Week 41 (Oct 4 - 10)
In this week's recap - Uber partners with Lithium, Magenta Power to set up 10000 charging stations, 5000 Treos sold so far, 26% decline in E2W sales, and States seek revision to their EV policies.
Uber partners with Lithium Urban to deploy 1000 EVs in 5 cities. Uber has recently partnered with EV fleet operator Lithium Urban Technologies to deploy 1,000+ EVs in cities where Lithium runs its fleet. Uber has already deployed more than 100 electric vehicles, such as Mahindra eVerito and Tata Tigor EV on its platform and is committed to scaling the EV fleet to 2000 over the next 12 months. The association is also in line with Uber's recently announced global commitment to make all rides on its platform 100% emission-free by 2040 through zero-emission vehicles and the integration of public transport and micro-mobility. [Source: ET]
Magenta Power to set up 10,000 ‘QYK POD’ EV charging stations. Magenta EV Solutions and eMatrixmile have tied up for the installation and commissioning of ‘QYK POD’ charging stations and the associated infrastructure. The partnership aims to install around 10,000 EV charging stations across India. eMatrixmile, a Mumbai-based startup, provides on-demand transportation solutions through its rental EV scooters – QYK, a shared mobility business model and aims to provide a multi-model fleet of electric scooters, electric bicycles, and electric auto-rickshaws network in more than 50 cities by the year 2021. Magenta, an EV charging infrastructure provider backed by HPCL, Shell, and Microsoft, provides solutions for EV charging. [Source: FinancialExpress]
Mahindra sells 5,000 Treo EVs, plans a big push for electric three-wheelers. Two years after launching the Treo, M&M has managed to sell just 5000 units so far but expects to sell this number monthly. The Treo was India’s first Li-Ion three-wheeler auto and competes with petrol and CNG vehicles from established brands such as TVS Motor and Bajaj Auto which have proven street credentials. Treo comes with a modern lithium-ion battery, 48V with a capacity of 7.37 kWh. The charging time 0-100% in standard conditions is 3-4 hours. Earlier this year Piaggio launched its electric 3W with swappable batteries in partnership with Sun Mobility. [Source: LiveMint]
Electric two-wheeler sales decline by 26% in H1 2021 Vs H1 2020. About 7,552 high-speed electric two-wheelers were sold between April and September 2020 according to data from the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV). This does not include the sale of low-speed two-wheelers that do not require registration. In contrast, about 6 million two-wheelers with combustion engines are estimated to be sold during the same period. At the end of September, market share for various players stood at - 35% for Hero Electric with sales of 2,629 units, 24% for Okinawa with sales of 1,836 units, and 12% for Ather Energy with 941 units sold during this period. Overall E2W Sales declined by a quarter compared to last year because of the disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic even after double-digit growth during August and September. [Source: ET]
States seek inputs for revising clean vehicle policies; EVs may get cheaper. As per a report in ET, Electric vehicles are set to get cheaper in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, as these states consider floating demand incentives in addition to those offered under the FAME 2 scheme. Despite launching EV policies, credible offtake is yet to be seen in either the commercial or retail segment. This development comes close on the heels of the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy, 2020 that seeks to subsidize EVs through a feebate structure. [Source: ET]
BMTC set for a trial run of e-bus. After a gap of over six years, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is conducting another round of trials of electric buses. In 2014, they had done a trial run but back then the transit authority wanted to purchase the bus and the cost proved to be a deterrent. Now, the BMTC hopes to lease and operate 300 e-buses under the Centre’s FAME 2 scheme. The state will float a fresh tender after the last tender was scrapped due to the high-cost bids provided by the sole supplier Olectra. [Source: TheHindu]
UP gives a nod for e-charging facilities in 8 cities under the smart city projects. In a major boost to Smart City Mission, eight cities in Uttar Pradesh have been identified for the installation of the charging facility for 2W, 3W, and 4Ws. According to a recent proposal, the e-charging facilities under the smart city projects will be simultaneously launched in Lucknow, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Aligarh, Saharanpur, Bareilly, and Jhansi. [Source: ET]
EQC, the first all-electric Mercedes SUV, launched in India at ₹99.30 lakh. Mercedes EQC has officially been launched in India at ₹99.30 lakh (ex-showroom, India, for first 50 units only), available in six Metro cities in phase 1. The EQC is India’s first luxury EV and comes with an 80kWh battery, range of 350 kilometers, and a warranty of eight years. As per Mercedes, the EQC can be fully charged in around 10 hours using a regular charger unit, while the DC fast charger brings down the charging time (0-80%) to just 90 minutes. [Source: HT]
Karnataka may offer a 20% subsidy on the installation of EV charging stations. The state government has proposed a subsidy of 20% or Rs 10 lakh, whichever is higher, to individuals willing to set up public charging stations for electric vehicles. More public charging stations will encourage buyers to opt for EVs. [Source: ET]
Telangana also in the race to attract Tesla-like EV Giants. After Elon Musk hinted at an India entry in 2021, the state of Telangana is pulling out all stops to position itself as the go-to destination for Tesla. It launched an EV policy last month where it wants to position itself as an EV hub through incentives for manufacturers and charging infra providers. [Source: TOI]
Other interesting global news
EV makers AYRO, Karma team up to manufacture delivery vehicles by ET
EV startup Faraday Future in talks to go public through a SPAC by ET
EV battery maker Romeo Systems to go public through a $1.33 B SPAC by ET
Hyundai launches public charging service for EVs, PHEVs across Europe by HT
Is charging infrastructure a bottleneck to Tesla’s growth? by Forbes
Ex-Tesla executive Straubel aims to build the world's top battery recycler
These are the best-selling EVs by country: Tesla Model 3 dominates