Industry News
A day after PM Modi announced that Kevadia town in Gujarat will be turned into an 'electric vehicle city' on the occasion of the World Environment Day (June 5), the Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority (SOUADTGA) on Sunday confirmed that it will develop country's first electric vehicle only area in Kevadia.
 
"With the decision of the Prime Minister to turn Kevadia into an electric vehicle city, the area of the Statue of Unity will become the first in the entire country to have only electric vehicles. The entire scheme will be implemented in phases in the SOUADTGA area and only electric vehicles can be converted in the declared area," an official release from SOUADTGA stated.
 
Tourist buses in the area will also switch to using electric buses instead of diesel, SOUADTGA added.
 
"Any adult resident of SOUADTGA area will be assisted to purchase a three-wheeled e-vehicle. In addition to the assistance provided by the Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA) to the beneficiary of two-wheelers, SOUADTGA will also provide an appropriate subsidy," the authority said.
 
The authority noted beneficiary will have to guarantee not to operate petrol or diesel vehicles in the area. The company operating the e-rickshaw will have to operate at least 50 e-rickshaws in the SOUADTGA area initially. Preference in driver selection for e-rickshaws will be given to women and existing rickshaw pullers and women drivers will be given free training free of cost. The company operating the e-rickshaw will have to develop a smart mobile app that will mention various tourist destinations, distances, and fixed fares.
 
SOUADTGA expressed that tourists "will be more aware and encouraged to preserve the environment by seeing this system".

Industry News
MG Motor India has announced that it has join forces with Attero for the recycling of electric vehicle (EV) batteries in the country. The partnership is targeted at reusing and recycling the Li-ion batteries used in the automaker's ZS EV units after their end-of-life, MG Motor India said in a declaration.
 
Noida-based Attero, which is the country's prominent electronic asset management company and clean-tech provider, deals in battery end-of-use management.
 
"We have been continuously working on expanding the ecosystem in the EV space, as one of the first entrants in the segment. The partnership with Attero gives our customers more confidence concerning the battery's end-of-life usage. The move will assist in responsible recycling and will further minimize the carbon footprint of ZS EV users while supporting the local economy," MG Motor India President and Managing Director Rajeev Chaba said.
 
"More people are purchasing EVs due to environmental concerns and are readily driving the adoption. At Attero, are today enabling India to innovate more and disrupt the global paradigm while generating minimal e-waste, wherein we hold more than 30 global patents for our recycling technologies.
 
"We are delighted to join hands with MG and feel that Attero is the best match to the high-performance batteries provided in its vehicles," Attero CEO Nitin Gupta noted.
 
 
 
 

Industry News
ReNew Power, one of India's leading renewable energy company has announced to develop solar modules and cell manufacturing facility in Dholera Special Industrial Region located in Gujarat.
 
About 100 acres have been allocated for the greenfield project by the State Government of Gujarat, ensuring adequate availability of land for future capacity expansion.
 
"The Indian Government's Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules has opened up several avenues for domestic manufacturing in the renewable energy sector," said Sumant Sinha, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of ReNew Power.
 
"ReNew plans to manufacture both solar cells and modules in the Dholera manufacturing facility with the goal of creating a globally competitive manufacturing unit."
 
The greenfield facility will manufacture 2GW of solar cells and modules annually using advanced monocrystalline Passivated Emitter & Rear Contact (PERC) and large wafer technology and will implement best practices in line with Industry 4.0 manufacturing standards, ReNew Power stated.
 
The new facility will be vertically integrated in terms of processes and infrastructure for the manufacturing facility.
 
Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister of Gujarat and Chairman of Dholera Industrial City Development Limited, M K Das, welcomed the decision of ReNew Power to set up a manufacturing facility in the State of Gujarat and expressed that the decision strengthens the vision of the State Government of promoting and increasing the share of renewable energy in its energy mix.
 
"This manufacturing facility announced by ReNew Power will not only help reduce import dependency of the solar sector but will also play an important role in fulfilling the Honourable Prime Minister's vision of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India)," Das added.
 
Currently, China accounts for about 80 percent of the world's solar module production and India's growing renewable energy companies are heavily dependent on China for the modules and cells.
 
The Government of India with the view to strengthen domestic manufacturing announced PLI scheme last year to provide financial incentives to domestic manufacturing units and it is expected to help add 10 GW of integrated solar PV manufacturing capacity in the country. To cut reliance on imports GoI has also increased customs duties on imported components, which are expected to come into force beginning in April 2022.
 
The latest announcement by ReNew Power intends to bring a crucial function in-house along with boosting India's domestic manufacturing capacity for clean energy.
 
Renew Power is expected to commence operations of the new manufacturing facility from the fiscal year 2023.

Industry News
The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal of Department of Heavy Industry for implementation of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme 'National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage’ for achieving manufacturing capacity of Fifty (50) Giga Watt Hour (GWh) of ACC and 5 GWh of "Niche" ACC with an outlay of Rs.18,100 crore.
 
ACCs are the new generation of advanced storage technologies that can store electric energy either as electrochemical or as chemical energy and convert it back to electric energy as and when required. The consumer electronics, electric vehicles, advanced electricity grids, solar rooftop etc. which are major battery consuming sectors are expected to achieve robust growth in the coming years. It is expected that the dominant battery technologies will control some of the world's largest growth sectors.
 
While several companies have already started investing in battery packs, though the capacities of these facilities are too small when compared to global averages, but there still is negligible investment in manufacturing, along with value addition, of ACCs in India. All the demand of the ACCs is currently being met through imports in India. The National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage will reduce import dependence. It will also support the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. ACC battery Storage manufacturers will be selected through a transparent competitive bidding process. The manufacturing facility would have to be commissioned within a period of two years. The incentive will be disbursed thereafter over a period of five years.

The incentive amount will increase with increased specific energy density & cycles and increased local value addition. Each selected ACC battery Storage manufacturer would have to commit to set-up an ACC manufacturing facility of minimum five (5) GWh capacity and ensure a minimum 60% domestic value addition at the Project level within five years. Furthermore, the beneficiary firms have to achieve a domestic value addition of atleast 25% and incur the mandatory investment Rs.225 crore /GWh within 2 Years (at the Mother Unit Level) and raise it to 60% domestic value addition within 5 Years, either at Mother Unit, in-case of an Integrated Unit, or at the Project Level, in-case of "Hub & Spoke" structure.
 
The outcomes/ benefits expected from the scheme are as follows:
 
  • Setup a cumulative 50 GWh of ACC manufacturing facilities in India under the Programme.
  • Direct investment of around Rs.45,000 crore in ACC Battery storage manufacturing projects.
  • Facilitate demand creation for battery storage in India.
  • Facilitate Make-ln-lndia: Greater emphasis upon domestic value-capture and therefore reduction in import dependence.
  • Net savings of Indian Rs. 2,00,000 crore to Rs.2,50,000 crore on account of oil import bill reduction during the period of this Programme due to EV adoption as ACCs manufactured under the Programme is expected to accelerate EV adoption.
  • The manufacturing of ACCs will facilitate demand for EVs, which are proven to be significantly less polluting. As India pursues an ambitious renewable energy agenda, the ACC program will be a key contributing factor to reduce India's Green House Gas (GHG) emissions which will be in line with India's commitment to combat climate change.
  • Import substitution of around Rs.20,000 crore every year.
  • Impetus to Research & Development to achieve higher specific energy density and cycles in ACC.
  • Promote newer and niche cell technologies.

Industry News
Lithium-ion batteries and allied products manufacturer Ruchira Green Earth has announced that it will capitalize Rs 200 crore over the next three or four years to set up a new manufacturing unit in Haryana to double its production capacity. The company, which has a present capacity of manufacturing up to 5,000 batteries per month, is setting up a new unit at Yamuna Nagar in Haryana to achieve the rising demand for its products.

"We are delighted to have been awarded contracts from many OEM'S for the supply of lithium-ion batteries ...Moving ahead with a ceaseless commitment towards accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, we look forward to winning many more such contracts with major OEMs in the EV segment," Ruchira Green Earth Director Deepan Garg said.

Ruchira Green Earth, which sells EV batteries under flagship brand AKIRA, said it has bagged orders from OEMs such as Gemopai, Tunwal, Myantra, Benling, Komaki for the supply of lithium-ion batteries for electric scooters. It is now considering doubling its manufacturing capacity of lithium-ion batteries.
It is planning to set up a Rs 200 crore plant at Yamuna Nagar, which will be financed through internal accrual of Rs 50 crore and a bank loan, the company said, adding the fresh investment would be made over three to four years.

At present, the company produces lithium-ion batteries for electric two, three, and four-wheelers for commercial vehicles, loaders, forklift trucks, golf carts, among others.

It is now aiming at energy storage systems, home storage, and energy storage solutions from banks, hospitals, industries, and government contracts for villages, defence, railways, and telecom sectors, among others, the declaration said.

Industry News
Ola Electric is gearing up to enter the Indian electric passenger vehicle (PV) segment. While its strategy for the e-two-wheeler market is well known, the company’s plans for foraying into the electric four-wheeler category have started gathering steam. Ola wants to gain an early mover advantage in this nascent EV space that just has a handful of players.
 
There are no details on what the Ola electric car will be like, but according to sources, it will be built on a born-electric skateboard platform, have a futuristic design and will fundamentally be a compact city car with limited range, but at a very attractive price.
 
  • Ola Electric to launch a compact city car with an attractive price
 
  • Ola’s global design centre for electric PVs to come up in Bengaluru
 
  • The firm could also open its Hypercharger network to its electric car customers
 
Ola electric car: Global design centre
The Indian mobility start-up plans to develop its electric car indigenously and is working on setting up a global design centre for its electric car division in Bengaluru. The facility will be equipped with all the requisite facilities, including those for clay modelling as well as a CMF (colour, materials and finish) lab. Ola has already poached a few Tata designers for its electric PV project.
 
Ola electric car: Charging capabilities
With a lack of a robust charging network said to be one of the major impediments towards EV adoption in India, Ola will be looking to offer a practical solution to its customers. Like other electric carmakers, then, expect the company to provide home charging equipment with its cars.
 
On the public charging front, Ola had recently announced its plan to set-up a Hypercharger network across India over the course of the next five years. The company is aiming to install about 1,00,000 charging stations across 400 cities in the country.    
 
As of now, although Ola has only publicly revealed its intentions of creating the infrastructure for its scooters, the hypercharger network could be made to double-up and be capable of even catering to its electric car customers.
 
Ola’s interest in the electric car market
Manufacturing plans for Ola’s electric PV are yet to be revealed. However, the company is constructing a factory for its electric two-wheeler division at an investment of Rs 2,400 crore. The Tamil Nadu plant will be capable of an annual capacity of about 2 million e-two-wheelers.
 
As per media reports, at the commencement of the plant’s construction earlier this year, Ola’s CEO and chairman, Bhavish Aggarwal, had said that while the company was starting off with e-two-wheelers, it was also aiming to enter the electric car market at some point.
 
Ola has had its eyes on this segment for quite some time now. While it’s finally stepping into the space as a manufacturer, it has been associated with other EV brands in the past.
 
Back in 2017-18, it was planning to induct a limited number of units of the Jayem Neo, a battery electric version of the Tata Nano which was being worked on by the Coimbatore-based Jayem Automotives, into its fleet. However, the move failed to materialise, with plans for the electrified Nano being dropped. Ola is also known to have used Mahindra’s E2O as part of its fleet in certain cities.
 
Though details of Ola’s latest stab at the EV market are limited, its all-new electric car is likely to be offered in two versions – one for private buyers and the other for the fleet segment.   
 
However, with its roots in the ride-hailing sector, the firm could face challenges in overcoming the mindset of buyers who might end up drawing parallels between a private Ola vehicle and a cab.

Industry News
As Tesla firms up its plans to roll out its first all-electric car in India this year, the Elon Musk-run company has hired top executives in the country who has taken charge of some of its operations in the country.
 
After Musk confirmed Tesla's arrival in India, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa declared in February that the US-based electric vehicle and clean energy company will set up its production unit here. Tesla has already registered its office in Bengaluru.
 
Now, it has ramped up hiring for top positions and has onboarded IIM Bangalore alumnus Manuj Khurana as Policy and Business Development head for India operations.
 
The company has hired Nishant as Charging Manager who will head the supercharging, destination charging and home charging business for Tesla India. He was earlier head of Charging Infrastructure and Energy Storage at homegrown electric vehicle company Ather Energy.
 
Tesla India now has a Country HR Leader in Chithra Thomas who earlier worked at Walmart and Reliance Retail.
 
"Tesla India is moving full speed ahead with building local team. We are excited to see the progress. Hoping to see you (Musk) in India when @Tesla delivers the first cars," Tesla Club India said in a tweet on Wednesday.
 
On January 12, Yediyurappa had tweeted from his official handle that Tesla would start its operations in India with an R&D unit in Bengaluru.
 
Breaking his silence after the news broke that Tesla has finally entered India by registering it as a company in Bengaluru, Musk said on January 13 that he is on the way to fulfil his promise to let electric cars run on the roads of India.
 
Last week, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that he has invited Tesla to start manufacturing EVs in India.
 
During his address at The Raisina Dialogue 2021, he said that it is golden opportunity for the company to start manufacturing in India.
 
"I had a video conference with Tesla management. I suggested them that it is a golden opportunity for them to start manufacturing here in India," he said.
 
Gadkari also said that he has assured the company that the government will help them set up industrial clusters in the country.
 
Exuding confidence on Indian EV makers, he said that "Indian products are also improving and within two years, we will get e-vehicles of Tesla standard in Indian market."
 
"So, in the interest of Tesla, I suggested that you start manufacturing in India as early as possible it will be beneficial for you," the minister added.

Industry News

Sterling & Wilson Solar Solutions Inc. (SWSS), the US subsidiary of Sterling & Wilson Solar Ltd (SWSL) has signed an order worth USD 121.7 million (INR 890 crore) in the United States.

The order was signed for a leading sustainable energy company in the Pacific Northwest region of the US and is scheduled to be commissioned by Q4 FY 2022.

SWSS has not revealed the company name but has confirmed that they will be managing all turn-key executions for the PV project.

“We are delighted to have won this order in the USA and with this project, our cumulative orders booked in the country now stand at around USD 260 million (~INR 1,880 crore),” said Amit Jain, Country Head, Sterling and Wilson Solar Solutions, Inc.

“With the renewed commitment by the new administration in renewable energy, that includes rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, investing $2 trillion in clean energy, and fully decarbonizing the power sector by 2035, USA has huge potential,” Jain added.

SWSL along with its subsidiary has been at the forefront of executing projects globally. It is credited with executing more than 10.8 GWp of solar projects (commissioned and under various stages of construction) across the globe. Its portfolio includes a 1,177 MWp Solar PV plant in Abu Dhabi - the world’s largest single-site solar plant.

Industry News

India plans to offer fresh incentives to companies making electric vehicles (EVs) as part of a broad auto sector scheme it expects to attract $14 billion of investment over five years, according to industry sources and a document seen by Reuters. The country’s efforts to promote EVs to reduce its oil dependence and cut pollution have been stymied so far by a lack of investment and weak demand, as well as the patchwork nature of existing incentives that vary from state to state. The new automotive sector scheme, however, has been under discussion since mid-2020 to provide a more focused approach, industry sources close to the matter told Reuters. The plans envisage $8 billion of incentives for carmakers and suppliers over a five-year period to drive large investment in the sector.

Final details of the scheme are expected within a month, but companies will be able to apply for incentives from April 1, the sources said.

Companies will receive 4-7% government cashbacks on the eligible sale and export value of vehicles and components, but for EVs and their components there is an additional 2% as a “growth incentive” to promote electric mobility, according to the draft policy document seen by Reuters.

Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc is already gearing up to enter India while rivals including Ford, Volkswagen and India’s Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra also have plans to invest billions of dollars in EVs to meet stricter global emissions regulations.

Automotive component manufacturers in India must be ready to pivot their product offerings to cater for the shift towards EVs, the document said.

MADE IN INDIA

The automotive incentive scheme is part of India’s broader $27 billion programme to attract manufacturers from the likes of China and Vietnam to capture a bigger share of the global supply chain and exports.

But for new companies entering India, as well as existing automakers, challenges abound.

Steep interest rates and power tariffs, as well as poor infrastructure and high logistics costs, make it costlier for companies to operate in India compared with rivals such as Thailand or Vietnam.

“The (new) scheme proposes financial incentives to help overcome these disabilities and make India more competitive,” the draft policy document said, referring to inefficiencies that it said can lead to 5-8% higher costs for manufacturers in India.

The government expects the scheme to bring additional investment of $14 billion, create 5.8 million new jobs and rake in more than $4 billion in total tax revenue over five years.

To benefit from the scheme automakers must meet conditions including minimum global revenue of $1.4 billion. For auto parts makers it is $69 million. The companies must grow by at least 8% each year to qualify for the incentives, which are also linked to the distance between the factory and point of sale.

The document added that existing programmes focus on a large number of companies that lack scale and “are constrained in their ability to invest and undertake the risk required for rapid growth”.

“A change in strategy is needed to focus on promoting firms that have the scale, competitive ability and management capabilities to be automotive champions,” it said.

Industry News

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the much-awaited Vehicle Scrappage Policy in the Loksabha on Thursday, March 18.

Gadkari’s announcement has come after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget 2021 address proposed a Voluntary Vehicle Scrappage Policy to phase out old and unfit vehicles to curb air pollution in the country.

“In the interest of a clean environment and rider and pedestrian safety, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is introducing the Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernization Program (VVMP) or Vehicle Scrapping Policy which is aimed at creating an ecosystem for phasing out of unfit and polluting vehicles,” the transport minister said.

Old, end-of-life-vehicles (ELV) cause an estimated 10-12 times more pollution compared with the new ones.

The overarching goal of the policy is to reduce vehicular particulate matter pollution, achieve better fuel efficiency, and boost the availability of low-cost raw materials for the automotive, steel, and electronics industry – while helping the country meet its climate commitments.

In February, Gadkari noted the policy would cover an estimated 51 lakh light motor vehicles (LMV) above 20 years of age, 34 lakh LMVs above 15 years, and 17 lakh medium and heavy motor vehicles above 15 years, and currently without valid fitness certificates.

The minister confirmed that efforts are underway for setting up Integrated Scrapping Facilities across India. Some of the identified places include Alang in Gujarat, where it is being planned to develop a highly specialized center for scrapping, among many other potential centers, where different scrapping technologies can be synergized together.

While the Scrappage Policy would be instrumental in eliminating high CO2 emitting old vehicles, studies indicate it would also help significantly to reuse a good chunk of the heaps of auto waste. For instance, auto parts including steel, plastic, and other metals and materials, can be recovered and brought back in use after a vehicle is scrapped. The Vehicle Scrappage Policy can build this circularity.

According to an estimate by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), ELVs have the potential to generate 8 million tons of steel that can be extracted in India by 2025. This can be a significant opportunity for India as a major consumer of steel -- a good percent of which is used by the automobile sector – thereby substituting imports and improving the country's balance of payment.

In addition to the  Integrated Scrapping Facilities, the government is looking at the promotion and setting up of Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) across India and has encouraged public and private participation for opening up of such centres.

Similarly, the Ministry has said it will promote the setting up of Automated Fitness Centres on a PPP model by the state government, private sector, automobile companies, etc.

At first glance, the Vehicle Scrappage Policy has not provided any incentive for replacing old vehicles with electric ones – a move that was highly anticipated by climate experts and electric vehicle stakeholders.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is expected to publish draft notifications in the next few weeks which shall be in the public domain for a period of 30 days to solicit comments and views of all involved stakeholders.

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