Tag: evs

Apple in Top 3 Brands Considered for Quality Without Actual Car on Sale, Vehicle Owners’ Survey Shows

Apple is said to be working on a self-driving car, and several news reports have previously tipped the company to be developing technology towards that goal. While the Cupertino company is probably several years away from launching an autonomous vehicle — it is yet to officially announce plans for such a product, a recent survey shows that a sizable number of users in the US are already keen to purchase a vehicle from the manufacturer of the iPhone, iPad, Macs, Apple Watch, and other consumer electronics. 

According to a recent survey of new vehicle owners in the US, Apple was the third highest brand considered by customers when asked how they feel about the quality of over forty-five automotive brands. Strategic Vision’s new vehicle experience study (NVES) polled over 2 lakh vehicle owners and tracked variables such as smartphone brand use and EV development measures. 

The NVES survey revealed that Apple, which does not even have a car to sell to customers, was in third place with 26 percent of customers stating they would ‘definitely consider’ a vehicle from the Cupertino firm in the future. In fact, Apple beat established brands Ford (21 percent) and Tesla (20 percent) in the survey. Apple was placed after Toyota (38 percent) and Honda (32 percent), which were in first and second place, respectively.   

While Apple was in third place in terms of user consideration for a vehicle, the company beat the other brands handily when respondents were asked about their impression of the quality of the brand, with 24 percent ticking the box “I love it”, according to the survey. 

However, unlike other brands, the survey found that 34 percent of new vehicle buyers polled said that they “Don’t know enough about” what an Apple vehicle might be like, with no word from the company on plans for an autonomous electric vehicle to date.

Bloomberg previously reported that Apple had hired Luigi Taraborrelli, a 20-year veteran of Italian carmaker Lamborghini, indicating that the company could be working on a vehicle. Taraborrelli was brought on as one of the most senior managers on Apple’s EV team and is expected to give the company’s efforts a boost after years of delays and upheaval, according to the report. 

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Switch Mobility Unveils EiV22, Country’s First Electric Double-Decker Air-Conditioned Bus: Details

Switch Mobility, the electric vehicle division of Hinduja Group’s flagship Ashok Leyland, unveiled its EiV22 double-decker electric bus on Thursday. The introduction of these 66-seater buses will help Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) switch its current fleet of double decker buses to electric as it looks to make commuting green by 2028.

Mumbai is the only city in the country which has twin-deck buses in operations. Switch Mobility’s parent company Ashok Leyland first rolled out double-decker buses in 1967. Switch Mobility has already rolled out electric double-decker buses in the UK, the company said.

“Ashok Leyland was a pioneer among Indian manufacturers when it first launched the double-decker in 1967 in Mumbai and Switch is carrying forward that legacy. With our strong expertise in double-deckers, both in India and UK and with over 100 Switch electric double-deckers in service on UK roads, we reinforce our commitment to create this form factor (design) for India and the globe,” said Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman, Switch Mobility.

Today there is no double-decker market in India, which is going to change because cities are growing and getting congested, said Mahesh Babu, Chief Executive Officer, Switch Mobility India, and COO at Switch, said.

“Everybody is looking at the pilot happening in Mumbai. If Mumbai is successful, I believe this will open up a whole market,” Babu told PTI.

The electric double-decker AC bus EiV22 is powered by a 231 kWh capacity battery pack with dual gun charging system, which allows the bus to have a range up to 250 kilometres for intra-city transport, according to the company.

“The Switch EiV 22 is designed and developed to meet Indian conditions. Mumbai and double-deckers are synonymous with public transport, and we are certain that EiV 22 will transform the public transport space in terms of sustainability and footprint,” said Babu.

Switch has secured the order for 200 buses from BEST, which it plans to deliver by next financial year in tranches and is open to “participate” if the autonomous body comes up with another tender, he said.

“We already have an order for 200 electric double-decker AC buses from BEST. We will deliver 50 of these buses this financial year. Many more cities are discussing with us for these buses,” he said, noting that the company expects to deliver 150-250 electric double decker AC buses next year.

In April this year, Switch Mobility announced an investment of GBP 300 million to develop a range of electric buses and light commercial vehicles in India and the UK.

Switch India expects to get a major chunk of this investment in the initial phase considering the pace at which electrification of the vehicles in the country and also the volumes which are much higher compared to the UK and Spain.

But it will also depend on the market, how it grows, he added.

According to him, the latest double-decker bus offers 86 per cent more capacity compared to a single-deck, which has been made possible by increasing the weight of the bus by 18 per cent.

Moreover, it takes 41 per cent less space in comparison to a regular single-floor or decker and therefore can offset 32 cars on the road, and can lead to substantial reduction, he said.

“The Group has a clear vision to support economies in delivering their net zero objectives through renewable energy, finance and zero emission transportation. We are confident that our new zero emission double-decker bus will deliver a cleaner and more sustainable future, reinforcing our commitment for India and the globe,” said Ashok Hinduja, Chairman, Hinduja Group of Companies (India).

Switch had in March announced its entry into continental Europe with a greenfield facility in Spain.

For India, Babu said, the company is looking at a dedicated facility but not in the near future as it is using the multiple assets of the company.

“We are using these facilities to scale up. In parallel we are looking for a dedicated facility for Switch. It is not decided [by when]. If we decide now, it [the 9th facility] will take two years to come up,” he said.

Babu, however, said that the company has a capacity to produce 2,500 buses, which it will be able to ramp up to 5,000 in a short span of six months.

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CATL to Set Up $7.6 Billion Hungary Battery Plant to Supply BMW, Mercedes Amid Growing Demand

China’s CATL said on Friday it would build a EUR 7.3 billion (roughly Rs. 59,600 crore) battery plant in Hungary, Europe’s largest so far, as the world’s biggest electric vehicle battery maker gears up to meet growing demand from global automakers.

CATL said that construction of the 100 GWh (gigawatt hours) plant in the eastern Hungarian city of Debrecen, its biggest overseas investment, would start this year after receiving approvals, and should last no more than 64 months.

Once built, it is set to be Europe’s largest battery cell plant and CATL’s second in the region, making battery cells and modules for carmakers including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Stellantis and Volkswagen.

The expansion comes as European automakers accelerate a transition to electric vehicles in their home markets, prompting surging demand for batteries from local suppliers and causing a run on supply deals to avoid production bottlenecks.

Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla have all announced or started to implement major battery expansion plans in Europe to secure access to vital cells and raw materials and support their electrification strategies.

CATL’s investment will mark “a giant leap in CATL’s global expansion”, the company’s founder and chairman Zeng Yuqun said in a statement.

The Chinese company is also pressing ahead with plans for battery production in North America by 2026 for clients including Ford Motor, Reuters reported earlier, despite tensions between Beijing and Washington.

The investment is also key for Hungary, which is becoming a major hub for electric vehicles and batteries in Europe.

Debrecen is home to a plant being built by BMW, while Volkswagen’s Audi brand has a factory in western Hungary’s Gyor and Mercedes-Benz operates one in Kecskemet, in the central part of the country.

BMW declined to comment but said it plans to release some battery related information in early September. VW and Stellantis did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mercedes-Benz said in a separate statement it would be the first partner to receive battery cells from CATL’s Hungarian plant, and that its order marked the highest initial order volume for the site.

“This new state-of-the art European CATL plant in Hungary is another milestone for the scale-up of our EV production together with our key partners,” Mercedes-Benz management board member Markus Schaefer said.

CATL previously said it would start supplying cylindrical cells to BMW from 2025 for its new series of electric vehicles.

The Chinese company also said it is also examining the possibility of joining forces with local partners to establish facilities for battery materials in Europe.

As of end of 2021, CATL had an annual battery production capacity of 170.39 GWh, with 140 GWh capacity under construction. The company said previously it aims to install a total of 670 GWh annual capacity by 2025.

© Thomson Reuters 2022

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EU Says US Tax Credits for Electric Cars ‘Discriminatory’ Against Europeans

The EU on Thursday said it was “deeply concerned” by US moves to give American motorists a tax credit to buy electric vehicles, saying it was discriminatory against European carmakers.

“We think that it’s discriminatory, that is discriminating against foreign producers in relation to US producers. And of course, this would mean that it would be incompatible” with the World Trade Organization, European Commission spokeswoman, Miriam Garcia Ferrer, told journalists.

The US Senate on Sunday approved a clean energy and climate bill that includes a $7,500 (roughly Rs. 5,97,000) tax credit for every American who buys an electric vehicle from a North American factory that installs US-made electric batteries.

Brussels says that would deeply disadvantage non-US companies which source their batteries elsewhere. Europe is aiming to greatly boost its own electric battery production as it shifts to a climate-neutral future.

“The European Union is deeply concerned by this new potential transatlantic trade bill that the US is currently discussing,” Garcia Ferrer said.

While “tax credits are an important incentive to drive the demand for electric cars… we need to ensure that the measures introduced are fair,” she said.

“So we continue to urge the United States to remove these discriminatory elements from the bill and ensure it’s fully in compliance with the WTO.”

The bill, backed by President Joe Biden, now has to go to the US House of Representatives for another reading.

It comes as the United States seeks ways to reduce supply dependencies on China, which is the world’s biggest maker of lithium-ion electric batteries for vehicles, largely through the company Contemporary Amperex Technology Company Limited (CATL).

The head of America’s Alliance for Automotive Innovation, John Bozzella, said 70 percent of current electric vehicle models sold in the US would be ineligible for the tax credit because of the components used.

He urged Washington to expand the battery component requirement to “include nations that have collective defence arrangements with the United States, like NATO members, Japan and others”.

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Tesla India Executive Reportedly Resigned Weeks After Company Puts EV Plans in the Country on Hold

A key executive who was leading Tesla’s lobbying effort in India has resigned, weeks after the US carmaker put on hold plans to sell electric cars in the South Asian nation, two sources aware of the matter told Reuters.

Manuj Khurana, policy and business development executive at Tesla in India, was hired in March 2021 and played a key role in forming a domestic market-entry plan for the US carmaker in the country.

He lobbied the Indian government for more than a year to slash the import tax on electric cars to 40 percent from as high as 100 percent, a move Tesla said would allow it to test the market with imports from its production hubs like China before investing in a factory.

But Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government insisted Tesla must first commit to manufacturing cars locally before it can offer any concessions. With talks deadlocked, Tesla put its plans to sell cars in India on hold, reassigned some of the domestic team and abandoned its search for showroom space.

Neither Khurana, the company’s first employee in India, nor Tesla responded to requests for comment. An email sent to Khurana generated an automated reply saying the address was no longer valid and future emails would not be received.

“Tesla’s plans to launch in India right now are as good as dead,” said one of the sources.

The sources wished to remain anonymous because the resignation had not yet been made public.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Twitter last month that the company would not set up manufacturing in any location where it was not allowed first to sell and service cars.

The carmaker has also shifted its focus to other markets in Southeast Asia, like nickel-rich Indonesia, where it is looking at a potential battery-related investment, as well as Thailand, where it recently registered a local unit to sell cars.

© Thomson Reuters 2022

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Elon Musk Says No Plant in India Until Tesla Allowed to Sell, Service Imported Cars

Hinting that Tesla will not put a manufacturing plant in India the carmaker’s chief executive officer (CEO) Elon Musk said on Friday tweeted that until the company is first allowed to sell and service imported cars in the country there will be no setting up of the bases.
Responding to an individual on Twitter, who questioned Musk vis-a-vis Tesla’s plans to put up a manufacturing plant in India, the billionaire responded, “Tesla will not put a manufacturing plant in any location where we are not allowed first to sell and service cars.”

These comments suggest that the standstill between the government and Tesla in regard to setting up the manufacturing plant in the country continues.

Earlier in April, highlighting the conducive environment for automobile manufacturing in India, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that Elon Musk is welcome to manufacture e-vehicles in India, but in case the Tesla owner desires to build in China and sell here, it cannot be a “good proposition”.

Gadkari made the remarks while speaking at a private event in Delhi answering a question on Tesla’s concerns on “high duties” in India.

“It is a very easy alternative; if Elon Musk is ready to manufacture a Tesla in India, there is no problem. We have got all competencies, the vendors are available. We have got all types of technology and because of that, he can reduce the cost,” Gadkari said.

Inviting Tesla to start manufacturing in India, the Union Minister highlighted that India is a huge market, and infrastructure like ports are available to enable exports.

“He is welcome in India. We don’t have any problem, but, suppose, he wants to manufacture in China and sell in India, it cannot be a good proposition for India. Our request to him is, come to India and manufacture here,” Gadkari said.

Citing the tremendous growth in the e-vehicles sector in India over the last few years, Gadkari further said that “my suggestion to Elon Musk is, in India, he will get a good market and Indian market is very huge. It is a win-win situation for both.”

He added that India has all the quality vendors and automobile spare parts that are available in China and that “it can be easier for him to make here in India and sell in India. He will get good profits from that, and good economics is there. I will request him to come to India and start manufacturing here.”

Echoing similar sentiments, the Minister of State for Heavy Industries Krishan Pal Gurjar earlier in February told the Lok Sabha during Question Hour that there cannot be a situation where the market is in India but jobs are created in China.

In 2020, Musk announced plans to open the production of Tesla electric vehicles in India. A subsidiary of Tesla, India Motors and Energy Private Limited was established in Bengaluru in southwest India. Musk said he was ready to build a Tesla factory in India if the country reduces the cost of importing electric vehicles.

Elon Musk, an American entrepreneur and the founder of Tesla, said that the electric vehicle company continues to face “a lot of challenges” with the government regarding the setting up of car production in India.

Earlier in January, a Twitter user posted a tweet asking Musk whether there was any further update on Tesla’s manufacturing launch in India and saying the vehicles “deserve to be in every corner of the world.”

“Still working through a lot of challenges with the government, ” Musk answered on Twitter.

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Magenta to Hire Over 340 People Across Roles With New Offices Opening in Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Bengaluru

Home-grown electric vehicle charging and mobility solutions company Magenta on Tuesday said that it will hire more than 340 people in 2022. The announcement comes amidst Magenta expanding its geographical presence with new offices in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi NCR, the company said in a statement.

The company is looking to hire candidates in various positions, including entry-level, mid-level and those having more experience. It is participating in multiple campus and off-campus drives and planning to recruit across tier I and II institutes.

Magenta is looking at hiring employees with specific technical skill set, which includes embedded product design and development, infrastructure network management and telematics.

Along with technical fields, the company will hire talent across human resources, finance, marketing and communications roles.

“We have a strong growth plan lined up for the financial year 2022-23, driven by the multiple fold growth we achieved in FY22. We have set up audacious but achievable plans in tango with the growing EV (Electric Vehicle) ecosystem in India and abroad.

“The next 6-12 months are critical for the company’s growth ambitions, hence we are looking to hire over 340 people to match the demand of current and future businesses,” Magenta founder director Maxson Lewis said.

The company also said it is in discussions to raise Series B funding in 2022.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor India has recently joined hands with Tata Power to set up fast charging electric vehicle infrastructure across its select dealerships in the country.

Under the collaboration, 60kW DC charging stations will be installed at the company’s 34 EV dealerships in 29 cities to cater to all kinds of electric vehicles through Hyundai and Tata Power EZ Charge mobile app.

“The company is glad to announce its partnership with Tata Power to facilitate and strengthen India’s robust EV ecosystem and enhance the general outlook on sustainable transportation, reaffirming Hyundai’s vision to integrate social responsibility with economic prosperity and community wellness,” Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) MD & CEO Unsoo Kim said in a statement.

Such strategic partnerships are fundamental in accelerating the adoption of EVs by customers to achieve the national goal of carbon neutrality, he added.

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Nitin Gadkari Urges Advance Action Over EV Fire Incidents, Shares Concerns Over Rising Temperature on EV Batteries

Amid incidents of electric two-wheelers catching fire, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday urged companies to take advance action to recall all defective vehicles, even as he said there is some problem with EV batteries when the temperature rises in the months of March, April and May. The Road Transport and Highways Minister also acknowledged that the country’s EV industry has “just started” and emphasised that the government does not want to put up a hurdle.

“But safety is the highest priority for the government and there can be no compromise with human lives,” Gadkari said at the Raisina Dialogue.

His comments assume significance against the backdrop of multiple incidents of Electric Vehicles (EVs) catching fire and resulting in deaths and severe injuries to people.

During an interactive session, Gadkari reiterated that companies may take advance action to recall all defective batches of vehicles immediately.

“In March-April-May, the temperature rises, then there is some problem with the battery (of EVs). I feel that it (electric two-wheelers catching fire) is a problem of (high) temperature,” he said.

The road transport and highways minister noted that the government wants to make EVs popular.

“We understand that the EV industry has just started. We don’t want to put a hurdle. But safety is the highest priority for the government and there can be no compromise with human lives,” Gadkari asserted.

Last week, Gadkari, who is known for his frank views, had said that the companies found negligent will be penalised and a recall of all defective vehicles will be ordered after receiving the report of an expert panel that has been formed to enquire into the matter.

The government had ordered a probe last month after an e-scooter launched by ride-hailing operator Ola’s electric mobility arm caught fire in Pune.

The Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) had been asked to probe the circumstances that led to the incident and also suggest remedial measures, according to the road transport ministry. The ministry had also asked CFEES to share the findings along with its suggestions on measures to prevent such incidents

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