Hero Electric, EV Motors India join forces to boost e-mobility for last-mile delivery
EV Motors India, a turnkey electric vehicle (EV) solutions provider, and Hero Electric have arrived into a partnership to upkeep adoption of EVs for last-mile delivery operations.
Under the corporation, EV Motors will offer advanced battery solutions and charging infrastructure unified with Hero Electric vehicles, the two companies said in a mutual statement.
Hero Electric's e-bikes will be integrated with hi-tech batteries from EV Motors India and these can be supercharged in less than 30 minutes using the rapid charging station network 'PlugNgo' being implemented by the latter.
"The rapid charging stations will be installed at strategic locations, comprising the Hero Electric franchises and will be accessible for public charging," the declaration said.
At the outset, a pilot of about 10,000 e-bikes will run in a few cities in the next 12 months before the countrywide launch.
These solutions are particularly designed to meet the necessities and expectations of last-mile delivery operators, comprising e-commerce, online food, fleet operators, and courier delivery businesses, it further.
Hero Electric CEO Sohinder Gill believed, "This unique solution of '30 minutes charging' coupled with the easier ownership models may be a game-changer for the EV industry as it will solve three important issues namely -- range anxiety, battery replacement costs, and the high acquisition price."
He further said, "As a market leader we'll keep offering a variety of EV adoption options to customers be it battery rapid charging or home charging with lightweight portable batteries.
“Our upgraded bikes are now ready with the hi-tech batteries from EV Motors to deliver the best value for money to the discerning customer."
The quick charge feature makes regular vehicle operation of 130-140 km stress-free, thus bringing down maintenance and running costs, while certainly impacting business unit economics, as per the declaration.
EV Motors India Managing Director Vinit Bansal believed the partnership with Hero Electric is another step forward towards the company's pledge to boost e-mobility and provide a holistic EV infrastructure.
"We have observed a huge demand for electric two-wheelers and related services in last-mile delivery operation, keeping in mind the demand of long-life batteries that can not only be charged very swiftly but also can endure the rigidities of high temperatures and Indian driving conditions.
“Hence, this strategic partnership will help generate the necessary capability and technology for building the future of the mobility market in India," Bansal further.
Image Credit: Hero Electric
Exicom launches two leading BMS: MEXX and LITE
Image courtesy- Exicom Power Solutions - MEXX BMS
Power and mobility solutions provider Exicom Power Solutions have announced the launch of two leading battery management system: MEXX – a top-of-the-line automotive-grade BMS and LITE – a value-engineered BMS.
Both, MEXX and LITE BMS are 100% made in India products designed to meet the growing demand for high-quality battery packs in the country.
“Mexx is our top of the line product which is designed for high demanding automotive applications. Mexx use of AEC Q100 qualified components or ASCIL-B* certification or industry-leading measurement accuracies, multiple redundant hardware and software safety features and high level of modularity makes it an ideal choice for BMS for auto OEM’s,” Mr. Nahata explained.
“On the other hand, LITE has been designed keeping in mind the wide breadth of requirements existing in the market – from low-speed vehicles to smart drivetrains to IoT enabled vehicles and fast-growing battery swapping market as well.”
LITE is best-suited for e-2Ws and low- and med-speed e-3Ws and can be used in other applications ranging from light electric vehicles, micro-mobility, and consumer applications of up to 80V.
Both MEXX and LITE come with telematics support and advanced cloud analytics to continuously monitor and configure the battery performance in real-time.
“We are proud that these technologies were fully developed in India by our R&D team and in partnership with NXP – world’s leading BMS chipsets provider and we believe it’s a big step in giving India freedom to go electric,” Mr. Nahata added.
Some of the key features of MEXX BMS are:
- Supports from 7 cells up to 28 cells
- Redundant voltage, temperature, and current protection
- Adaptive charge control algorithm
- Ready interface with Exicom’s Battery Disconnects Unit (BDU)
- Supports multiple wake-up sources.
- Proprietary multi-layer safety architecture for voltage, current and temperature
- Plug and play support for Exicom’s telematics
- Communication: 2 x CAN, BLE/ UART
- 4 on-board temperature sensors, 8 configurable digital/analog inputs
- Rich set of configurable parameters to adapt to different use cases
- Black-box/Event Data Recorder & bookkeeping function
- Extensive safety mechanisms such as open wire detection and fuse blown detection.
MEXX is extremely modular and chemistry agnostic, it can independently build batteries from 12V to 120V and support up to 1000V in battery architecture. MEXX BMS is compliant to global IEC & ISO electrical and mechanical standards, ASIL-B certified, and AEC Q100 qualified component.
Some of the key features of LITE BMS are:
- Supports from 5 cells up to 16 cells
- Operating voltage range 8V to 80V
- Cell chemistry agnostic
- Redundant voltage, temperature, and current protection
- Optimized for ultra-low-power battery applications
- Chemical fuse for secondary over-voltage protection as per UL 2054
- Integrated high power battery disconnect switch
- Black-box/ Event Data Recorder & bookkeeping function
- Supports multiple wake-up sources
- Rich set of configurable parameters to adapt to different use cases
- Isolated/non-isolated CAN Communication & BLE/UART
- Supports 5 analog inputs
- Plug and play support for Exicom’s Telematics
- Unique BMS HW authentication for non-intelligent systems
- Configurable tamper detection mechanism
EESL and IESA join forces to scale up EV infrastructure in India
Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), signed an MoU with India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) for faster adoption of e-mobility and scaling EV infrastructure across India on Thursday, August 6.
The MoU was signed between Dr.Rahul Walawalkar, President, IESA and Saurabh Kumar, Vice Chairman, EESL Group of Companies in presence of Debi Prasad Dash, Executive Director, IESA and Amit Kaushik, Executive Director (Growth), EESL; Tarun Tayal, GM (Commercial), EESL during the 7th edition of ‘India e-Mobility Conclave 2020 (IMC 2020) – a full-day conference organized by IESA, which got major stakeholders operating in the transportation and auto industry on a single platform to discuss the future of e-mobility in India and way forward for faster adoption of EVs.
“We are proud to sign the MoU between Energy Efficiency Services Limited and India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) to work collaboratively on multiple priority areas to catalyze the growth of the Indian electric mobility sector,” said Debi Prasad Dash, Executive Director of IESA.
The focus of the partnership will be on the development and deployment of a pilot electric vehicle tracker tool, along with the analysis of the potential for telecom towers to double as EV charging stations in India. Further, EESL stated, a joint study will be undertaken with telecom tower companies to determine the viability of retrofitting telecom tower facilities to allow them to also serve as EV charging stations to promote the use of green energy.
As part o the partnership, EESL will drive the EV adoption among government establishments and on the PSU-side whereas IESA will drive the private-side of the EV adoption efforts by encouraging corporates and private users.
To accelerate the private adoption of xEVs in India, IESA also launched EV Adopters Club (IESA-EAC). The club will work in a phased approach and Mr. Surabh Kumar, Vice-chairman EESL Group confirmed that it will provide free charging to the members of IESA- EAC members across India at EESL facilities.
IESA and EESL will also be jointly working on knowledge and capacity building activities for OEMs, battery operators, and charging station installers.
Ashok Leyland arm delivers first of 21 battery-electric Metrodecker EV in UK
The Metrodecker EVs are the first new vehicles that have entered service with First UK Bus since it announced its pledge to achieve a completely zero-emission fleet by 2035. These are the first new vehicles to be introduced by First UK Bus anywhere in the country since the company announced on July 8 its commitment to achieving a zero-carbon fleet by 2035. The first Optare battery-electric buses – Versa EVs – entered service on the York park-and-ride network in 2014.
Vipin Sondhi, MD & CEO, Ashok Leyland, said, “We are proud of the progress Optare has been making in developing sustainable solutions for public transport. Optare has the know-how, technology, and experience to help cities with reducing emissions from buses. The total Metrodecker order book is 107, and as increased adoption of EV tech happens, Optare will certainly lead this transformation. Optare continues to be a key piece in our overall strategy to be amongst the Top 10 CV makers globally.”
These Metrodecker EVs have been developed from the prototype by Optare in a partnership with First York and the York City Council which began three years ago. They are made and fully assembled at Optare’s factory in Sherburn.
Suresh Prabhu, India's Sherpa to G20,G7 Addresses IESA’s 2nd Roundtable on AatmaNirbhar Bharat
India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) concluded its 2nd roundtable virtual meet on AatmaNirbhar Bharat - Energy Storage Manufacturing Roadmap for India on a high note. Attended by over 100 key industry stakeholders, the roundtable was graced by some eminent dignitaries like Mr. Suresh Prabhu, India's Sherpa to G20, G7, Member of Parliament, GoI; Mr. Satendra Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Mines; Peter Baldwin, Commissioner India, Government of Western Australia; Mr. Deepak Pahwa, Managing Director, Bry-Air; Mr. Sarin Sundar Kuppuswamy, CTO office, Applied materials; Mr. Jasmeet Kalsi, Director, Manikaran Lithium; Dr. Rahul Walawalkar, President, IESA, and officially supported by India's highest planning body the NITI Aayog.
The event was attended by 5+ country embassies from Japan, Netherland, Western Australia, USA, Norway, and central government officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Ministry of Mines, NITI Aayog and 100+ industry stakeholders.
The roundtable discussed the key measures that will enable the future transition towards a green economy sustainably and also suggested ways towards enhancing the future energy storage bundled with accelerating technological innovation for environment-friendly processes.
Speaking at the roundtable, Mr. Suresh Prabhu, India's Sherpa to G20, G7, MoP said: “Storage is the part of the human behavior. India is the second-highest consumer of energy in the world, and will gradually climb up to the top of the ladder. There is a need to work on a roadmap on energy storage. The concept of energy storage existed before but it only coming to fore now as the world, especially India focusses more on renewable power generation. There is an accelerating need for India to invest in R&D into innovation within the spectrum of energy storage in a big way. In this roundtable, we are focusing on AatmaNirbhar Bharat. How do we do that? It can be done by facilitating available resources to local developers on an optimal scale. Energy is an important aspect of AatmaNirbhar Bharat. This will only happen when a locally developed R&D system will come to the forefront.
I would like to congratulate India Energy Storage Alliance for providing this platform to discuss and deliberate on the roadmap to energy storage in India in a much-focused manner,” he added.
Mr. Satendar Singh, Joint Secretary, at the Ministry of Mines, Government of India said, “As the Ministry of Mines, we look for availability of minerals required in making batteries. As far as availability of lithium is concerned we are mainly looking at a few minerals bearing lithium. Geological Survey of India (GSI) is actively doing exploration work for these minerals. So far, there have been encouraging results from the state of Chhattisgarh, Bihar, and Rajasthan. The initial findings indicate that there could be possible lithium-bearing minerals [in these states]. In the Purulia district, West Bengal, they have found a deposit of pegmatite which has around 1.05% of lithium in it. They are further working on these findings and trying to locate all such areas to establish actual reserves and resources that we find in India."
An MoU was signed between KABIL from India and JEMSE from Argentina for sourcing of Lithium and Cobalt. They are now working on mutual studies, sharing info, and looking at how to start the off-take of Lithium [exploration], he added.
Mr. Peter Baldwin Commissioner, India, Government of Western Australia said, “We have all the key minerals required for battery energy storage and other rare earth minerals. Therefore, we have a crucial role to be partnering with India.”
Mr. Deepak Pahwa, Chairman, Pahwa Group & Managing Director, Bry-Air (Asia) said, "Lithium-battery production rests on four pillars (enablers): technology, machinery, dry room, raw materials, and components. India today is 100% self-sufficient in this area [dry room]. While we are dependent on others for raw materials, machinery, and technology, India has the product and world-class technology for dry rooms. We are currently working with our German partners, as a solution provider for dry rooms, for a new plant that is coming up in Germany for Li-ion battery production. We are manufacturing the dry room equipment [dehumidifier] and supporting them with the flow of information for the production room, which will be done locally."
In India, we have worked with BHEL, Amara Raja, DRDO, IIT Kharagpur and we are currently installing dry rooms for ISRO. We at [Bry-Air] are committed to supporting PM Modi's AatmaNirbhar Bharat plans and are exploring different opportunities to be the part of the same," he further added.
Mr.Jasmeet Singh Kalsi, Director, Manikaran said, “We may have started late but we have ample opportunity to catch up and develop the local industry for manufacturing. To develop [Li-ion] batteries, raw materials is the most important material and companies like ours [Manikaran Lithium] is trying to fulfill that need.”
Mr. Sarin Kuppuswamy, CTO, Applied Materials, India said, “High energy density is very important for all energy storage applications in EVs, drones, consumer electronics. What we plan is high energy density [batteries] moving in the future.
Besides, we are exploring opportunities to work with research partners, as the cell chemistries will vary depending on who wants to manufacture,” he added.
IESA’s 3rd Virtual roundtable on AtmaNirbhar Bharat - Energy Storage Manufacturing Roadmap for India will be held on 12th August 2020. It will focus on Urban Mining & Recycling Ecosystem to support Advanced Energy Storage Manufacturing in India (battery handling and environmental rules, global best practices, recycling technology, recycling supply chain and enforcement of regulations, second life, urban mining).
SECI Tenders for Setting Up 1,070 MW Grid-Connected Solar Projects in Rajasthan
The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has announced that it has issued a tender for setting up 1,070 MW grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) power projects in Rajasthan.
It further that developers will have to submit a single bid for any quantity beginning from a minimum size of 10 MW going up to 1,070 MW. The projects would be set up on a B-O-O basis and can be positioned anywhere in the state.
SECI would arrive into a 25-year power purchase agreement with the nominated bidder and retail the power obtained to Rajasthan Urja Vikas Nigam Limited.
The projects have a commissioning period of 18 months from the actual date of the PPA.
“Projects should be designed for interconnection with the nearest substation of the state transmission utility at a voltage level of 33 kV or above. The developer shall set up the solar project, including a dedicated transmission network to the interconnection/delivery point, at its own cost,” SECI believed.
Nonetheless, bidders would be free to select the transmission utility substations for the interconnection of the project to the grid.
India signs strategic MoU with Argentina in the field of Lithium
India has entered a strategic agreement with Argentina to establish scientific-technological co-operation in the field of Lithium which includes joint exploration, production and commercialization of mineral products.
In February, when President of the Argentine Republic, H.E. Mr. Mauricio Macri visited India, the two countries had expressed a commitment to further deepen cooperation in several areas including renewable energy and mining.
Building on already established strong ties between the two countries, the latest MoU is India’s effort to secure critical minerals in response to the Chinese dominance and control of rare earth metals and key mineral reserves worldwide. India relies heavily on China for imports of Lithium-ion cells required for making battery packs used in electric vehicles and energy storage solutions.
Further, India has set a target to have least 30 percent of its vehicles run on electrical batteries by 2030, and to have 175 GW power generation from renewable energy sources by 2022 – to achieve both these targets India needs to acquire a substantial amount of lithium.
This MoU, therefore, looks at eventually reducing India's dependence on Chinese markets for the supply of Li-ion cells and bolster domestic manufacturing.
The agreement was signed between the Indian joint venture company Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. (KABIL) and an Argentine state-owned enterprise, JEMSE in the presence of the Governor of the Argentine Province of Jujuy, Gerardo Morales, the head of JEMSE, Felipe Albornoz, and the CEO of KABIL India, Ranjit Rath.
The MoU allows India to do joint work in the areas of exploration and production of minerals, such as lithium and polymetallic, as well as those projects related to the addition of the value of lithium carbonate, production, and transmission of electrical energy. It further looks to enhance cooperation in the study, information, and commercialization of the mineral products.
The goal is to establish a society to develop, build, commercially market and jointly operate projects with a high technological content in the energy, mining and natural resource exploitation fields in the territory of the Province of Jujuy.
Argentina is among the top lithium producing countries in the world, and the provinces of Catamarca, Salta, and Jujuy, are known to have a significant quantity and quality of lithium reserves.
Cummins and NPROXX join forces to bring hydrogen storage solutions
Global technology and powertrain supplier Cummins Inc announced an agreement to form a joint venture with hydrogen storage and transportation specialist NPROXX to provide customers with hydrogen products for a range of applications across the transportation sector.
The joint venture aimed at providing hydrogen storage will continue under the name NPROXX.
“We are joining forces to deliver industry-leading hydrogen storage and transportation solutions,” said Rainer vor dem Esche, Managing Director, NPROXX.
According to statement released by Cummins, the JV will provide customers with hydrogen and compressed natural gas storage products for both on-highway and rail applications.
“We are thrilled to combine Cummins’ expertise, innovation, and commitment to customer success with NPROXX’s leading hydrogen storage technologies,” said Tom Linebarger, Chairman and CEO, Cummins Inc. “The addition of hydrogen storage to our existing capabilities in hydrogen production and fuel cells enables us to accelerate the viability and adoption of these technologies in commercial markets.”
This move is a win-win for both the companies as it will help Cummins deepen its capabilities in fuel cell and hydrogen production technologies and for NPROXX this venture will help the business grow in a much faster and more targeted way.
According to the company, the acquisition of Hydrogenics Corporation in September 2019, provided Cummins with both proton exchange membrane (PEM), and alkaline fuel cells electrolyzers to generate hydrogen. Cummins has also invested in LOOP Energy, signed a memorandum of understanding with Hyundai Motor Company and invested in the development of solid oxide fuel cells.
“Cummins has more than 2,000 fuel cell installations across a variety of on and off-highway applications as well as more than 500 electrolyzer installations,” Linebarger added. “We continue to increase our capabilities in fuel cell technologies, and this partnership with NPROXX is another step forward.”
SunSource Energy bags SECI’s Solar+Storage tender to power Lakshadweep islands
Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI) has announced the financial results for its tender of 1.95 MW Solar PV Power Plant with 2.15 MWh battery storage systems at the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. SunSource Energy won the tender with the least bid of ₹ 23.5 crore.
It was earlier mentioned in the notice-inviting-tender document that the entire project will be allocated to a single bidder based on the price bid for the cumulative capacity. SunSource Energy was recognized as the lowest bidder with a bid price of ₹23.5 crore after the financial evaluation of the price bids received by SECI for the tender.
Solar Energy Corporation of India floated this project in September 2019, for the development of 1.95 MW of solar projects with 2.15 MWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS).
Scope of work for this tender includes design, engineering, supply, construction, assembly, testing and commissioning of cumulative 1.95 MW (AC) solar PV power plants with 2.15 MWh BESS having 10 years plant operating and maintenance at four different islands of the Lakshadweep UT in India.
The four islands on which the project will be developed in Lakshadweep are Agatti, Kavaratti, BangaRam and Thinnakara. The Lakshadweep solar + storage project is expected to significantly reduce the diesel consumption of these islands. Alongside it will lower the existing electricity costs while offsetting millions of kilograms of CO2 emission over its lifetime by providing clean and reliable energy. The commissioning timeline for this project is twelve months from the date of signing the Letter of Award (LOA).
Remarking on this occasion, Adarsh Das, CEO and co-founder, SunSource Energy said, “Our island power-projects at Lakshadweep for SECI are an instance of the direction in which the power sector is headed: away from fossil fuels, towards grid modernization through energy storage and intelligent grids and mini-grids. We are happy to work with the island, the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission and Solar Energy Corporation of India, to help develop and build these projects.”
Kushagra Nandan, President and co-founder, SunSource Energy added, "Our track record of adapting the latest viable technologies to our solar plants enabled us to develop one of India’s first private solar + storage projects for a school in Uttar Pradesh way back in 2013. We understand that storage will play a key part in powering India’s growth ambitions and are glad to have contributed to the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s clean energy targets with our efforts over the last decade."
Image credit- Sunsource
