1. Gulf Oil picks up controlling stake in Tirex Chargers.

Gulf Oil, a part of Hinduja Group, has acquired controlling stake (51%) for Rs 103 crore in Ahmedabad-based Tirex Chargers. This investment in Tirex will boost R&D, scale-up manufacturing and expand its charging network. Tirex has successfully deployed more than 400 DC fast-chargers across India.

Gulf Oil had previously invested in UK-based EV charging company Indra Renewable Technologies and Noida based EV SaaS company ElectreeFi.

2. Amazon India to increase EVs in delivery fleet.

Amazon India has committed to deploy 10,000 EVs in its delivery fleet by 2025. At present, the company has more than 6000 EVs in its fleet which serve more than 400 cities.

The company joined hands with Bengaluru-based electric three-wheeler manufacturer Altigreen to commission custom-built EVs which replaced its diesel vehicles. The EVs have a similar container capacity and a range of 100 km. Tata Motors has also tailormade certain units of its Tata Ace four-wheeler EVs for Amazon. The EVs have similar storage capacity as the older diesel-run mini trucks that were deployed in the fleet. Apart from these, Amazon India has tied-up with important industry players like Eicher, Mahindra Electric, TVS, Magenta and Sun Mobility to deploy EVs, EV charging stations and financing services. The company is also committed to decarbonizing its middle-mile operations and is exploring partnerships with manufacturers, charging infrastructure companies and finance companies to assist transporters looking to switch to electric by offering bundled solutions.

3. EV charging company 82Volt joins hands with Novel Office.

Bengaluru-based EV charging company 82Volt is collaborating with shared office space platform ‘Novel Office’ to provide EV charging solutions at the latter’s properties.

With a shared vision of promoting electric vehicle adoption, 82Volt & Novel Office are coming together to set-up 200 EV chargers at six Novel Office properties and subsequently at three more under construction ones in Bangalore within the next three years.

4. Tata Motors aiming to take its superhit electric cars global.

India’s no.1 electric car manufacturer Tata Motors hinted at going global with its EVs soon. The company gave a statement: “Surely we can go global since our cars have proved their worth in extreme climatic conditions, been delivered at competitive costs and are rich in features.”

EV manufacturers like BYD have already surged ahead in sales and are now aggressively targeting overseas markets, especially Europe. In Tata Motors case, a big advantage in its strategy stems from its group company Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The company says it is actively exploring synergies with JLR. The Tata Group has already commissioned an EV battery manufacturing plant in Somerset, England.

Tata Motors is also looking at having separate dealerships for EVs in the near future. Industry experts observe that owing to the company’s big push in this space, it makes sense to have separate dealerships for the company's conventional vehicles and electric vehicles.

5. Two eagerly awaited EVs spotted testing.

Tata Punch EV: The upcoming Tata Punch EV was recently spotted testing near Pimpri-Chinchwad (Maharashtra). The latest images of the sub-compact electric SUV reveals a new positioning of the charging slot, which is at the front bumper now. Unlike other Tata Motors electric cars, the Punch EV will be the automaker's first car to have a charging slot on the front bumper. The Punch EV is likely to be launched around Diwali this year and would take on the Citroen eC3.

BMW Motorrad CE 02: BMW Motorrad’s electric bike ‘CE 02’ was spotted testing in Sringeri, Karnataka. The CE 02 has been developed by TVS Motors.

6. Electric scooters awarded to meritorious students in Madhya Pradesh.

Madhya Pradesh state government awarded Kinetic Green Flex electric scooters to 200 meritorious students. The electric scooters were awarded to government school students for outstanding performance in class 12th. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan handed over the Kinetic Green Flex scooters to the students.

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