1. Hyundai ties-up with Shell to install EV charging stations.

Hyundai India has signed an agreement with Shell India to install 60kW DC fast-chargers at 36 showrooms across the country. Hyundai currently sells electric cars via 72 showrooms across 45 cities. The process of setting-up EV chargers at the dealerships was divided into two phases. Phase 1 has concluded and EV chargers have been installed at 36 showrooms. Now, Shell India will set-up chargers at 36 showrooms as part of Phase 2.

Hyundai currently offers two electric cars in India: the Kona Electric & the Ioniq 5. Recently, an electric variant of the Creta was spotted testing on roads.

2. Audi India makes major announcement for e-tron customers.

Audi India has announced a partnership with 5 EV charging companies to offer complimentary charging to Audi e-tron customers till August 2023. Audi India has introduced a new feature on the ‘myAudi Connect’ app called ‘Charge My Audi’. It is a one-stop solution for Audi e-tron owners and provides access to multiple EV charging partners. Audi has partnered with Aargo EV Smart, Charge Zone, Relux Electric, Lion Charge & Zeon Charging. The company says ‘Charge My Audi’ is a one-of-a-kind, industry-first initiative that maximizes customer convenience. The feature allows customers to plan their drive route, identify charging stations along the way, check availability of charging slots, start & stop charging and pay online for the charging (after the offer period expires) via one single payment gateway. After partnering with EV charging companies, 750 EV charging points are now available to Audi e-tron customers on Charge My Audi.

Audi sells its electric cars under the brand ‘e-tron’. At present, Audi India’s electric car portfolio includes the Audi e-tron, Audi e-tron Sportback, Audi e-tron GT & Audi RS e-tron GT. The company is also ready to launch the Q8 e-tron in second-half of 2023.

3. Battery manufacturer Trontek to take a deep plunge in the EV industry.

Automotive battery manufacturer 'Trontek' is planning to build a mega plant with an investment of Rs 50 crore in Delhi-NCR. The construction will begin this year and the facility will be operational in 2025. Trontek sold 1.5 lakh electric two-wheeler batteries and 20,000 electric three-wheeler batteries in the last fiscal year.

The company started manufacturing lead-acid batteries for e-rickshaws in 2012. It introduced lithium-ion batteries for electric two & three-wheelers in 2017 and in 2022, introduced LFP batteries. Trontek has plans to set-up a network of EV charging & battery swapping stations. Work on EV charging & battery swapping stations will begin shortly with a pilot project in Delhi-NCR.

4. Research and consulting firm ‘techARC’ presents EV-centric report.

Analytics & research firm ‘techARC’ has released a ‘consumer insights’ report called ‘EVs as an owned passenger vehicle (4W) in India’. The major finding of this report: “37% of the respondents surveyed believe that their next vehicle will be an EV.” The report highlighted that “India is at an inflection point where EV as personal car is changing its course only to witness an upward growth.”

Other major findings include:

• Consumers are recognizing the efforts of the electric vehicle industry in building an ecosystem and developing the infrastructure that will add to their confidence & reliability.
• 52% of the respondents see that the sales & service network is getting built while 45% see the EV charging infrastructure developing around them.
• 59% of the respondents also find the options to choose widening for them with more brands introducing their EVs in the market.
• Among the brands which are commercially available in India, Tata Motors leads in terms of the preference followed by MG & Hyundai.
• There is also a segment willing to buy EVs from luxury brands including Audi, BMW & Mercedes.

5. Curbside EV charging pilot program a massive success in New York.

The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) released data on the city’s 'Curbside Level 2 EV Charging Pilot Program', showing ‘high usage & reliability at plugs across the city’. The data shows the number of charging sessions grew steadily month-on-month as new chargers were brought into service over a period of one year. The 100 EV chargers installed under the pilot remained busy & resilient.

Providing EV charging solutions that are convenient & accessible is critical to the transition to EVs in the most populous city of USA. Roadside Level 2 charging is one part of NYC’s broader EV strategy, which also includes ensuring that every citizen lives within 2.5 miles (4 km) of an EV fast-charger, creating shared electric truck charging hubs, transitioning gasoline-powered taxis to electric ones, supporting private parking garages to install EV charging facilities amongst others.

In India, Delhi Government is also planning to install 150 kerbside EV chargers in the capital city on pilot basis.

For complete EV charging solutions, explore the Kazam website.