Author: Michael Khan

The government of India has issued new operational guidelines for its PM E-DRIVE scheme, which targets the deployment of more than 72,000 public electric vehicle (EV) chargers and battery-swap stations across the country. Authorities have allocated roughly €220 million (2,000 crore rupees) in subsidies to support the installations. The subsidies will vary depending on the type of site and may cover both the EV supply equipment (EVSE) and upstream infrastructure, such as cabling, fencing, or transformers. The program is designed to support 22,100 fast chargers for four-wheeled EVs, 1,800 bus chargers, and 48,400 chargers for two- and three-wheelers, which are…

General Motors said it has introduced its Super Cruise hands-free driving system in the Middle East, becoming the first automaker to roll out a road-ready advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) in the region. The technology will be offered across Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet vehicles. The company’s Middle East subsidiary said the launch is part of GM’s wider strategy to advance personal autonomous vehicle technologies and reduce driving-related errors. The move follows approval from Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information, which cleared the system in line with the country’s Vision 2030 development plan. GM recently completed a proof-of-concept project…

Tata Motors  on Friday named Shailesh Chandra as chief executive officer and managing director, effective April 2026, and appointed Dhiman Gupta as chief financial officer, as India’s largest automaker by revenue prepares to spin off its commercial and passenger vehicle businesses into separate listed entities. The leadership reshuffle follows the National Company Law Tribunal’s approval of Tata Motors’ composite scheme of arrangement, under which the company will demerge its commercial vehicle operations into Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles Ltd (TMLCV) and merge TML Business Analytics Services Ltd (TMLBASL) into Tata Motors. Chandra, who currently heads the automaker’s passenger vehicle and electric…

Bengaluru-based electric two-wheeler startup Ultraviolette Automotive said it is open to licensing its battery technology as it seeks to diversify revenue beyond vehicle sales. The move comes as the Qualcomm- and TVS Motor-backed company aims to build a higher-margin income stream to support expansion in India and Europe. “A little down the line, we should probably look at other revenue streams from offshoots from the technology side,” CEO Narayan Subramaniam told Reuters. “We have gotten interest from EV manufacturers, companies that make space tech equipment to even performance hydroplanes. But for us currently, with the bandwidth that we have, our…

India has lowered taxes on fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) to align them with battery electric vehicles (BEVs), as part of its biggest tax reform in eight years. The move underscores the country’s view of hydrogen technology as a complement to battery-powered transport in its decarbonisation strategy. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) on FCEVs has been reduced from 12% to 5%, bringing them on par with BEVs. By contrast, internal combustion engine (ICE) and hybrid vehicles now face rates of 18% to 40%. Previously, ICE vehicles attracted up to 28% GST plus a compensation cess of as high as 22%.…

Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles said it has built a network of more than 25,000 public chargers across 150 Indian cities to support its electric small commercial vehicle (SCV) customers, with plans to double the number by September 2026. The network spans major metros including Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. Customers can locate chargers through the company’s ‘Fleet Edge’ app available on Android and Apple smartphones. “Crossing the 25,000 public charging station mark is a pivotal milestone in our commitment to advancing electric cargo mobility and its enabling ecosystem,” said Pinaki Haldar, Vice President and Business Head for the SCV…

India’s Eicher Trucks and Buses has delivered six Skyline Pro-E 12m electric buses to IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, for passenger transfers at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The low-floor electric buses, designed for tarmac use, can seat 17 passengers and carry 52 standing. Each unit is powered by a 235-kW motor and an IP67-rated battery pack, with a range of up to 300 km per charge and a top speed of 75 kph. The buses also feature air conditioning and dual-end air suspension. “This is the first time we are supplying electric buses for tarmac application,” said Suresh…

JBM Ecolife Mobility, a subsidiary of Indian bus maker JBM Auto, has raised $100 million (€85 million) from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to accelerate the rollout of electric buses across the country. IFC, part of the World Bank Group, said this is its largest investment in an Indian e-bus deployment project. The funding will support the introduction of air-conditioned electric buses in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Assam, with the latter two deployments awarded under the government’s PM-eBus Sewa Scheme. For the first time, JBM Ecolife Mobility will use the scheme’s Payment Security Mechanism, which provides operators with safeguards against potential…

Suzuki’s first all-electric crossover, the e-Vitara, has been awarded a four-star safety rating following crash tests conducted by Euro NCAP. The model, which debuted in India earlier this year  is still awaiting market launch in several countries. The evaluation covered multiple impact scenarios, including frontal and side collisions. The e-Vitara demonstrated stable body structure and effective airbag deployment, though assessments indicated areas where occupants could face a higher risk of serious injury. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q_1TBZb7RQ&ab_channel=EuroNCAP Test results showed 77% for adult occupant protection, with a complete airbag system contributing to the score. Child occupant protection performed better at 85%, supported by ISOFIX…

India’s Tata Power inaugurated its largest Tata.ev MegaCharger hub in Mumbai on Wednesday, coinciding with the annual World EV Day. The facility, established in collaboration with Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Limited (TPEML), Tata Motors’ electric car subsidiary, features eight DC chargers capable of delivering up to 120 kW of power. Each charger has dual charging guns, allowing 16 electric vehicles to charge simultaneously. The new hub is located at The Leela Mumbai Hotel, roughly two kilometres from Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, and operates 24/7 entirely on renewable energy. Tata Power said the site is strategically…

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD is planning to strengthen its presence in India, with executives set to visit the country and preparations underway to launch new models, according to a Bloomberg report citing sources familiar with the matter. After five years of remote management, easing of bilateral travel restrictions will allow BYD’s India Managing Director Ketsu Zhang to visit the South Asian nation in the coming months. The company has begun securing visas for senior executives and engineers to restart training programs, maintain machinery, and assess the condition of its southern India factory. BYD is considering the introduction of its…

Tesla said on Tuesday it will open its first Experience Centre in Abu Dhabi, a purpose-built facility on Yas Island that will combine a showroom, delivery hub and service centre, as the U.S. electric vehicle maker steps up its presence in the United Arab Emirates capital. The development, covering more than 53,000 square feet, will be Tesla’s first fully integrated site in Abu Dhabi. The company said the new facility is designed to give customers a seamless brand experience — from browsing and purchasing vehicles to after-sales service — under one roof. It will also feature 20 V4 Supercharger stalls…

Switch Mobility, the electric vehicle arm of Hinduja Group, has started deliveries of its EiV12 low-floor electric buses in Delhi, marking the first batch of a 950-unit order placed by the city’s transport department. The EiV12, engineered and built in India by the Ashok Leyland subsidiary, seats 39 passengers and includes accessibility features such as a wheelchair ramp. Safety and monitoring systems onboard include CCTV, panic buttons, GPS tracking and fire detection. Powered by floor-mounted LFP batteries with storage capacity ranging from 189 kWh to 423 kWh, the buses can travel up to 314 km per charge. They are equipped…

VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), a joint venture between Volvo Group and Eicher Motors, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Jio-bp Pulse to expand access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure for its commercial fleet customers. The partnership will give operators of Eicher trucks and buses access to Jio-bp’s network of more than 6,000 DC fast-charging points across India, including in major urban centres, highways and EV hubs. The chargers will be integrated into VECV’s “My Eicher” fleet management app, enabling fleet managers to view locations and real-time availability. VECV said this marks the first time a public charging network has…

Vietnamese automaker VinFast has launched two electric sport-utility vehicles in India as part of its global expansion, offering introductory prices aimed at undercutting rivals Tesla and BYD in one of the world’s fastest-growing auto markets. The VF6 compact SUV is priced at 1.51 million rupees ($18,127) and the larger VF7 mid-size SUV starts at 1.89 million rupees ($22,659). The introductory pricing applies to the first 1,500 buyers or until Nov. 30, 2025, whichever comes first. Tesla’s Model Y retails for about $68,000 in India, while BYD’s ATTO 3 starts at around $28,400. VinFast, Vietnam’s largest carmaker and an EV-only manufacturer,…

BMW Group said on Friday that its electric vehicle (EV) deliveries in India have surpassed 5,000 units, making it the first luxury carmaker in the country to reach the milestone. To mark the achievement, the German automaker has set up a high-power charging corridor covering 4,000 kilometres from India’s north to south. The corridor, developed in partnership with charging operators Statiq and Zeon, will offer stations with capacities ranging from 120 to 720 kilowatts every 300 kilometres along key routes. BMW has been the top-selling luxury EV brand in India for three consecutive years since 2022. The company maintained its…

Japan’s SoftBank Group has reduced its shareholding in Indian electric scooter maker Ola Electric to 15.68% from 17.83% after selling a 2.15% stake over July and September, according to a stock exchange filing on Thursday. SoftBank, the company’s second-largest shareholder after founder Bhavish Aggarwal, sold a total of 94.9 million shares. The sale price for the shares was not disclosed. Ola Electric, which went public in August 2024, has seen increased trading activity in recent sessions, with its stock closing more than 10% higher in two of the past four sessions. The Bengaluru-based company recently received certification under India’s Production…

India’s GST advisory panel has recommended higher taxes on expensive electric vehicles, a move that could impact imported models such as Tesla’s Model Y, BMW’s iX and Mercedes-Benz EQ cars, as well as some domestic offerings, Reuters reported. The panel proposes raising the goods and services tax (GST) on EVs priced between 2 million and 4 million rupees (€19,500–€39,000) from 5% to 18%, and applying a 28% rate on vehicles above €39,000. The recommendations argue that such models cater to the “upper segment” of society and are mostly imported rather than produced in India. “The uptake of electric vehicles is…

Tesla has secured just over 600 orders since launching sales in India in mid-July, a figure that fell short of its expectations, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The U.S. electric vehicle maker plans to ship between 350 and 500 cars to India this year, with the first batch expected to arrive from Shanghai in early September, the report said. Deliveries will initially be limited to Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Gurugram, based on fully paid orders and the company’s delivery capacity in the four cities where it has a physical presence. Tesla introduced its Model…

China’s BYD has delivered its 10,000th vehicle in India, the new energy vehicle (NEV) maker said in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Monday. The announcement, shared via the semi-official account @小迪快报, included a short video of BYD India celebrating the milestone but provided no further details. BYD currently offers four models in India: the all-electric MPV eMax 7, the Seal sedan, the Atto 3 SUV—known as the Yuan Plus in China—and the Sealion 7, also marketed domestically as the Sealion 07. The Sealion 7 began accepting pre-orders in late January and marked BYD’s latest launch in…