1. Tata Motors & Tata Power come together for new EV charging stations and lower charging tariffs.
Tata Motors has signed an agreement with Tata Power to set-up 200 EV charging stations for light commercial EVs. As part of this deal, Tata Motors & Tata Power will provide discounted charging tariffs for Tata Ace EV owners, thereby resulting in lower operating costs & higher profitability for its customers.
The two Tata group companies will also explore opportunities to integrate renewable energy to make their EV operations more green.
2. Thunder Plus installs EV charging station in a post office.
ThunderPlus, a brand of Trinity Cleantech, has launched an EV charging station inside the premises of a public post office. The charging station is located at Sainikpuri Head Post Office in Secunderabad (Hyderabad district).
With India Post’s widespread network, setting-up EV charging stations in post offices presents a big opportunity for expanding EV charging infrastructure. This undertaking by ThunderPlus is a first-of-its-kind in the country and the company aims to equip more post offices with EV charging stations in the future.
3. Government presents FAME-II successor ‘PM E-Drive’ scheme.
To further support India’s EV journey, the central government has presented the PM E-Drive scheme, intended to be the successor of the FAME scheme, which was launched in April 2015. The Union Cabinet has allocated a budget of Rs 10,900 crore for the new scheme, to be spent over the next 2 years.
Under the scheme, the government plans to support the deployment of 24.79 lakh electric 2-wheelers, 3.16 lakh electric 3-wheelers and 14,028 electric buses across the country. The scheme also highlights EV charging infrastructure, with a focus on developing a whopping 88,500 EV charging stations. Out of these, there are plans to install 22,100 DC fast charging stations for electric cars, 1800 high-capacity chargers for electric buses and 48,400 public EV chargers for two & three-wheelers. The largest portion of the budget, Rs 4391 crore, has been allocated for the procurement of 14,028 electric buses for state & public transport agencies. Also, Rs 500 crore will go towards deploying e-ambulances, and another Rs 500 crore to support the adoption of electric trucks.
4. Kerala gets its largest EV charging hub.
On World EV Day, Kerala-based EV charging company ‘chargeMOD’ inaugurated Kerala’s largest EV charging hub near Athani Junction, Angamaly (close to Cochin International Airport). The EV charging hub has dining outlets & a lounge for EV owners to relax while their vehicles recharge. The charging facility allows 6 EVs to charge simultaneously. There are dual-gun 30kW & 60kW fast-chargers, with more chargers on the way.
The company also announced new features on the chargeMOD app, one of which is the wallet option, which allows users to add money in the app for a seamless charging experience without needing a subscription.
5. MG Windsor EV launched with battery subscription model.
MG has launched its third electric car in India, the Windsor EV. The standout feature of the new EV is its starting price of Rs 9.99 lakh. But there’s a twist; the battery pack isn’t part of the deal. It’s available on a rental basis through the company’s Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) program. Owners will need to pay an extra Rs 3.5 per km driven. In return, they get a lifetime warranty on the battery pack with free charging for the first year.
MG stated that they will reveal prices of the Windsor ‘with battery’ on October 3. MG is addressing the initial cost barrier of owning an electric car by offering multiple options to customers as to how they would like to own the car.
The MG Windsor EV comes with a 38 kWh battery which gives a range of 331 km. With a maximum charging rate of 45 kW, it can charge from 0-80% in 55 minutes. The Windsor EV will be available in 4 colour options: black, white, clay beige & turquoise green. Bookings will start on October 3 and deliveries are scheduled from October 12.
For complete EV charging solutions, explore the Kazam website.
