Subterms
Sales of the new Maruti Wagon R Electric or XL5 EV might be limited to select cities
The post Maruti WagonR Electric (XL5 EV) spied testing in Gurgaon appeared first on RushLane by Abhinand Venugopal. More
In July 2020, Bajaj Auto sold 120 units of the Chetak EV while TVS Motor Company sold just 23 units of the iQube e-scooter
The Indian automotive industry is focusing more on all-electric powertrains than ever before. In fact, the Indian government offers several incentives and benefits for EV owners, especially in urban environments where electric vehicles showcase the best potential at present. Recently, the Delhi government announced price cuts up to Rs 1.5 lakh for a specific number of fresh EV registrations.
If we take the four-wheeler segment, there are only three desirable choices: Hyundai Kona, MG ZS EV and Tata Nexon. Meanwhile, Mahindra is almost ready with the all-new eXUV300 or XUV300 Electric. Once launched, it will be a direct rival to Tata Motors’ Nexon EV subcompact crossover. The Indian automaker has already rolled out the 1000th Nexon EV from the dedicated facility in Pune. This is quite impressive for a segment that was once alien to the wider majority of buyers.
Among scooters, our market has a host of affordable choices from Hero Electric, Ampere Electric and Okinawa Scooters. Mainstream brands Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Company have also joined the party at a higher price bracket with the all-new Chetak EV and iQube, respectively.
Bajaj Chetak vs TVS iQube Electric Sales
In July 2020, Bajaj Chetak sales hit 120 units while the iQube could garner only 23 units. If we take the April-July quarter, sales touched the same 120 units for the Chetak and 50 units more for the iQube.
Priced from Rs 1 lakh ex-showroom, the Bajaj Chetak is powered by a 3kWh battery coupled to a 4.8kW (6.44bhp) motor good for 16Nm of mechanical torque. Range figures cross 95km on a full charge. It takes the e-scooter almost five hours to completely charge from empty, using a standard wall charger.
Carrying a starting price of Rs 1.15 lakh on-road (Bangalore), the TVS iQube has a 4.4kW (5.9bhp) hub motor rated at 140Nm of ‘motor torque’. Charging times are roughly the same but maximum range drops to almost 75kms.
India’s EV scenario
It is quite evident that electric powertrains work best in the scooter segment. In fact, one could argue that modern e-scooters are much better than conventional petrol-CVT examples. Premium e-scooters such as Ather Energy models have set a high benchmark in the industry in terms of design, features, performance and most importantly, their ability to remain relevant thanks to OTA updates.
The fact that certain electric vehicles are capable of upgrading itself with new features and functions just by connecting to the internet is something which the market did not anticipate a few years back. For the average ‘non-car’ person who just wants to travel from one point to another, EVs have started making more sense. More
Tata Nexon Electric production has crossed the milestone figure of 1,000 units today
Tata Motors has rolled out its 1000th Nexon EV. The company confirms segment dominance with 62 percent market share in Q1 FY21. Nexon Electric SUV is manufactured at the company’s Pune plant. The feat has been achieved in a little over 6-months since commercial launch.
Indian EV segments across the spectrum are still in a nascent stage of production, and competition with most manufacturers not yet participating. This leaves buyers with a small variety to pick from. With only 4 automakers offering EVs for now, and not all of them existing in the same segment, Tata Motors finds itself at an advantageous position in the segment.
Tata’s other EV offering, Electric Tigor sedan is available with a drive range of 140 km and 213 km, and is offered as a fleet only vehicle. Nexon EV is offered as a personal mobility option with a drive range of 312 km on a single charge. With drive range anxiety being one of many reasons potential buyers are sceptical, Nexon EV range puts a stop to such concerns for anyone considering an EV purchase.
Tata Nexon Electric being delivered to respective owners. File photo.
Recently announced Delhi EV Policy outline will help guide EV adaption in Delhi-NCR, and includes a host of benefits for EV buyers. Shailesh Chandra, President – Passenger Vehicle Business, Tata Motors Ltd. said, “Acceptance of EVs is accelerating fast, and we are seeing growing interest in it from all parts of the country. The rollout of the 1000th Nexon EV in a short time span, despite the challenges of Covid-19, reflects the rising interest of personal segment buyers in EVs.
Tata Motors will continue to innovate and develop comprehensive sustainable mobility solutions meeting global standards. EVs are the future and as the industry leader, we are committed to make them desirable and a mainstream choice for the customers.”
Tata Nexon EV Subscription
To expand its scope, Tata EV Subscription model has been introduced. The subscription plan begins at Rs.41,900 for a 3 year fixed plan. Customers can select from a 18, 24 to 36 month tenure. Subscription fee is inclusive of comprehensive insurance cover, road side assistance and end to end maintenance.
For now, the service is available in Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru in collab with Orix Auto Infrastructure. Subscription rate is Rs.44,900 for a period of 24 months and Rs.47,900 for an 18 month leasing period.
While a subscription plan is an easy road to car ownership, the finance model is fairly unexplored in the consumer segment. Tata uniEVerse e-mobility ecosystem looks to leverage Group company strengths to develop the EV environment. Customers can access e-mobility solutions, including charging stations, retail experiences and easy finance options. More
Hyderabad based PUR Energy Pvt Ltd, aka PURENERGY has launched yet another scooter in India today
The new scooter is – Pure EV ETrance plus electric scooter launch price is listed at Rs 56,999, ex-sh. Etrance Plus features a 1.25 KWH portable battery with 65 kms on-road drive range. Classified as a low-speed electric scooter, with speed likely to be limited to 25 km/hr, full charge should take about 4 hours. Available in 4 colour options, Pure EV says, the new scooter is built on a robust chassis, and body design to suit Indian road conditions.
Mr. Rohit Vadera, Chief Executive Officer of PuREnergy, said, “ETrance+’ comes with a robust chassis design, body parts built for Indian road conditions and advanced features like regenerative braking, eABS and a SOC indicator shows the percentage of battery capacity remaining. We are confident that this model will meet the requirements of the majority of customers looking to buy EVs for their daily short commutes.”
Features include regenerative braking, eABS, and SOC indicator to display remaining battery capacity percentage. With a product range that comprises bikes/cycles, and mopeds, and scooters, Etrance Plus is now the brand’s entry level e-scooter. Below is the official video.
[embedded content]
Other electric two wheelers on offer by the company are Epluto, Etrance, Egnite and Etron+. The newly launched ETrance+ is a scooter, while the existing ETrance is a moped. Etrance offers 60 km range on the back of a 1KWH battery. For the Etrance+ scooter range is now enhanced, thanks to 1.25 KWH battery.
Etrance moped featured a storage box upfront but this will not be used in Etrance Plus scooter. The new electric scooter houses battery storage and regular storage areas below the seat.
Electric scooter and two-wheeler industry progression
Pure EV depends on in-house manufacturing of lithium batteries designed to work in varied environmental conditions, and a strong mechanical product design team. Working with various suppliers aids fabrication of critical components at affordable costs. With a new announcement from MoRTH pertaining to portable batteries for easy charging and swapping, companies like EV Pure could find themselves making strides.
The govt now considers listing EV scooter and two-wheelers prices without battery cost to effectively reduce upfront product price. This means buying a battery may soon be a thing of the past. A new business model could soon be developed to rent a battery for a fee, and swap it for another when in need of charge. Swappable batteries need to be type approved should essentially be available for purchase or rent from the OEM, or from an energy service provider.
PureEV electric scooter warranty
Third party-backed extended warranty schemes are curated for comprehensive warranty coverage for three years to offer long-term product reliability. The brand offers 70 percent performance warranty for battery for a 3-year tenure or 30,000 kms for EPluto, and 3-year or 40,000 kms for EPluto 7G. Such benefits are expected to be extended to the new Etrance Plus electric scooter.
Major components under one-year warranty coverage are controller, and charger and motor. The latter is expected to be extended to 3-years. years. Pure EV collaborates with IIT Hyderabad R&D labs, which provide strong tech support. More
At the moment, electric powertrains see high potential among scooters and commuter motorcycles
It may be recalled that eMotion Motors of Coimbatore had unveiled the eMotion Surge electric motorcycle at Auto Expo 2020, earlier this year. It was showcased in a near-production format while plans were afoot to launch the electric bike sometime in September.
However, COVID-19 put all those plans into disarray. Coordination with suppliers for essential components and certification issues have also delayed the initial launch timeline. The pandemic has definitely spread its impact beyond the health of mankind. Several businesses still remain in a state of struggle. If we take the Indian automotive industry, OEMs are gradually seeing an increase in sales.
eMotion Motors now plans to launch the electric motorcycle sometime next year. Once launched, the eMotion Surge will become India’s first geared electric motorcycle. A test mule of this motorcycle has started road testing in Coimbatore.
The eMotion Surge has been under development for the past seven years and was put through over 30,000kms of testing. It will be available in two variants: Surge 6K and Surge 10K. eMotion Motors has shared the latest images of the EV (in prototype stage) on its social media handles.
Key highlights
As the nomenclature suggests, the Surge 6K will pack lesser output and hence, cost considerably less. eMotion Motors claims that the ‘6K motor’ is roughly 40 per cent lower on performance than its ’10K’ sibling and can tough a top speed of 100km/h. It has a 3-speed transmission. On the other hand, the eMotion Surge 10K is capable of going at 120km/h while mated to a 4-speed transmission. Peak torque stands at 28Nm.
The e-motorcycle employs three 2.88kWh swappable battery units that can return almost 200kms on a full charge. The system can recharge almost entirely from a standard charging facility in roughly 3.5 hours. This comes down to 50 minutes using a DC fast-charger.
The eMotion Surge, at Auto Expo 2020, was finished in a dual-tone black/red paint scheme. Notable features include 7.0 digital instrument console, smartphone connectivity, navigation, cloud technology, geo-tagging, anti-theft, smart key, reverse mode, etc. At present, all-electric powertrains see high potential among two-wheelers, especially scooters and commuter motorcycles. In fact, an e-scooter oftentimes makes more sense than a conventional petrol-CVT alternative.
In addition to the domestic market, eMotion Motors is planning to start exports at a later stage. The company has not mentioned the pricing of ‘India’s first geared electric motorcycle’ but one can expect figures to start at Rs 1.30 lakh ex-showroom (roughly Rs 25,000 more for the 10K). More
Royal Enfield reveals that it has developed several EV prototypes by a newly formed dedicated team
Across global automotive industries, EVs or Electric Vehicles are clearly the next big thing. The Indian government is also encouraging EV startups and emission-free alternatives in the passenger vehicle segment. Choices are very narrow at the moment but major automakers are investing a lot into new EV platforms, especially for the affordable category.
Presently, there are only three desirable EVs among four-wheelers: Tata Nexon EV, MG ZS EV and Hyundai Kona. Mahindra’s eXUV300 or XUV300 Electric will join the party very soon. It was only recently that the Delhi Government announced substantial incentives for electric vehicles.
Under ‘Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy’, newly registered EVs are eligible for a price cut of Rs 10,000 for each kWh battery capacity (highest applicable price deduction: Rs 1.50 lakh).
Image for reference
It appears that two-wheelers, particularly scooters, offer the best platforms to develop electric powertrains that can meet or surpass the potential and desirability of conventional petrol examples. Performance-focused electric motorcycles might not be as ‘engaging’ or ‘fun’ as an ICE alternative coming in the same price bracket, at least in the foreseeable future. Yet mainstream motorcycle makers are betting big on EVs.
Royal Enfield’s EV plans
Royal Enfield confirms that it has been developing electric prototypes for quite some time. In fact, the Chennai-based motorcycle manufacturer has even formed a dedicated team to analyse market demands and trends in order to target the final emission-free product(s) at the right customer base.
Vinod Dasari, CEO of Royal Enfield, told Moneycontrol that the company has major plans for all-electric motorcycles. He states that when it comes to electric vehicles, the question is not whether such mobility would come but ‘when’. ”Electric is something we take very seriously,” shares Vinod Dasari.
Meanwhile, Royal Enfield is almost ready with the next-gen ‘UCE 350’ models, starting with the much-awaited Meteor 350 (Thunderbird 350 replacement). The company had discontinued its ‘UCE 500’ lineup ahead of BS6 emission norms due to poor demand and stiffer competition.
We have shared a few all-electric Royal Enfield builds in the past such as Hound Electric’s E-Bullet and Electric Classic Cars’ Photon. As a fitting alternative, an unofficial Jawa EV render has also made its way to social media. It is worth mentioning that Classic Legends (parent company of Jawa Motorcycles) is working on an all-new electric motorcycle under ‘Yezdi’ brand. It would take at least two years or so for both Royal Enfield and Jawa Motorcycles to launch their first tailpipe-free model line. More
The Kona electric was tested at Lausitzring circuit in Germany proving the company’s leadership in electric mobility
Hyundai Motors has tested the range of 3 Kona electric cars at the Lausitzring circuit in Germany. This was done so as to prove its leadership in electrified mobility. These Kona EVs used for the test were factory spec models and unmodified. The three Kona EVs were tested for three days at the circuit and each travelled 1,018.7 km, 1,024.1 km and 1,026 km on a single charge.
The test was conducted by German auto magazine Auto Bild and was monitored by Dekra – an European vehicle inspection company that has operated the Lausitzring racetrack since 2017. The drive teams were one from Auto Bild and two from Hyundai Motor Deutschland.
To claim this record, the air conditioning, and infotainment system were switched off while only the daytime running lights were on so as to comply with regulations prevalent in the country. The three Hyundai Kona EVs were fitted with standard low rolling resistance Nexen N Fera SU1 tyres of size 215/55R17. Watch the video below showing the record attempt run.
[embedded content]
The 3 days of test, which included 36 drivers recording average speed of 30 km/h saw each distance represent a record as per capacity of the 64 kWh battery pack which powers the Kona EV. Power consumption figures of 6.28, 6.25 and 6.24 kWh per 100 km stood below the average of 14.7 kWh per 100 km as is determined by Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).
Another outstanding feat is that the Kona EVs managed to cover a distance of 20 kms on 3 percent residual capacity and continued to drive over several hundred meters even with zero percent charge. The test has once again proved to Kona electric customers that they can traverse over long distances without any stress of recharge or range.
Hyundai Kona Electric in India
Hyundai Kona electric SUV is also on sale in India. Here too it has managed to impress its owners. Recently, Bangalore based owner of Kona electric gave his car for 1st year service. The cost for service including labour charges, taxes, etc – was just Rs 1,043.
Hyundai Kona getting charged at the PlugNgo electric car charging station in Delhi
Another owner, again from Bangalore, stated that he managed to do 385 kms run from Bangalore to Coimbatore in his Kona, on a single charge. The owner stated that full charge is achieved in about Rs 250, which implies that it cost him about 65 paise per km.
Hyundai’s new Ioniq brand
With Hyundai seeing success in its EV car tech, they have now announced the launch of an all electric sub brand called Ioniq. Under this new brand, Hyundai will launch three new EV models planned for launch over the next 4 years. Extensive plans also see the automaker aim to sell over 1 million units of battery electric vehicles globally. This will help the company to take a market share of 10 percent in EV segment, and go on to become a leader in the global electric vehicle segment by 2025.
The first Ioniq will be the Ioniq 5 midsized crossover SUV set for launch in 2021. It will be followed by the Ioniq 6 sedan in 2022 while in 2024 the Ioniq 7 large SUV will be launched. Each of these vehicles will be built on a global modular platform which Hyundai calls the E-GMP. More
Hyderabad based PUR Energy Pvt Ltd, aka PURENERGY has launched yet another scooter in India today
The new scooter is – Pure EV ETrance plus electric scooter launch price is listed at Rs 56,999, ex-sh. Etrance Plus features a 1.25 KWH portable battery with 65 kms on-road drive range.
Classified as a low-speed electric scooter, with speed likely to be limited to 25 km/hr, full charge should take about 4 hours. Available in 4 colour options, Pure EV says, the new scooter is built on a robust chassis, and body design to suit Indian road conditions. Features include regenerative braking, eABS, and SOC indicator to display remaining battery capacity percentage.
With the festive season in play, Pure EV is offering a combined discount of upto 7k depending on product. With a product range that comprises bikes/cycles, and mopeds, and scooters, Etrance Plus is now the brand’s entry level e-scooter. Below is the official video.
[embedded content]
Other electric two wheelers on offer by the company are Epluto, Etrance, Egnite and Etron+. The newly launched ETrance+ is a scooter, while the existing ETrance is a moped. Etrance offers 60 km range on the back of a 1KWH battery. For the Etrance+ scooter range is now enhanced, thanks to 1.25 KWH battery.
Etrance moped featured a storage box upfront but this will not be used in Etrance Plus scooter. The new electric scooter houses battery storage and regular storage areas below the seat.
Electric scooter and two-wheeler industry progression
Pure EV depends on in-house manufacturing of lithium batteries designed to work in varied environmental conditions, and a strong mechanical product design team. Working with various suppliers aids fabrication of critical components at affordable costs. With a new announcement from MoRTH pertaining to portable batteries for easy charging and swapping, companies like EV Pure could find themselves making strides.
The govt now considers listing EV scooter and two-wheelers prices without battery cost to effectively reduce upfront product price. This means buying a battery may soon be a thing of the past. A new business model could soon be developed to rent a battery for a fee, and swap it for another when in need of charge. Swappable batteries need to be type approved should essentially be available for purchase or rent from the OEM, or from an energy service provider.
PureEV electric scooter warranty
Third party-backed extended warranty schemes are curated for comprehensive warranty coverage for three years to offer long-term product reliability. The brand offers 70 percent performance warranty for battery for a 3-year tenure or 30,000 kms for EPluto, and 3-year or 40,000 kms for EPluto 7G. Such benefits are expected to be extended to the new Etrance Plus electric scooter.
Major components under one-year warranty coverage are controller, and charger and motor. The latter is expected to be extended to 3-years. years. Pure EV collaborates with IIT Hyderabad R&D labs, which provide strong tech support. More
