1. Uttar Pradesh Government to install EV charging stations along major expressways.

UP government will set-up public EV charging stations along 4 major expressways in the state. The government aims to install 26 EV charging stations along the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway and Gorakhpur Link Expressway. In a pre-bid meeting called by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), 11 companies including Jio-BP, GMR Energy, Adani TotalEnergies, AmpVolts, etc showed interest in the project.

The UP government will provide a 10-year lease on a 2000 sq feet station. The charge point operator will set-up EV charging points compatible with electric two, three, four-wheelers and electric buses. The public charging stations must be operational within 180 days of acquiring the land.

2. SIDBI approves grant for EV company ETO Motors.

The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has approved a grant of Rs 12.45 crore for ETO Motors to deploy 300 electric three-wheelers in Hyderabad and Delhi for first & last-mile passenger connectivity. In addition to this, ETO Motors will also set-up a battery swapping & EV charging network to support these EVs. Reports suggest that the company will install 180 EV charging points in the two cities. The to-be-deployed electric three-wheelers will be manufactured at the company’s manufacturing unit in Jadcherla (Telangana).

ETO Motors is the only company in India that offers electric three-wheelers with seatbelts.

3. Tata Motors opens EV-exclusive showrooms in Gurugram.

Tata Motors has inaugurated two EV-exclusive showrooms in Gurgaon. The newly opened outlets are located in Sector 14 & Sohna Road. The company plans to open similar showrooms in more cities in 2024. This development follows the setting-up of ‘Tata.ev’ as a separate entity & brand. The EV-exclusive showrooms display the three electric car models which the company currently offers: Nexon EV, Tigor EV and Tiago EV.

A big reason for the company’s plan to establish dedicated showrooms is its growing line-up of electric cars which could potentially strain space in existing showrooms. Tata Motors is expected to launch electric cars like the Punch EV, Harrier EV, Curvv EV, Sierra EV and Avinya in the next 2 years.

The new Tata.ev showrooms are equipped with AC as well as DC fast-chargers for EV owners.

4. Ola Electric files for IPO.

Ola Electric will raise Rs 5500 crore ($662 million) in an IPO. This is going to be the first IPO by an Indian EV company. As per the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP), the proceeds from the issue will be allocated for the following purposes:

a) Rs 1226.4 crore for Ola Cell Technologies (OCT)'s Gigafactory project.

b) Rs 1600 crore for R&D.

c) Rs 350 crore for organic growth initiatives and general corporate purposes.

d) Rs 800 crore to repay & pre-pay debts of Ola Electric Technologies (OET).

5. Transparent electric scooter showcased.

Nashik-based electric scooter manufacturing company Jitendra EV Tech has showcased a first-of-its-kind electric scooter with a transparent body. The see-through body shows the internals of the vehicle. The electric scooter named ‘Primo’ has currently been launched in four colours: white, black, red & silver. The transparent one will enter production sometimes later.

The Primo electric scooter has been priced at Rs 79,999. It features a 1.56 kWh battery which offers a range of 65 km. The claimed top speed is 52 km/hr. The company will launch two more variants next year which will offer a range of 90 km & 130 km respectively.

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