The Tata Group is planning to adopt a ‘One Tata Approach’ to deliver cleaner mobility solutions for the future, with its automotive unit Tata Motors spearheading the initiative.
The salt-to-software conglomerate is considering setting up a working group of key executives from Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Realty and Tata Finance to offer a complete turnkey solution for companies, shared-mobility providers, government agencies and others to address infrastructure and cost issues.
Tata Motors, in fact, recently created an electric mobility division to have special focus on this nascent, but potentially big, business. The idea is to offer a complete turnkey solution and assure the user on the cost and range anxiety. As part of the plan, Tata Motors will offer the car, while Tata Power will set up charging stations and Tata Realty will help build physical infrastructure, depots or dedicated electric vehicle stations.
TCS, the information technology arm, will help develop an app or software platform — both at the company end and at the customer end — or even offer the back-end support. Tata Motors Finance will offer financing or leasing solutions. Tata Motors MD Guenter Butschek told ET that the concept of One Tata emerged when the company tried to seed its electric bus idea for state transport undertakings.
The state utilities asked for a complete solution and were willing to pay for use of services.
“When we looked around, we said this group can be of great value and can jointly leverage a new opportunity in the market and this is a multi-billion market in the mid- to long-term if we just join forces. And, we started to build according to the tender requirements as a consortium,” he said. “The same can be applied in PVs (passenger vehicles) as well.”
Tata Motors was the L1 bidder (the one that quoted the lowest price) for the government’s order for 10,000 electric vehicles and has been pushing the government to come out with a dedicated electric vehicle policy to drive adoption.
The MD said carmaker will approach companies which transport people to work. It can offer “complete peace of mind solution”, including apps for employees to track their pickup or drop time, travel time and that too in a protective environment which is predictable, doing away with issues on range or charge challenges, he said.
While the potential growth opportunity lies with public transportation solution or corporate fleets, Tata Motors is planning to open up sales of its Tigor and Tiago EV to individual buyers and shared mobility providers.

Courtesy: The Economic Times

Suzuki hopes to continue to have 50 percent market share in India from now through 2030, which would mean achieving sales of five million units a year by then.

Osamu Suzuki, the 88-year-old Chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), has asked the company’s executives to target sales of 1.5 million electric cars a year in India by 2030 through its subsidiary Maruti Suzuki.

The Indian subsidiary of the Japanese car maker is yet to launch its first battery powered car.
The chairman was talking to Suzuki shareholders at the annual shareholders’ meeting held late last month in Japan. Toshihiro Suzuki, his son and President of SMC, was also present.
New sales of passenger vehicles are seen increasing to 10 million units a year by 2030, from 3.28 million units sold in the last financial year.

Suzuki hopes to continue to have 50 percent market share in India from now through 2030, which would mean achieving sales of five million units a year by then.
For that to happen, Maruti Suzuki’s will have to grow at the same pace as the domestic market and increase threefold in number from the 1.64 million units sold last year.
“We want to continue to control 50 percent of the market and achieve annual sales of 5 million in the country,” said Osamu Suzuki.

Stating that SMC had taken up a challenge to ensure that 30 percent of its five-million-units sales target is met through sales of electric vehicles, the chairman said that he is ‘firing up executives every day’.

Maruti Suzuki is currently working on an all-electric car, due for debut in India in 2020, which will be a completely new model and not an electric version of any of its existing models.

The car will be jointly developed by Suzuki and Toyota under an alliance that was announced in 2017.

The move to electric vehicles is being powered by many countries’ plans to fully phase out production of vehicles that run on traditional fuels. Each country has its own deadline for the endeavour.

While the Indian government had earlier set its deadline at 2030, it later softened its stand stating that there is no such deadline. In India, charging infrastructure and a manufacturing ecosystem are still pipe dreams.

Besides Maruti Suzuki, other multinational companies such as Hyundai, Kia, MG Motors, and Volvo have already stated their intentions of building electric cars in India.

However, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra are the only ones to have already started producing electric cars.

Maruti Suzuki has the largest product portfolio among car makers in India with 15 models (11 through Arena and 4 through the Nexa channel).

These include models in hatchback, premium hatchback, compact sedan, mid-size sedan and SUV segments. All these are powered by either petrol or diesel engines or a combination of petrol-CNG or diesel-electric (hybrid).

Suzuki also said that it plans to expand its portfolio in India to 30 models by 2030. To compliment the growth in sales, the company is also looking to add dealerships and take their count to 10,000 from the current 2,625.

In the last financial year alone, Maruti Suzuki added 350 dealerships to its network. To put it in perspective, Honda Cars India, the country’s fifth largest car maker, has only 350 dealerships in total.

Most transport professionals in the sector of sustainable urban mobility would probably agree that the chances of encouraging someone to switch mode are higher when their life circumstances change. But why is it that hard for people to switch modes and what determines our behaviour? A research project carried out in Berlin by environmental psychologist Sebastian Bamberg from the FH Bielefeld was dedicated to this topic.

One reason is in the social character of humans. We determine our behaviour in some part by looking at others’ behaviour and what they like or do not like to do. Bamberg refers to a simple example from his own background: “My wife is driving an e-car recently. She is a vet and many of her clients trust her. You wouldn’t believe how many are now asking her about the e-car. Her clients may have an abstract idea about driving an e-car. But they want to learn from a person that they trust whether this works out in real life, since this increases the credibility of the story.” Social norms and behaviour are adjusted again and again by such conversations with people we trust, who we consider to be role-models. For example, if a colleague started cycling to work, one might consider doing the same sooner or later.

The research team aimed at making use of these mechanisms to encourage more environmentally conscious behaviour, since only a small group of people would switch mode of their own accord. The majority of people do not give that much consideration to the environmental impacts of their behaviour and even if they consider these, the habits of daily life act against any good intentions to change. A classic example is that the choice of taking a bus or driving the car is not done consciously – it is a routine taking place without much consideration. Many people tend to take their car as a result of the business-as-usual patterns of life.

To increase the likelihood of a behavioural change, the project made use of the points of time when the usual habits and social orientations are interrupted. It looked at the right points in life to initiate a behavioural change and identified these as the ones that come along with major changes in life such as moving to a new flat or city, changing job, starting a family or retirement. In this way, it contacted people when their previous patterns did not work any longer to provide them with a new orientation: people being in one of the above situations were offered one year of free public transport use in Berlin alongside information on the most frequent trips and destinations in the city. The same was offered to a reference group not facing any major changes in their lives. Results showed clearly that people that had recently faced a major change more often changed their mobility behaviour while the reference group hardly changed theirs at all.

The same mechanism applies to changes in transport infrastructure, such as installing new cycling paths or public transport connections and restricting conditions for taking the car. “Even if many do not like this: conditions need to get less attractive for taking the car. This is a precondition to give people a trigger to consider alternatives.” Bamberg states.

Photo: courtesy of © Shutterstock

The roadmap for the second phase of the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India) Scheme has been finalised. As per a PTI report, an inter-ministerial panel has set an outlay of around Rs 5,500 crore in terms of subsidy support for all electric vehicles (EVs).

The subsidy under FAME II, which will come into effect from October 1, 2018 is almost 60 percent less than the earlier proposed support of around Rs 9,300 crore. The previously planned subsidy had earmarked around Rs 5,800 crore in terms of direct purchase benefit for electric vehicles and the remaining in terms of non-fiscal support, in terms of charging, taxation among others.

The second phase of FAME will span over five years and will offer subsidy to all categories of EVs, including two-, three- and four-wheelers. “Incentives will be provided on purchase of two-wheelers as well as three-wheelers and four-wheelers including taxis and electric buses used in public transport to check pollution. However, strong hybrid vehicles will not be entitled to sops anymore,” a government official told PTI.

The FAME India scheme was introduced by the government in 2015, with an aim to promote eco-friendly vehicles, which offered incentives up to Rs 29,000 for two-wheelers and Rs 138,000 for four-wheelers.

The Phase-1 of the FAME India Scheme was originally for a two-year period – FY2015-16 and FY2016-17 – which began on April 1, 2015, which would be extended for a further period of six months till 30th September 2017 or till approval of Phase-II, whichever was earlier. The scheme had been extended twice before in March 2017 and again in April 2018.

As of August 24, 2018 around Rs 264 crore worth of incentives were given out and a total of 226,557 vehicles have benefited from the scheme, according to the National Automotive Board, under the Department of Heavy Industry ministry.

WHAT THE INDUSTRY SAYS
In response to the FAME II extension, in an email reply to Autocar Professional, Mahesh Babu, CEO, Mahindra Electric, said: “We welcome and thank the government of India for considering and extending the FAME scheme for all type of electric vehicles. We had always been requesting FAME support for EVs for at least 2-3 years. The decision to support all type of vehicles will enable the vision of sustainable and zero-emission vehicle adoption, a reality to Indian consumers.”

Responding on the impact of this scheme on adoption of EVs, Babu said: “The adoption of EVs both in private and public mobility is important at initial stages of technology and ecosystem adoption. The pool of electric vehicles will enable the charging and other electric support systems to develop. While we expect the fleet and public adoption to lead the way, the private usage will continue to bring new requirements from market to the industry.”

When asked about the reduction in the earlier proposed allocation, he said: “I think the coverage of all kinds of electric vehicles is more important at this stage than the overall budgetary numbers. The budget provided will kick-start the adoption of EVs and reinforces the intention of the government to adopt new and sustainable technologies. Clear policies and continuation of FAME-II scheme for electric vehicles will also give a boost to the auto industry to invest in EV technologies, which Mahindra has already committed to.”

Commenting on the decision, a Tata Motors spokesperson said, “We welcome the move by the government to extend subsidy support for all categories of vehicles through the FAME II India Scheme. This clearly shows strong resolve of the government towards realisation of Vision 2030 and high degree of commitment towards pollution alleviation. This move will encourage all the eco-system players to take aligned actions for accelerated adoption of zero-emission vehicles.”

Sanjay Krishnan, CEO and co-founder, Lithium Urban Technologies said: “There is a growing demand for electric vehicles in India with a greater number of corporates seeking electric mobility. Lithium’s growth has been at par with the FAME scheme and we have received great support from the government and key decision makers on our model.”

A govt panel decided to offer subsidy to all categories of electric vehicles.
An inter-ministerial panel today finalised the roadmap for the second phase of FAME India scheme with an outlay of around Rs 5,500 crore spanning over five years and subsidy support for all types of electric vehicles, official sources said.
The panel decided to offer subsidy to all categories of electric vehicles, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers, to promote green vehicles and check pollution, they said.
“Incentives will be provided on purchase of two-wheelers as well as three-wheelers and four-wheelers including taxis and electric buses used in public transport to check pollution. However, strong hybrid vehicles will not be entitled to sops anymore,” a government official told PTI.With an aim to promote eco-friendly vehicles, the government had launched the FAME India scheme in 2015.
Top officials from finance, road transport and highways and heavy industry ministry, among other departments, participated in the meeting.
Representatives from government think tank NITI Aayog were also present, sources said.
At present, the incentive is being offered on purchase of strong hybrid and electric cars, two-wheelers and three-wheelers under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India (FAME India- I) scheme.
Under the scheme, depending on technology, battery-operated scooters and motorcycles are eligible for incentives ranging between Rs 1,800 to Rs 29,000, while in three-wheelers it is between Rs 3,300 and Rs 61,000.
At present, automotive manufacturers claim the incentive from the government at the end of each month.
With an aim to promote eco-friendly vehicles, the government had launched the FAME India scheme in 2015. The ongoing pilot phase of the scheme was earlier extended till September this year or until its second phase is approved.

“You are driven by passion, passion drives success”.

For the people who are confused for whom these lines are written, let us clear you the deserving person. He’s none other than our CTO & Co-Founder, Mr. Suyash Singh.

Sir has just departed for LA, USA for ‘THE OFFICIAL SPACEX HYPERLOOP POD COMPETITION’.

Your guidance and vision always motivates us for the execution of the things. , All the Very Best to you Sir.

 

To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult.

Climate change is no longer some far-off problem; It is happening here, it is happening now.#EVUrjaa #TheGreenDream

The time is right for electric cars – in fact the time is critical.

EV SUPPORTER, NOT BECAUSE I THINK I SAVE THE PLANET, BUT BECAUSE I FIND THE EV MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE TO DRIVE.

WHY TO CHOOSE EV:The EV is the car everyone chooses first. The reason is obvious; it is simply a much better car to drive. The noiseless engine let you hear the wind blowing and the birds singing, or you can turn on music and hear it without any disturbing engine in the background. The gearless drivetrain gives a unique smoothness, and the acceleration is just superb.

HISTORY OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES :

Timeline: History of the Electric Car
Not an invention of modern times, the electric car has a long and storied history. Travel back in time as we explore the history of the electric car.

1828 — 1830
First Small-Scale Electric Cars

Horse and buggies are the primary mode of transportation, but innovators in Hungary, the Netherlands and the U.S. think to the future, creating some of the first small-scale electric cars.

1832
First Crude Electric Vehicle Is Developed

Around 1832, Robert Anderson develops the first crude electric vehicle, but it isn’t until the 1870s or later that electric cars become practical. Pictured here is an electric vehicle built by an English inventor in 1884.

1889 — 1891
First Electric Vehicle Debuts in U.S.

William Morrison, from Des Moines, Iowa, creates the first successful electric vehicle in the U.S. His car is little more than an electrified wagon, but it sparks an interest in electric vehicles. This 1896 advertisement shows how many early electric vehicles were not much different than carriages.

1899
Electric Cars Gain Popularity

Compared to the gas- and steam-powered automobiles at the time, electric cars are quiet, easy to drive and didn’t emit smelly pollutants — quickly becoming popular with urban residents.

WHY ELECTRIC CARS ARE OUR FUTURE:

In fact, first-generation electric vehicles such as the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf have failed to gain significant market share in their first two years of availability, and many have concluded that they are not the future of personal transportation, either in the U.S. or elsewhere. Nevertheless, despite this widespread skepticism, other carmakers are rolling out new electric vehicles on a regular basis, including Ford, Tesla, Mitsubishi, Volvo, and BMW, among others.

Why? Because a careful analysis reveals that there are fundamental reasons that will drive manufacturers and consumers inevitably to electric vehicles in the years ahead, reasons that the public in general is unaware of. So here are a few of the reasons that I have learned that lead me to believe that within 50 years a majority of our cars will be equipped with electric drivetrains.

1.Electric vehicles are inherently more efficient at turning energy into miles driven. Most people do not realize this, but electric drivetrains are much more efficient than internal combustion engine (ICE) drivetrains (about 75% vs 25%, in fact). In fact, there is little hope that ICE drivetrains could ever compete with electric drivetrains in terms of efficiency. Why are ICE drivetrains so inefficient? There are many reasons, including heat losses and inertial losses of various kinds, but ICE’s are also thermodynamic systems with efficiencies limited by the heat cycle they operate under. Engineers have done amazing work in improving the efficiency of gas-powered cars, but they are up against fundamental limits. In contrast, a Nissan Leaf or a Chevy Volt can go about 40 miles on 11 Kilowatt-hours (KWH) of electricity, the energy equivalent of a third of a gallon of gasoline. And since the national average cost per KWH for electricity is only $0.11, this performance translates cost-wise into the equivalent of more than 120 miles per gallon.

2.Electric vehicles are greener than gasoline-powered cars. There are those who have tried to argue otherwise, but the most credible research has shown that most of a vehicle’s carbon production comes during operation rather than production, and electric vehicles that consume only a third as much energy in operation are inherently greener no matter what fuel is used to generate the electricity they use. And electric vehicles powered by electricity from hydro, solar, wind, or nuclear sources produce no carbon in operation.

So in the future, electric drivetrains will probably dominate whatever the energy source. There’s just no other way to get this kind of efficiency gain from an ICE drivetrain.

COUNTRIES USING EV WORLDWIDE :

Electric car use by country varies worldwide, as the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles is affected by consumer demand, market prices and government incentives. Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are generally divided into all-electric or battery electric vehicles (BEVs), that run only on batteries, and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), that combine battery power with internal combustion engines. The popularity of electric vehicles has been expanding rapidly due to government subsidies, their increased range and lower battery costs, and environmental sensitivity. However, at the end of 2016, the stock of plug-in electric cars represented just a small fraction (0.15%) of the 1.4 billion motor vehicles on the world’s roads.

Global cumulative sales of highway-legal light-duty plug-in vehicles reached 2 million units at the end of 2016,and the 3 million milestone was achieved in November 2017. Sales of light-duty plug-ins achieved a 1.3% market share of new car sales in 2017, up from 0.86% in 2016, and 0.62% in 2015. The global ratio between battery BEVs and PHEVs was 66:34 in 2017, up from 61:39 in 2016, and 59:41 in 2015.

As of December 2017, China had the largest stock of highway legal light-duty plug-ins with over 1.2 million domestically built passenger cars.China also dominates in plug-in electric bus deployment, with its stock reaching 343,500 units in 2016 out of global stock of about 345,000 vehicles.About 943,600 light-duty passenger.

THE TECHNICAL EXPLANATION BEHIND EVS AND THEIR SUCCESS, AND WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE THINK OF THEM SOONER?Electric vehicles are on the road to becoming the norm, partly due to their lower associated costs. Almost all major car manufacturers are beginning to make some of their models fully electric. The next phase of land transportation is almost upon us. So how did it happen?

The answer: better technology. Let’s start with the engine, or, in the EV’s case, an induction motor. A gas car’s internal combustion engine (ICE) is much more prone to failure than an EV’s motor, and that’s not surprising considering ICEs have hundreds of moving parts. Induction motors, on the other hand, only have a handful of parts, making them much simpler and easier to repair. The vastly fewer parts in an EV motor make the vehicle more reliable, so the drivetrain has a much lower chance of failure.
After the engine, the force generated then goes through the rest of the transmission, starting with the clutch. The clutch exists in gas cars and allows it to change gears, which are housed in the gear box. Gas cars have anywhere from 6-10 gears to control the different speeds that drivers need to go. The gear box is necessary because ICEs have a very small band of peak efficiency. The RPM needs to be kept within that band for the car to run most efficiently, so the gears constantly have to shift up and down. This creates extra friction and a higher moment of inertia, which means more energy is required to keep everything spinning. Overall, these make gas vehicles much less efficient than EVs.

EVs, on the other hand, only have one driving gear (a step-down transmission) because an electric induction motor is efficient from 0 RPM all the way up to around 6,000 RPM (which a car will never need to go).

By studying all this data we may easily come to a conclusion that EVs are way much more better option in every prospective whether it is comfort or future energy concern.