Electric Mobility News

Audi revealed its all-electric SUV, the e-Tron recently in India and the model has now received a new entry-level variant for the international markets. Dubbed as the Audi e-Tron 50 Quattro, the base version is the lighter and more affordable iteration of the SUV that will sport a more accessible price too. This has been made possible largely due to the use of a smaller battery, compared to the one used on the range-topping e-Tron 55 variant, which helps weight savings of around 120 kg over the latter's 2565 kg kerb weight. The 71 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that limits the range to 300 km on a single charge in the WLTP test cycle.

Revolt Intellicorp is all set to launch its RV400 electric motorcycle on August 28. The company rolled off the first RV400 model from its Manesar facility recently.

The FAME II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) scheme came as reassurance for electric carmakers and reaffirmed that EVs are at the top of the government's agenda. Furthermore, Niti Aayog's proposal to impose a ban on combustion engine powered commuter motorcycles (below 150cc) and then the budget council moderating GST rates on EVs and promising certain incentive, built up on the plan and prompted carmakers like Hyundai and Audi to foray into the Indian EV space. However, we were still waiting for some news from established Indian EV makers. Finally, the pioneer in the Indian EV market- Mahindra has decided to play catch up and will launch its EVs which we already knew, were in the pipeline.

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.