1. Mercedes announces the India launch date for electric G-Wagon.
Mercedes is all-set to launch the G Wagon Electric in India on January 9, 2025. Officially named the ‘G 580’, electric SUV looks virtually identical in design to the fuel-powered G Wagon, with a slight alteration of the front grill.
The car will come with four motors (one on each wheel), and the company claims the electric variant is ‘more capable than its gas sibling when driving off-road’. Mercedes claims that the G 580 can accelerate from 0-100 km/hr is less than 5 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 180 km/hr. It comes with a 116 kWh battery which gives a range of 470 km. The battery can be ‘rapid-charged’ at speeds of up to 200 kW.
The electric G-Wagon was first unveiled as the G Class concept EV at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last year in Las Vegas. In India, it will be imported as a Completely Built-up Unit (CBU), and is expected to be priced at around Rs 3 crore.
2. Jaisalmer Marriott Resort & Spa sets-up EV charging station.
The Jaisalmer Marriott Resort & Spa recently announced the setting-up of an EV charging station near its entrance. The station features 2 charging points and will be open for guests & city residents.
To add to the charging experience, the hotel will offer coffee & snacks at the lobby.
3. Kerala announces new public EV charging tariff structure.
The state government of Kerala has introduced a ‘time-of-day’ (ToD) pricing system for public EV charging stations. The new tariff structure will feature reduced tariffs during ‘solar hours’. The electricity tariffs for EV charging stations in the Low Tension (LT) & High Tension (HT) categories were announced by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) as part of a general tariff revision. As per the revision, apart from the ToD pricing system, a waiver on fixed/demand charges has also been announced.
For the LT category stations, the tariff for solar hours (9am-4pm) will be Rs 5 per unit, and for non-solar hours Rs 9.30 per unit. For HT category stations, the tariff for solar hours will be Rs 4.80 per unit and for non-solar hours Rs 9 per unit. From April 1st 2025, the HT tariffs for solar & non-solar hours will be marginally increased to Rs 5 & Rs 9.20 per unit respectively. Solar hours will be calculated from 6am-6pm till March 31st, 2025. From April 1st, 2025 onwards, 9am-4pm will be treated as solar hours. This is to provide time to reprogram ToD meters which at present, are set at 6am-6pm. The state government expects the ToD pricing to reduce the cost burden on consumers and help reducing the burden on the grid through efficient use of excess daytime solar power.
4. Hyundai India announces plans to install multiple EV fast charging stations.
Hyundai India aims to install 600 EV fast charging stations across the country in the next 7 years. The company is on course to have a network of 50 fast charging stations by the end of this year. These will be 150 kW DC fast charging stations. The automaker has also signed an agreement with Tamil Nadu state government to set-up 100 EV charging stations across the state by 2027. Out of these 100, 10 stations are on course to be functional by the end of this year. At present, 3 Hyundai EV charging stations are operational in the state, at Spencer Plaza Mall (Anna Salai) & BSR Mall (Thoraipakkam) both in Chennai, and Hotel Seasons in Tiruvannamalai. The remaining 7 will also be inaugurated shortly. All Hyundai charging stations will have marshals to assist EV owners and 24/7 CCTV surveillance. Thess charging stations will be accessible to all electric cars irrespective of the automaker.
Hyundai is also gearing up to launch the Creta EV at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo in January 2025. At present, the company has just 1 electric car in its India portfolio: the IONIQ 5.
5. Bajaj to introduce the next-gen Chetak electric scooter on December 20th.
Bajaj Auto is all-set to unveil the next generation Chetak electric scooter on December 20, 2024. Calling it ‘the best Chetak yet’, the new model will have a fresh chassis and a bigger battery pack. At present, the Chetak comes in 2 battery options: 2.88 kWh & 3.2 kWh. These offer claimed ranges of 123 km & 137 km. With the new bigger battery, the range is expected to go up and Bajaj will also feature fast charging tech.
One feature which the Chetak lacked till now is underseat storage. While its rivals offer 30 litres of storage space, the Chetak came with 22 litres storage space. Now there are reports that the upcoming Chetak will come with a new chassis that shifts the battery under the floorboard, thereby freeing more underseat storage space. Bajaj will carry on with the retro theme of the Chetak so the design will be more or less the same.
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