smart bikes later this month, which the company says at the first-of-its-kind road legal EVs to come with pedal assistance. The bikes have been under development since 2017 and promise to be light in weight. The teaser images also give a glimpse on what to expect from the six prototypes that certainly look to have to futuristic edge in design. The manufacturer is calling its Smart Bikes India's first personal mobility vehicle. Pre-bookings for the Polarity Smart Bikes will be open at the time of unveil for a token amount of Rs. 1,001, which will be refundable.

Gurgaon-based Okinawa Autotech has announced a price cut across its electric scooter range post GST rate revision for electric vehicles. The Okinawa range powered by the Lead Acid battery is affordable by Rs. 2,500-4,700, while the models using a Lithium-ion battery get a price cut between Rs. 3,400-8,600. Under the new rates, EVs are charged five per cent GST instead of the older 12 per cent GST, as it was suggested under the Union Budget 2019. The drop in prices clubbed with FAME II subsidy has made the on-road price of the electric scooters much lower than the current asking price. The new prices have been effective since August 1, 2019.

The California based carmaker in a tweet has confirmed reintroducing the unlimited free charging scheme on the Model S and Model X. At present, Tesla owners in the US need to pay $ 0.28 (28 cents) per kWh or $ 0.13 (13 cents) to $ 0.26 (26 cents) per minute for using a supercharger. This means a full charge on a Tesla Model S through a supercharger would cost $ 19.5 which is over Rs. 1300 in Indian currency. The free charging service is available to Model S and Model X owners only and Model 3 owners will need to pay for the service.

Keeping up with the central government's policies to switch to electric mobility, the Indian army has employed electric vehicles as part of its fleet. In partnership with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), a Joint Venture of Central PSUs under Ministry of Power, the Indian Army will be using the EVs for the use of its officials in New Delhi with a total of 10 electric cars to be operated as part of the pilot project. The army will develop further on the initiative and increase the number of EVs in Delhi to in a bid to improve efficiency and minimise emissions.

Tata Motors will be introducing a more powerful version of the Tata Tigor EV for private buyers this year. Currently, the car uses a 16.2 kWh battery, offering a range of 142 km on a single charge, but Tata is working on a more powerful version, which is expected to offer a maximum range of 200 km on a full charge. As of now, the Tata Tigor EV is only sold to fleet owners, and government organisations as part of the EESL tender, but with the introduction of long-range Tigor EV, Tata will start selling the car to private buyers as well.

Tata Motors will be introducing its next electric vehicle for the Indian market by the end of the financial year 2019-20. The carmaker recently announced its partnership with Tata Power to set up 300 fast chargers across 5 metros in India. Speaking to carandbike.com on the sidelines, Shailesh Chandra, President Electric Mobility Business & Corporate Strategy, Tata Motors, said that the company is currently working on electric vehicles focused towards private buyers, and will introduce a higher range Tigor EV a new model by end of this fiscal year.