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Green EVolution - February X 2020

Welcome to the second issue of our monthly blog series Green EVolution rounding up all things EVs & Renewable. As usual we will try our best to cover all news & views expressed if any only belongs to Nikhl Chaudhary. Click on bold headline to go to the source of the individual news.

Greenko, ReNew Win SECI’s 1.2 GW Solar, Wind Auction with Storage for Peak Power Supply Greenko has been awarded 900 MW, ReNew Power has won 300 MW of projects. Greenko Group won the bid at a peak power tariff rate of ₹6.12 (~$0.086)/ kWh, and ReNew Power won at ₹6.85 (~$0.096)/ kWh.

Government hikes duty on CKD/SKD import of electric vehicles by 5-15% The customs duty on completely built units of electric commercial vehicles have been increased from 25% to 40%. The tax on semi-knocked down forms of an electric passenger vehicle, three-wheeler has been increased from 15% to 30%, whereas semi-knocked down electric, buses, trucks and two-wheelers has been raised from 15% to 25%. The duty on completely knocked down forms of electric vehicles - all segments - passenger vehicles, buses, trucks, three wheelers and two-wheelers have been raised from 10% to 15%.

I am not supporter of high import duties. Atleast till our manufacturer can being some good products and ramp them. We already have high CBU import duties, now even CKD import duties being raised. Let the market be bit open.

Omega Unveils Singha Electric Cargo 3W Range Omega will be launching these vehicles in the Delhi-NCR region first and will expand to the Southern region of India eventually and then in other Asian markets like Thailand. The Singha and Singha Max electric three wheelers, both electric three wheelers are equipped with a 48V lithium-ion battery pack which powers the electric motor, putting out 80 Nm of peak torque and the top-speed is rated at up to 80 kmph. The payload capacity of both vehicles is up to 500 kg including the weight of the battery pack.

Govt removes 20 per cent customs duty on solar cells, panels According to the Budget documents, the customs duty on solar cells and solar cells assembled in modules or made up into panels was reduced from 20 per cent to zero per cent. This assumes significance in view of India's ambitious target of adding 100 gigawatt (GW) of solar energy by 2022. India has already achieved installation of 34 GW of solar energy in the country.

Now this is good. I hope that it results into more Solar PV installations. And solar is no brainer. It's money printer as Elon says. Go Solar as soon as possible.

JBM Auto launches two electric buses JBM Auto launched two electric buses Eco-Life e9 and e12 electric buses at the Auto Expo 2020. It is powered by fast-charging lithium batteries, can run 125-150 km in a single charge, depending on the city’s traffic conditions.

Ather CEO Tarun Mehta writes a blog after the controversial pricing of 450X. We will leave it to you to read and form a view.

Tata Ultra T7 EV Truck Debuts At Auto Expo Tata Ultra T.7 Electric comes equipped with a 62.5 kWh battery pack capable of 328 hp and 2,800 Nm; has claimed driving range of 100 km

The Rajasthan State Roadways Transport Corporation (RSRTC) is going to procure 48 Electric Buses and is expecting to get the prototype of the bus by the end of March. After suggesting modifications and requirements, the final fleet of buses is expected by July 2020. Out of the 48 buses to be bought by the corporation, 22 would ply on the Jaipur-Delhi route so that these buses will operate between Sindhi Camp (Jaipur) to Bikaner House (New Delhi).

Bird Electric EV1 to hit Indian market in the range Rs 10 lakh Haima Automobiles collaborated with Bird Electric - a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bird Group to manufacture Bird Electric EV1. The battery-powered vehicle, likely to be manufactured at a soon-to-be-set-up plant in Manesar (Haryana). It will be offered in two variants with a driving range of 200 km and 300 km per charge, respectively. Bird Electric EV1 is fitted with lithium battery and electronic control system and has a torque output between 95Nm and 150Nm. The first lot of Bird Electric EV1 will be rolled out in the next 12-15 months.

Evolet Raptor Electric Maxi Scooter Unveiled The Raptor has a brushless 3000 watt electric motor that draws power from a 72V 40 Ah lithium-ion battery and takes around 3-4 hours to be fully charged. The Evolet Raptor electric maxi scooter has a claimed range of 150 km on a single charge and has a top speed of 100 kmph. The Evolet Raptor is expected to be available in showrooms by June 2020.

Indian Oil Partners with Israeli Battery Manufacturer to Produce Metal-Air Batteries The Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has announced that it has partnered with Phinergy, an Israeli battery manufacturer, to produce metal-air batteries which could potentially be used in electric vehicles (EVs). Phinergy is a manufacturer of aluminum-air (Al-Air) and zinc-air batteries.

I am not aware any manufacturer using Metal Air batteries or planning to. But maybe in future. It's good to see this coming from a oil producer.

The dozen state-owned major ports in the country have switched to renewable energy to meet their entire power requirements, making India the first nation to have all government-owned ports running on solar and wind energy. The 12 state-owned ports are Deendayal Port Trust, Mumbai Port Trust, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, New Mangalore Port Trust, Mormugao Port Trust, Cochin Port Trust, Chennai Port Trust, VO Chidambaranar Port Trust, Visakhapatnam Port Trust, Paradip Port Trust, Kolkata Port Trust and Kamarajar Port Ltd. The state-owned ports also offer shore-power to ships to cut costs and emissions.

India’s RE sector needs upto $700 billion in new investment by 2030 India’s renewable energy sector requires $500 billion to $700 billion of new investment by 2030 to meet its massive target of 450 gigawatt (GW) capacity, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

Indian Government Issues Tender To Buy 1,000 Electric Cars Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) is looking to acquire 1,000 electric cars with range of at least 180 kilometers per charge. The company, which issued its first such tender in 2017, is currently on track to receive a total of 2,000 electric cars from Indian manufacturers. Manufacturers bidding in the new tender will be required to provide six years of warranty and an additional six years of servicing.

This is great & what I like is, it having a minimum range requirement. Mahindra surely won't be happy. Hey Mahindra, can we get decent range EVs now?

Solar is now cheaper than coal in India The Price declines in solar panels & the power they produce are jolting the industry. India is at the forefront of the trend, with a cost of building solar capacity that has dropped 84% in eight years. India has increased the amount of solar power it has installed 10 folds in the past 5 years, to 32GW, and the govt is hoping to triple that in the next few years-one of the fastest paces of growth.

EESL ties up with BSNL to set up 1,000 EV charging stations As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), EESL will set up public EV charging stations at 1,000 BSNL sites in a phased manner across the country, an EESL statement said. EESL will make the entire upfront investment on the services pertaining to the MoU, along with the operation and maintenance of the charging infrastructure by using qualified personnel. BSNL would be responsible for providing the requisite space and power connections for installing the charging infrastructure.

India achieves lowest cost of floating solar power globally “Recent bids results indicate a sharp decline in the investment cost for FSPV. In the latest tender result of the country’s first large-scale FSPV plant of 70 megawatt capacity, cost as low as Rs 35 per Watt has been quoted by developers. This is the lowest cost achieved in the entire world so far,” the report by The Energy and Resources Institute said.

Kerala Approves Tariff of ₹2.83/kWh to Procure 200 MW of Wind Power from SECI The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved a tariff of ₹2.83 (~$0.04)/kWh to procure 200 MW of wind power. While the tariff of ₹2.83 (~$0.04)/kWh would be applicable from the scheduled commissioning to the commissioning of the cumulative capacity, a pooled tariff of ₹2.82 (~$0.04)/kWh will be applicable from the full commissioning to the term of the agreement.

Kolkata is planning to introduce electric vessels on the Hooghly river The local government, in a bid to check pollution, is now planning to introduce electric vessels on the Hooghly. The same will soon be replacing the existing fleet of old and rickety ferries. As per the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, the said ferries had been increasing the toxicity level in water and air, and have also been responsible for noise pollution. Referring to this development, an official added that as of now, they are planning to introduce at least two electric vessels to gauge the viability of their ferry system. He added that the government, however, is in the process of procuring 20 modern vessels, which will come enhanced with an improved emission system.


 

Germany is on the brink of recession as its auto industry hits a 22 year low. Tesla - and the EV movement - has disrupted the backbone of Germany's economy. "It is time to face the uncomfortable truth that the German automakers do not have a single car in production or in development today that can compete with the Model 3."

India did it for Internet, Can do it for EVs - TCIN Blog Member Sam explains how charging infra isn't that big of a thing. Its there, we just need to use it.

TCIN's Rebuttal to Sirish Chandran - Don't Ride The Toyota Story WE counter the claims being put forward by Sirish Chandran that India should focus on Hybirds, which bascically rides on Toyota's story. We know that Toyota is far behind in BEVs and hence is focusing on Hybrids or FCEVs. However we have no problems companies also selling Hybrids till complete electrification, but they shouldn't be main focus. Do they expect to turn to BEVs overnight? Nope. You need to start now. When the whole world is focusing on BEVs, Toyota advising us to focus on Hybrids doesn't sounds right. Read the blog.

Natural gas is much 'dirtier' energy source than we thought That’s both bad news for climate change and good, says Hmiel, the lead author of the study and a researcher at the University of Rochester. Bad, because it means that oil and gas production has had a messier, bigger impact on the greenhouse gas budget than scientists knew.

Auto industry: Incentivized to Not Change When you are a kid, not all you ask your parents for is good for you. Regardless of how hard you try to influence their opinion, they will act in your best interest and often say no. Good parents know very well that doing all that your kid asks for would in many cases be counter to their responsibility, harmful to the physical or mental health of their children. Industries are like kids asking for sweet candies every day, avoiding homework and exercise if possible. Instead of being good parents, our governments often act like parents who assume their kids know better what is good for them. Instead of raising, nurturing, and helping an industry to grow in a healthy manner, they give the companies a lot of sweet candies and wonder why the teeth are gone so soon.

Kona Electric - 400km in a Single Charge - TCIN Forum Kona owners does a 385km trip from Bangalore to Coimbatore in a single charge. Take a look at stats through out the journey.


 

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Listen to TCIN Podcast 6 ; Discussing Ather 450X & Nexon EV with Arun Bhat S - Google Podcasts, Spotify.

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