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      Maruti Omni Electric MPV Imagined In New Render By Design Student

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      New Gen Maruti Omni Electric – Render
      Maruti Omni was discontinued last year after being in 35 years in the market due to outdated safety norms

      At the last Auto Expo held earlier this year in February, many manufacturers showcased concepts of their older generation models as future electric cars. The most prominent of all was seen in Tata Motors’ pavilion in the form of Sierra EV based on Tata Sierra which was a popular SUV back in the 1990s.
      It generated quite a bit of buzz and trended on the internet as well. Similar to that in recent months, more than one case of Maruti 800 has been digitally rendered as an electric vehicle, some of them even nailing the micro hatchback’s design. In a similar instance, a designer has rendered the image of the next-gen Maruti Omni as an EV.
      Maruti Omni, although discontinued, continues to be part of many livelihoods, especially those who carry out small businesses. It has also been actively used as a ferrying machine to drop children to and from their homes and schools.
      Even though it has been infamously described as a kidnapping machine, thanks to multiple bollywood movies using the car for kidnapping scenes! But truth be told, it was a perfect utility van for people on a strict budget. Although it had its fair share of drawbacks it was surely one piece of a reliable machine.
      New Gen Maruti Omni Electric – Render
      Exterior Design
      Automobile design student, Shashank Shekhar (@shekhar_design01) has reimagined a new generation Omni with an electric powertrain. Like the IC engine-powered model, this rendered Omni also adopts a boxy design. However, here it features a semi-bonnet package, as opposed to the discontinued model’s cab-over format. In real-world, this could lead to slightly better performance due to improved aerodynamic design. Overall, this would lead to enhanced safety as well.
      At the front end, it gets similar rectangular headlamps with C-shaped and straight-line LED inserts that are smoked. This makes it look very premium and futuristic. The bonnet and front bumper have a clean contour with uninterrupted surfacing giving a very low profile look.

      Further down, it is laced with horizontal LED fog lamps. On sides, it features squarish wheel arches, alloy wheels along chunky wing mirrors. The black underbody claddings and a high ground clearance give it a more rugged look.
      Door handles of the conventional front door and sliding rear doors are placed together and form a single unit. It also gets a side turn indicator on its B-pillar which complements the ones integrated on the side ORVMs.

      The rear of Omni EV gets familiar combination lamps but with LED light guides and are connected by a full-width LED stripe on its tailgate. From this profile, Omni appears to be wider. It also gets additional goodies such as rear wipers, defoggers and fog lamps. It is also offered in a dual-tone colour scheme.
      Dimensions
      The designer further elaborates on his design that his version of Omni EV will measure 4,000mm in length; 1,735mm in width and 1,860mm in height. In retrospect, the older Omni measured 3,370 mm in length, 1,410 mm in width and 1,640 mm in height therefore clearly this rendered model is bigger than its predecessor. This rendered Omni EV if at all make it to market will cost between Rs 5-7 lakh (ex-showroom).
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      LG and Magna charge ahead with EV component venture – Roadshow

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      This new joint venture is expected to be finalized by the middle of 2021.
      LG Electronics/Magna/Craig Cole/Roadshow
      As the electric-car revolution slowly gains momentum, more and more companies are making investments to support this seismic shift. On Wednesday, South Korea’s LG Electronics announced it’s forming a joint venture with Canadian automotive supplier Magna International, CNBC reports. The tie-up will focus on building power inverters, electric motors and onboard chargers, among other items — components that are all required for electric vehicles. This new partnership will likely be called LG Magna e-Powertrain. Ownership of the new outfit will be split between the two parent companies, with LG holding 51% of it and Magna the remaining 49%, with a total value of around $1 billion. The deal is not complete just yet, though it’s expected to be a done deal by July of next year. Shareholder approval and other conditions still need to be met. Once the ink is dry, the new partnership is expected to employ around 1,000 people. They will work at LG facilities in Seoul, China and the US. Both Magna and LG have extensive experience building components for electric vehicles. The former makes parts for Volkswagen and the latter provides motors and battery packs to GM for the Chevrolet Bolt hatchback.This LG-Magna joint venture is the latest in a wave of partnerships and consolidations in the automotive industry. Aisin, Seiki, Denso and Toyota created a combined firm called BluE Nexus, and BorgWarner recently bought Delphi. More corporate tie-ups like these are entirely possible in the near future, which should keep things moving in the electric vehicle market.

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      Sonalika Tiger Electric Tractor India Launch Price Rs 5.99 Lakh

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      Sonalika Tiger Electric Tractor
      Tiger Electric gets its power via a IP67 compliant 25.5 kW natural cooling battery – To be fully charged via home charging point in 10 hours

      Sonalika Tractors has launched the field ready Tiger electric tractor in India. Designed in Europe, this tractor boasts of the latest in global technology solutions and comes across at the first electric tractor in the country. This endeavour is a part of the Government of India’s ‘Make-in-India’ initiative and target to move towards electric vehicles by the year 2030.
      Launched on ‘Farmer’s Day’
      Sonalika’s Tiger Electric tractor is launched in ‘Farmer’s Day’ (23rd Dec). It delivers seamless power, is capable of zero carbon footprint and offers Indian farmers noiseless farming. Its facility for easy charging via a home charger in a matter of 10 hours is also a part of its convenience features and reduces the trips to fuel stations for refills. The company is also offering fast charging facility option, via which you can charge 100% in 4 hours.
      Tiger Electric is produced from the Sonalika manufacturing unit in Hoshiarpur in Punjab. This plant is powered by robotics and automation and is capable of rolling out a new tractor every 2 minutes.
      Introductory Pricing
      Launched at an introductory price of Rs.5,99,000, this new electric tractor from Sonalika is open for bookings at all company showrooms across the country. It receives the same global technology that is offered to American and European farmers.
      Sonalika Tiger Electric Tractor
      Sonalika Tiger Electric Tractor is powered by a IP67 compliant, 25.5 kW natural cooling compact battery that offers 1/4th running cost of a diesel powered tractor. The motor offers high power density and high peak torque with zero rpm drop for efficient performance and this high torque relates to faster pick up across any load conditions.
      Tiger Electric is capable of a top speed of 24.93 km/h with battery backup of 8 hours while operating with a 2 tonne trolley. It is built for better comfort for farmers as there is no heat transferred from the engine while it is made up of fewer parts that vastly reduces vibration. This also relates to less production down time and practically zero maintenance costs.
      Sonalika Tiger Electric Tractor – Features
      Sonalika In India
      Raman Mittal, Executive Director, Sonalika Group, has commented that the Tiger Electric tractor is the company’s commitment to accelerate India towards a greener future and is in line with the Government of India’s plan for introducing electric vehicles by 2030.
      Sonalika Tractors leads industrial growth with November 2020. The company reported 71 percent growth in the past month with sales at 11,478 units, its third highest monthly sales in FY21. The company offers customized tractors and implements helping the farmer to increase productivity which makes the company’s products the first choice for farmers in the country. More

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      Apple Electric Car Launch Planned For 2024 – Hey Siri, Will It Rival Tesla?

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      Apple electric car render by carwow
      Apple will develop its own battery technology that could reduce cost and to offer an extend vehicle range

      Apple, the makers of the iPhones, iPads, Macbooks and multiple accessories to support their tech products; has been reportedly eyeing to enter the automotive industry. The company will build self driving cars and is targeting launch sometime in 2024 as per a Reuters report.
      For this purpose, Apple is developing its own battery technology. The batteries will not only be more economical but will also extend vehicle range by a significant extent. Not much is known about their car battery and its optimization.
      But knowing Apple and their optimization levels, one can expect it to be surprisingly good. Apple recently shocked the tech world, when they doubled their laptop battery life per full charge, just with the introduction of M1 chip. Cars are completely different. But still, Apple is one of the leaders in battery optimization today.
      2024 Target
      The endeavour of Apple to enter the self driving car arena dates back to 2014 with ‘Project Titan’. The company designed its own vehicle from scratch but had to withdraw efforts to focus on software with the project being brought to a standstill in 2017. The aim is now to build a vehicle for consumer and produce self driving car technology and is targeting 2024 to introduce the passenger vehicle with its own breakthrough in battery technology.
      Tesla Model 3 – Apple electric car could rival Tesla
      With Apple not being any car manufacturer, there is a possibility that the company will rely on a manufacturing partner to build the Apple Car or it might just build the software and intelligence for the Apple self driving car and license this technology to partners more well versed with the automotive industry. With a target to introduce this autonomous vehicle by 2024, the current pandemic situation could push production operations to 2025 or even a few years ahead.
      Making an autonomous vehicle could even pose a problem to a company like Apple. While they have sound knowledge in electronics, the company has never ventured into the automobile arena and it even took someone like Tesla’s Elon Musk 17 years to gain sustainable profit making cars.
      Lidar Sensors and Monocell Design
      Apple is currently in talks with lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor suppliers, apart from the ones which already supply lidar sensors for their new iPhone released this year. Lidar sensors will deliver real time, accurate 3-D view of the world around their car. This will help the car execute multiple autonomous functions. Apple is also developing its own lidar sensors and related technology.
      The company is also mulling the chemistry for a battery called LFP – Lithium Iron Phosphate which is less likely to overheat and will hence be safer as against other types of lithium ion batteries. Also if Apple plans to use a monocell design, it will help to free up space inside the battery pack thus eliminating pouches and modules that hold individual battery material.
      The Apple self driving car project is being overseen by the team engineers headed by John Giannandrea, Apple Head of Artificial Intelligence who also oversees voice based digital assistant ‘Siri’.
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      Ola Electric Rickshaw Patent Leaks – Gets Solar Panels To Increase Range

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      Ola Electric Rickshaw Patent Filed
      Ride hailing firm Ola seeks to double its current headcount of 2,000 employees in its EV business segment over the next 6 months

      The electric vehicle scenario in India is going from strength to strength. Every automaker, be it two, three or four wheeler, is making a bee line for this segment, which reports suggest could be a Rs.50,000 crore opportunity in India by 2025.
      Along with cars and two wheelers, the e-rickshaw has also emerged as a forerunner in the country and this market could shift to lithium ion batteries by as much as 40 percent over the next 4-5 years.Ola Electric, apart from planning launch of a new electric scooter in India as early as next year, is also scheduled to mark its entry into the e-rickshaw segment in India.
      Auto rickshaws form a major part of transportation in India and having a ride hailing service with zero tail pipe emissions could appeal to a larger set of customers. Mahindra has launched an all-electric e-Alfa Mini rickshaw while there are many startups that have electric 3 wheeler offerings in the country.
      Ola Electric Rickshaw Patent Leaked
      Ola has long been mulling entry into the two and three wheeler electric vehicle segment following the acquisition of Etergo BV of Netherlands earlier this year. The company recently announced an electric scooter range for New Zealand as a part of the Govt. of New Zealand’s target of around 64,000 new electric vehicles in the country by 2021.
      Ola Electric Rickshaw Patent Filed
      The company along with planning its e-scooter range in India and plans to set up the largest scooter factory in India is also set to enter the three wheeler EV segment as a recent patent image has revealed. The image show off the Ola electric three wheeler in similar proportion to the Mahindra Treo.
      It gets a raked windshield with wipers, circular shaped headlamps, roof rails and a flat roof so as to accommodate the solar panels. These solar panels will help charge the battery on the go, and will also increase the drive range. There is a bench for three occupants at the rear and a spacious area for the driver.
      Launch plans are set for sometime in 2021 for the cab sector and ride hailing services in the country as an extension of its taxi hailing service which Ola currently offers with cabs in the micro, mini, premium sedan, prime play and premium SUV and LUX segments.
      Ola E-Rickshaws
      The new Ola e-rickshaws will get a maintenance free lithium ion battery pack with long range while owners will be assured of a hassle free ownership along with low cost of maintenance and better rider and passenger comforts. Ola targets around 10,000 two and three wheeler electric vehicles along with electric four wheelers that will form a part of its ride hailing business.
      Earlier this week, Ola announced to invest Rs 2,400 crore to setup world’s largest scooter plant in Tamil Nadu, which will have production capacity of 20 lakh units per year. It will create 10,000 jobs. The electric rickshaw from Ola is also expected to be produced at the same plant. More

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      Smart ForFour Electric Car Spotted In Bangalore – Near Mercedes Showroom

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      Smart ForFour Electric Car Spotted In Bangalore
      While the Smart ForFour will thrive in a congested city environment, it is too expensive for India

      Smart, a popular European city car brand which was born out of a partnership between famed Swiss watch maker Swatch and Mercedes-Benz, has no official presence in India. The Smart ForTwo and ForFour micro-hatchbacks feel at home in congested urban environment with narrow seats and hard-to-find parking spots. These cars will excel in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and so on, but they are deemed too expensive for our market.
      Smart ForFour in Bangalore
      A Smart ForFour with private registration plates has been recently spotted in Bangalore, by automotive enthusiast Paulson. The car was spotted near a Mercedes Benz showroom. A little bit of digging showed that the five-door micro-crossover-esque hatchback is registered to Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV). It has been registered in 2018 but interestingly there are no documented spotting prior to this instance.
      Perhaps the vehicle spent most of its time indoors as a part of an internal project. After all, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) is based in Bangalore and plays a significant role in the automaker’s global R&D network.
      It is also possible that, as the registration details suggest, one of DICV’s top expat officials wished to use the Smart ForFour as their official company car instead of a swanky Mercedes in a bid to beat the infamous Bangalore traffic.
      Smart ForFour Electric Car in Bangalore
      So, the ForFour could be a private import as a company car. The proper registration suggests that the vehicle is not here for testing purposes and hence we don’t expect Smart to make its Indian foray anytime soon.
      Smart ForFour at a glance
      Introduced in 2014, the current generation of Smart ForFour shares its platform with the Renault Twingo small car. The entry-level model is powered by a 1.0-liter three-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine which puts outs a modest 70 hp while higher variants get a 0.9-liter turbocharged three-pot petrol unit which is good for 90 hp. There is also a EQ ForFour, a pure electric variant which has 82 hp on tap.

      In terms of equipment, the Europe-spec Smart ForFour features a touchscreen infotainment system, multiple airbags, ABS, ESP, alloy wheels, dual-tone exterior color theme and so on. The ForFour is a zippy and nimble urban runabout.
      India’s Smart ForFour equivalents
      The Smart ForFour is for the European market what the Maruti Ignis is for India. The SUV-ish hatchback a.k.a. micro-crossover is an emerging concept in our market with three new models in the pipeline namely the Tata HBX, Citroen CC21 and Hyundai AX1 (all are codenames). More

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      Daimler Plans To Launch First Electric Truck In India

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      Image for reference
      India could soon gets its first ever electric truck – Thanks to Daimler

      In a first, Daimler India Commercial Vehicle (DICV) is prepping up for the launch of an electric truck in the Indian market. The update was revealed by Union Minister, Nitin Gadkari. While electric buses are already operational here, electric trucks are still to make their debut.
      More details about Daimler’s first electric truck for India will be revealed during the ‘Future Mobility’ event, which is scheduled to be held next year. Daimler already has revealed Mercedes electric truck in Europe. It could be the same Mercedes electric range that is brought to India. Or, they can get the Fuso electric truck too.
      In international markets, Daimler currently has the light-duty Fuso eCanter electric truck. As per plans, the second-gen version of this electric truck will be launched next year. The current model can run 100 km on a single charge. Its payload carrying capacity is up to 3,200 kg.
      First mover advantage
      If DICV can execute its plans in a timely manner, it could have the first-mover advantage in the electric truck segment. As of now, most of the leading automakers in the country such as Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, and VE Commercial Vehicles are focused on electric buses in the CV segment.
      Daimler Mercedes Electric Truck
      Some of these have already launched electric buses whereas others are in the process of developing such vehicles. There are some China based companies as well such as Beiqi Foton and BYD, who are backing India based firms to manufacture electric buses.
      Daimler’s electric truck launch will support government policies that aim to make India a hub for electric vehicle manufacturing. In the long term, the shift to electric will help the country to reduce its dependence on oil imports.
      Bullish on Indian market
      Daimler understands the potential of Indian market, which is why it has always taken an aggressive approach in terms of new product launches and technology integrations. As may be recalled, the company had earlier launched Bharat Stage 5 (BS-V) trucks even though the requirement was only for BS4. As per the government’s decision, automakers in the country have shifted directly to BS6 from BS4. The plans for an electric truck yet again reveal the company’s positive expectations from the Indian market.
      DICV’s current portfolio comprises Fuso and BharatBenz range of trucks and buses. Even though the company’s wholesale numbers were down by 36% to 14,500 units in 2019, the company has announced fresh investments worth Rs 2,277 crore. This was as per an agreement with the Tamil Nadu government signed earlier this year in May.
      DICV will be using the investments to increase commercial vehicle production at its Oragadam plant in Chennai. It is expected that around 400 jobs will be created with the expansion plan. Daimler India’s retail sales last year were 15,200 units, which is YoY de-growth of 29% in comparison to 2018. Market share in 9-ton plus category has also dipped from 6% in 2018 to 5.8% in 2019.
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