This week’s EV News Wrap includes: Vespa E-Scooter India Launch, Aptera Solar EV, Tesla in Indonesia, Ola in New Zealand, IESA,ELMS and more
1. Vespa Electric Scooter India launch confirmed, likely in 2022. Piagg India CEO and Managing Director Diego Graffi has confirmed that under the Vespa name a new electric scooter will be launched in India. Speaking to reporters in an online interaction, Graffi said that the electric scooter will be based on the Vespa Elettrica already available in Europe, but will be made specifically for the Indian market.
2. Aptera has introduced a solar and electric vehicle with a range of up to 1,000 miles on a full battery, which it claims most drivers won’t need to charge. Aptera car is powered by a combination of solar and electric energy – what the company refers to as its Never Charge technology – meaning drivers would be able to complete average journeys without having to stop for more power at charging stations.
3. The U.S based automaker Tesla will send delegations to Indonesia next month to discuss potential investment in a supply chain for its electric vehicles.
4. Commuters in Dehradun will be now able to travel in Zero Emission and noiseless Electric Buses from Olectra Greentech Limited. Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, S Trivendra Singh Rawat, flagged off these buses.
5. Okinawa has announced that it has discontinued the sale of lead-acid battery-based products in the country. The company has stopped manufacturing of the lead-acid scooter variants and will be focusing on the lithium-ion versions only, Okinawa said in a statement.
6. Bounce said it plans to add 4,000 electric scooters on its platform by February and transition to a 100% electric vehicle fleet by the third quarter of financial year 22.
7. India Energy Storage Alliance partners with United Nations Industrial Development Organization for “Facility of Low Carbon Deployment” Innovation Challenge for technology innovation in beta deployment of electrical energy storage in India. To support and encourage the new innovations in Indian energy storage and e-mobility space, FLCTD by U-N-I-D-O on November 1, 2020, launched the 4th round of innovation challenge. Grant upto $50,000 for winning technologies and recognition from Bureau of Energy Efficiency, U-N-I-D-O and I-E-S-A.
8. Ola will launch its electric two-wheeler range in New Zealand. The introduction of Ola’s electric scooters will help support the New Zealand government’s goal of on-roading 64,000 new electric vehicles by the end of 2021, while also helping the public sector become carbon neutral by 2025.
9. Volvo Cars is planning to start assembling electric motors at its powertrain plant in Skovde, Sweden, investing 700 million crowns ($83 million) to establish complete in-house e-motor production by the middle of the decade said the firm.
10. Indian electric vehicle market could be worth around Rs 14.42 lakh crore if the country were to achieve its 2030 electric vehicle ambitions but would need cumulative investment of about Rs 12.50 lakh crore for the same, according to a study by C-E-E-W Centre for Energy Finance.
11. Electric Last Mile Solutions recently said it has agreed to go public through a reverse merger with blank-check company Forum Merger III Corp in a deal that values the U.S. electric commercial vehicle maker at $1.4 billion.
12. Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Electricity company officials of Madhya Pradesh’s commercial city Indore will use electric vehicles starting 2021.