July 2020: Monthly Electric Vehicle News Roundup

1. Centre amends motor vehicle act to improve hybrid vehicle sales, spare tyre not necessary in all cars

The amendment comes despite the increasing number of electric vehicles on the market.  It can be used to fit a larger battery to free up space that is otherwise occupied by the spare tyre. Because the rising nation carbon footprint is at the core of leading environmental concerns, India has taken several steps to promote electric vehicle development.

The new legislation will lead to the ability of electric vehicles to carry a larger battery, which in effect would increase the vehicle range. One of the main concerns among Indian buyers is range anxiety over the many aspects of an EV.

2. India’s first public EV charging spot opened in Delhi

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) in cooperation with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has built the EV charging plaza opened on Monday. EESL claims to lead the growth of the EV ecosystem in India by undertaking aggregation of demands for the procurement of EVs and by defining creative business models for the implementation of the Public Charging Station (PCS). Electric vehicles in India are still in a nascent stage, even though in recent times rapid steps have been taken. Apart from comparatively high costs, problems such as range anxiety and infrastructure funding remain of prime concern.

3. Canadian company recycles the minerals from batteries for electric vehicles  

With electric cars becoming more popular, demand for lithium-ion battery batteries is growing. Yet the industry needs more lithium, cobalt, and nickel to improve demand. One potential cause is batteries not in use anymore. For old lithium-ion batteries, Li-Cycle uses a two-step process to recycle more than 80 percent of the materials. The solution produces fewer carbon emissions from the ground than mining certain minerals. So, it addresses another problem that the booming industry is dealing with: how to dispose of spent batteries safely and sustainably. Li-Cycle has a demonstration plant in Canada and Phalpher says a new facility is being built in Rochester, New York.

4. Natick and Eversource partner to introduce 3 charging stations for electric vehicles to town   

NATICK – Eversource has recently completed the construction of three dual-port electric vehicles (EV) charging stations situated in the new Connor Heffler Park, Dug Pond, and John J Lane Park and Community Gardens, in collaboration with the Town of Natick. The energy corporation has been able to securely and effectively install these charging stations when working under their pandemic program COVID-19. This collaboration supports the Town of Natick and the commitment of the energy company to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Commonwealth, of which 40 percent come from the transport sector. Town officials used the EV charging station system Eversource used to mount the ports. The program will deal with the electrical infrastructure costs required for the stations and also manages the process from beginning to end.

5. SsangYong starts teasing 2021 Korando EV, its electric vehicles for the first time

SsangYong released the first teaser images of its electric vehicle-based in Korando which will be debuting in the first half of 2021. The pair of official renderings show many improvements compared to the ICE-powered SsangYong Korando, chief of which is characteristic of electric vehicles’ closed radiator grille. SsangYong claims the front hood is made of aluminium for weight saving and centre of gravity optimization. The automaker adds the closed-off grilles are intended to optimize the output of electricity. SsangYong also says that using shark fin and shark riblet shapes that reduce air resistance, it adopted a biomimetic approach from nature. SsangYong also said last year that the Korando EV would offer “best-in-class” acceleration, although the top speed is expected to be quite modest at 95 mph (153 km / h) to prevent the battery from discharging too quickly.

6. Daimler says new EQS luxury electric vehicle will have a range of more than 700 km

Not only can the high-end, yacht-inspired Mercedes-Benz EQS be one of the most luxurious EVs to grace the market, but it also has one of the longest driving range. The EQS will be the flagship electric vehicle of the German luxury car manufacturer, which will join the EQC luxury electric SUV as part of its 2018 first unveiled EQ series in Australia.

The Tesla Model S has recently upped its U.S. EPA-based (and more realistic) range by 20 percent and is now officially at 402 miles (646 km) after Tesla made performance improvements, which means that it will be sitting at about 720 km once re-tested in compliance with the WLTP process. According to Källenius, the EQS is unique in the Mercedes-Benz range in that it is the first to be designed with an electric drivetrain in mind from the ground up.

7. Electric-car subsidies make Renaults free in Germany

At less than the average cost of a mobile phone contract, car buyers in Europe can now get their hands on a brand-new electric vehicle. Many are even free, thanks to newly generous subsidies. State support allows Autohaus Koenig, a dealer chain with more than 50 locations across Germany, to advertise a battery-powered Renault Zoe lease that is fully subsidized. Around 3,000 people have inquired in the 20 days since it put the offer online and about 300 have signed contracts. Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Emmanuel Macron have worked to ease the blow to the badly-hit car industry from the coronavirus pandemic. Europe’s revenues have grown more slowly than in China or North America, placing pressure on policymakers to maintain major sources of jobs and economic growth.

8. ALYI Launches $100 million Revolt TOKEN ICO to boost business in electric vehicles

Alternet Systems, Inc. has launched the Revolt token cryptocurrency dedicated to funding ALYI’s $300 million projects for electric vehicles (EV) in Africa. ALYI has partnered with Revolt token to fund Sub-Saharan Africa’s $300 million Electric (EV) initiative. Revolt token has already signed an agreement with a letter of intent (LOI) to fund ALYI with a first $25 million tranche of the overall plan to fund a total of $100 million. In addition, Revolt token agreed to refund up to the first $2.5 million of the first $25 million tranches. The Revolt electric motorcycle is only the first electric vehicle to be used by ALYI. Currently, ALYI is developing electric trucks specifically for the Sub Saharan market. There are also hybrid cars in the works.

9. Renault secures record-breaking fleet deal for electric vehicles

Renault has won one of the UK’s biggest electric vehicle (EV) fleet deal with car subscription service into ordering 1,100 Renault Zoe pure electric vehicles. The EV order surpasses the 1,000-strong Vauxhall Vivaro-e electric van contract signed two weeks ago between the UK maker and British Gas. Mark Dickens, the fleet director of Renault UK, told Fleet News that he was “excited” to secure the deal with Onto, considering the car subscription market’s present potential. The coronavirus outbreak has seen the willingness of the public to travel by public transport plummets, although its use has been actively discouraged by the government. In conjunction with this, says Dickens, Covid-19 has changed the perception of shared mobility, at least in the short term, making car subscription services an attractive option.

10. BluSmart launches hourly electric car rental at Rs 199, in-app wallet for contactless payments

BluSmart, an all-electric ride-hailing app, revealed today that it will add new features in its electric cab service including Blu Wallet, Hourly Rentals, and Referrals. BluSmart lets its customers book sanitized electric cabs for travel in Gurugram as well as to and for the airport at no surge flat tariffs starting at Rs 99, under its latest initiative. In the near future, the service provider hopes to add more such features and also has plans to plant trees according to the number of rentals.

By operating all-electric cars in Delhi-NCR, BluSmart says it has reduced over 325 tons of CO2 over the last one year.

11. Fisker Ocean SUV is scheduled to arrive at the end of 2022 as a start-up of electric vehicles

Fisker revealed it had agreed to a $2.9 billion agreement to merge with Spartan Energy Acquisition Corp, a private equity company Apollo Global Management. With the deal, which is expected to provide Fisker with more than $1 billion in proceeds, the startup says it will have enough cash “to fully fund the development of the all-electric Fisker Ocean by (the) start of production.” At CES, Fisker said the Ocean would start at $37,499 and the firm would consider $250 reservations. The Fisker Ocean is a fully electric SUV with luxury styling and features, engineered to be the most sustainable vehicle in the world with extensive use of environmentally sustainable and recycled materials.

12. Production-bound electric Nissan Ariya vehicle debuts in July, due in 2021 

Nissan will unveil the production version of its long-awaited electric crossover based on the Ariya Concept in Yokohama on July 15th, Nissan confirmed Monday at the annual shareholders ‘ meeting of its global automaker.

Although Nissan USA confirmed the Green Car Reports debut date, it does not yet provide the U.S. market with specific launch timing. While the model is not expected to arrive in the US until the second half of 2021—as a 2022 model — previous reports suggest it is likely to be delivered before that in at least some of its other primary markets (Japan, Europe, and China).

13. Fisker is going public

Electric-car manufacturer Fisker Inc. hopes to ride twin waves of investor interest in electric vehicles and blank-check firms to get their first vehicles on the roads in a few years. Fisker and Spartan Acquiring Resources Corp. SPAQ, +1.67 percent, Apollo Global Management Inc., a special purpose acquisition firm, or a blank check firm.  APO, -1.10 percent on Monday revealed its merger. The offer was worth $2.9 billion for Fisker, which is scheduled to close in the fourth quarter. Fisker ‘s IPO is “timely” because it leverages Tesla Inc. TSLA, -6.34 percent share of electric-truck maker Nikola Corp’s “and PR blitz” rally. NKLA, -11.84 percent, said Mainstay Capital Management CEO, David Kudla.

14. All-electric Skoda Enyaq iV SUV to be introduced from Sept., 1

The company recently announced that Skoda Enyaq iV will make its first formal public appearance as of 1 September 2020. Set to be the first full-electric vehicle from Skoda, Enyaq is the first Skoda car to be supported by the modular electrification toolkit (MEB). The Skoda iV sub-brand aims to launch by the end of 2022 it is part of the collection of more than ten electric vehicles. Indeed, Skoda is convinced that by 2025, all-electric vehicles and hybrid plug-in models will account for 25 percent of its sales. The next electric SUV will measure 4,648 mm in length, 1,877 mm in width, and 1,618 mm in height, making it slightly smaller than the Skoda Kodiaq’s.  Nevertheless, we expect the Enyaq to be more of a spacious electric SUV. And while the production model of the car is yet to be unveiled, Skoda says the design of the Enyaq iV will be rounded off with a wide, close butterfly grill, swept-back LED headlamps, a clamshell bonnet, and split tail lights with a C-shaped LED signature.

15.New York is investing $750 million to expand its infrastructure for electric vehicles

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed an investment strategy that would devote $750 million to construct charging stations and other electric vehicle facilities as part of the State ‘s long-term pollution reduction target. The bill is expected to build more than 50,000 charging stations and will be primarily financed by the investor-owned utilities of the state, with the overall budget being capped by 2025 at $701 million. New York ‘s announcement comes on the heels of a similar Florida measure which announced an investment of $8.6 million to expand charging stations on July 10. Although sales of electric vehicles have risen steadily over the past few years, they still accounted for less than 2 percent of all sales of U.S. vehicles in 2019, according to the U.S. Energy Department.

16. India to study hydrogen-powered vehicles

With the first-of-its-kind project in India, the nation’s largest power utility NTPC is welcoming global expressions of interest to build electric vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells in a bid to decarbonize mobility. In Leh and Delhi, NTPC wants to deploy ten hydrogen-powered buses and ten hydrogen-powered vehicles. The program, undertaken with the help of India’s New and Renewable Energy Ministry, will also harness renewable energy for hydrogen production, and develop storage and dispensing facilities as part of Leh and Delhi pilot projects.

17. Rent a 450 Ather Electric Scooter now

In a collaboration with Bounce, a business concerned with dockless shared mobility solutions, Ather Energy has launched a new Peer-to-Peer (P2P) scooter-sharing network. Through this alliance, Ather Energy and Bounce seeks to support frontline COVID-19 staff such as service personnel, distribution partners, and public authorities. Ather is the first brand to work with Bounce to provide its products through this initiative. To opt for this model, consumers need to book the Ather 450 via the Bounce network and the vehicle will be ready to be displayed in the Bounce app upon delivery. This collaboration with Bounce helps our owners to lower their overall cost of ownership and break-even faster on their investment.

18. BYD launches electric Tang SUV in Norway, plans to expand in Europe

For a long time, Chinese automaker BYD has been eyeing the launch of its electric passenger vehicles outside of China and is finally beginning with the launch of the Tang electric SUV in Norway. BYD still sells its electric busses and trucks around the world, but for the most part, its passenger vehicles remain restricted to China. It will all begin with the new Tang EV. The latest version of the vehicle will go into production in November 2020 and customer deliveries are expected in Norway in January next year. The newest version starts before incentives at 260,000 Yuan, which is equivalent to $36,000 USD, or 350,000 Norwegian Krones. It is equipped with an 82.8 kWh battery pack, which they claim to be good at a single charge for more than 300 miles (482 km) of range.