1. Delhi to have the country’s largest electric bus depot.

Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena & Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot laid the foundation stone of a multi-level electric bus depot in South Delhi's Vasant Vihar on 13 August. The bus depot is claimed to be the country's largest. It will be developed on an area of 7.6 lakh sq ft and cost around Rs 409 crore. NBCC India will construct the depot. It will be completed in 2 years.

The depot will accommodate 434 buses and will have EV charging stations, rooftop solar panels & multiple maintenance pits.

2. Amazon India partners with Gentari for expanding EV fleet.

Amazon India has announced a partnership with Gentari India to deploy more electric vehicles in its fleet. Gentari Green Mobility India will supply EVs and provide fleet management solutions to Amazon delivery partners for the next 3 years.

Gentari will provide Amazon India delivery partners access to EVs, EV lifecycle management services, charging & parking facilities. Amazon has around 7200 cargo EVs in India and is aiming to deploy 10,000 EVs by 2025.

3. Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty speaks about EV charging in the Parliament.

Nominated Member of Parliament Sudha Murty, on 9 August, addressed an important issue regarding EVs in Rajya Sabha. In her speech, she made an appeal to Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari about improving the country's charging infrastructure for EVs. She spoke about the need for more EV charging stations to support the growing adoption of EVs.

Apart from EV charging, the MP also spoke about manufacturing EV batteries in India to make the country independent & self-sufficient.

4. ChargePoint launches universal EV charger ‘Omni Port’.

American EV charging infrastructure company ChargePoint, has announced a new innovation named 'Omni Port'. As EV manufacturers in the US shift towards Tesla's connector standard, ChargePoint’s new plug aims to simplify & standardize the charging experience for all EV owners. In the United States, the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) & Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) dominate the market. The introduction of the Omni Port addresses a critical challenge in the EV industry: the lack of a unified EV charging standard. ChargePoint’s Omni Port is being promoted as a solution to this problem, integrating the most widely used connector types into a single plug compatible with both AC & DC chargers. It removes the need to dedicate parking spaces exclusively to certain connector types.

ChargePoint's Omni Port promises a seamless charging experience for all EV users. By entering what type of EV they have, users can effortlessly initiate charging. The system automatically selects the appropriate connector type. Those who prefer not to use the app can simply choose the correct connector on the EV charger's screen. The EV charging stations support credit card payments, offering flexibility for users who do not wish to use the app.

ChargePoint’s Omni Port supports EVs with 800-volt architecture, enabling maximum charging speeds. The company will roll-out the Omni Port towards the end of 2024. Initially, it will be retrofitted into select ChargePoint AC & DC charging stations. The company says its modular hardware design allows it to upgrade their chargers by quickly swapping a few components.

5. Kazam raises fresh funds for market expansion.

EV charging platform Kazam has raised $8 million in its recent Series A3 funding round led by Vertex Ventures. The round also saw participation from Avaana Capital, Alteria Capital, Chakra Growth Capital, among others. With this fresh influx of funds, Kazam plans to strengthen its tech & product teams, elevate its platform offerings & expand market presence. The company plans to venture into Southeast Asia.

Kazam had recently partnered with Google Maps to allow EV users to find & access the company’s EV chargers, and provide detailed information about charger types, making EV charging even more convenient for users.

For complete EV charging solutions, explore the Kazam website.